Bellator: MMA Fury

Bellator: MMA Fury is a mixed martial arts game developed by Headrush Games and published by ACS. It is based on the American mixed martial arts promotion Bellator MMA. Released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox ONE, Xbox Series X|S and PC. It is the second game based on the Bellator MMA license, following 2012's Bellator: MMA Onslaught and the first one published by ACS.

Developed by the same development team as the Ring of Honor: Unchained series, Bellator: MMA Fury seeks to aim for a similar, simulation-based gameplay experience in a mixed martial arts setting. Bellator: MMA Fury runs on the Unreal Engine 4, allowing for highly detailed in-game graphics and realistic character models.

Gameplay[]

Prior to release, ACS has stated that the gameplay of Bellator: MMA Fury was primarily influenced by simulation-based mixed martial arts games of the past generation, namely THQ and Yukes' UFC Undisputed series. The developers have stated that their main goal was to create a game that will satisfy veterans of the genre, while also not being too daunting for new players to pick up and play.

The game uses a conventional control scheme common in most mixed martial arts games: each face button corresponds to a fighter's limb, blocking high and low are mapped to the shoulder triggers, attack modifers are relegated to the shoulder bumpers, movement is done with the left stick, the d-pad is used for stance switching, while the right stick is used for clinching, grappling and takedowns. Grapple transitions can be done by circling the right stick around in various directions. By holding down both shoulder triggers and moving the left analog stick, the player can control head movement and perform sways. Parrying is done by tapping the left (for high strikes) or right (for low strikes) trigger before the enemy's attack lands.

Each players' HUD consists of the health meter, which goes down as the player recieves attacks, the stamina meter which decreases quickly as the player performs attacks, replenishes while on neutral, slows down movement and attacks when running low, and degenerates as the fighter moves and attacks throughout the fight, and the body damage indicator, a body-shaped diagram segmented into six parts: head, torso, left arm, right arm, left leg and right leg, which changes color from white to red, as the fighters take damage, to indicate which body part is weakened. A well-timed strong strike would sometimes cause a "flash knockout", ending the match regardless of the amount of health left or body damage taken.

For submission holds, Bellator: MMA Fury utilizez a precision-based submission system similar to the one previously used in UFC Undisputed 3, wherein the attacker must use left analog stick to navigate a colored wedge around a circular gauge in order to chase around the defender's own wedge and overlap their colors for a period of time to make them tap out. Meanwhile, the defender must do whatever they can to escape the attacker's wedge. As the defender takes damage or as the attacker loses their stamina, the movement of their wedge becomes slower, making them more vulnerable. Submission holds can be applied from a clinch, after a takedown, or on a downed opponent.

Each of the 86 fighters in the roster utilize their own unique fighting style, which is further reflected in their gameplay. By default, each fight is contested via three (five during title fights) 5-minute rounds that can be won either by knockout, tap-out, stoppage or judge's decision, as per unified MMA rules. In-game commentary is provided by Mauro Ranallo and "Big" John McCarthy.

Game Modes[]

The available game modes are as follows: Fight, Grand Prix, Career, Tutorial, Online and Options.

Fight[]

Fight mode consists of two modes: Quick Match and Exhibition. Quick Match mode allows players to start a single match against a random opponent, without the need for choosing the opponent. In Exhibition mode, players can create a bout of their choice against the CPU or another player.

Fights in Exhibition mode can be fought under Catchweight rules, only allowing bouts between fighters of the same weight, or Openweight rules, allowing fighters from different weight classes to fight each other. Meanwhile, Quick Match fights are exclusively fought under Catchweight rules.

Grand Prix[]

Grand Prix mode serves as the game's main tournament mode, allowing players to set up a tournament of their own against the CPU or other players, in a matter not to dissimilar to Bellator's own annual Grand Prix events. Just like in Exhibition mode, these tournaments can be contested under Catchweight or Openweight rules. Grand Prix mode can support up to eight players.

Career[]

The game features an in-depth Career Mode, which allows players to take on the life and career of their own created fighter. Players start off as an amateur, working on local bouts. Once they rise up the ranks in the amateur MMA scene, they would be elevated to pro status and eventually get signed to Bellator.

From here, the player would continue to fight up the Bellator rankings until they reach a high enough rank to compete for a title for their respective weight class. After achieving a certain rank, the player might become eligible to join the Bellator Grand Prix, which could net them an opportunity to fight for the championship of their respective weight class. Once in a while, the player is given an opportunity to switch weight classes.

Career Mode is presented in a calendar format, where the player's progress is shown by a calendar that shows the current date and when they would fight. Off-bout weeks allow the player to either train in order to improve various stats for their fighter, or rest, and heal any fatigue or damage their fighter may have sustained during bouts or training.

The player starts with six training courses, each pertaining to a certain in-game base stat (Striking, Grappling, Ground, Submission, Defense and Stamina). As the player progresses through their career, they could unlock various advanced courses, which allows players to enhance two or more stats at once, further boosting their stat gain.

Other vital aspects of the career mode include obtaining sponsorships and joining fighter camps. Sponsors are unlocked by obtaining a certain level of popularity throughout their career, and can be upgraded by wearing their apparel or logos into a bout, while joining camps require players to master a certain aspect of their fighting, and awards more moves to add to their fighter's repertoire.

Create[]

The game includes an extensive Create-A-Fighter Mode which allows the players to create their own fighters, featuring extensive customization features that allow the player to alter their created fighter's appearance, profile, stats, moveset, pre-match gestures, post-match celebrations and even create custom logos. The game includes 100 CAF slots available (50 CAF slots for last-gen versions), as well as 100 slots for custom sponsor logos.

One of the key features of Create-A-Fighter mode is the robust custom fight gear creation mode, giving players a plethora of options to design their created fighter's gear (trunks, shirts, hats, tops for female fighters), including multiple base options, a paint tool for custom logo creation and the ability to attach up to 15 sponsor logos per gear.

Training[]

Training mode consists of two modes: Tutorial and Sparring. The game features an in-depth tutorial that teaches the player everything the game has to offer, from the basics of the game, to the more advanced techniques and options. Meanwhile, Sparring mode allows players to practice their fighter's moves against a dummy opponent.

Roster[]

Roster accurate as of August 24, 2021

Heavyweight[]

Cheick Kongo
Fedor Emelianenko
Javy Ayala
Linton Vasell
Ryan Bader
Sergei Kharitonov
Timothy Johnson
Tyrell Fortune
Valentin Moldavsky
Vitaly Minakov

Light Heavyweight[]

Alex Polizzi
Christian Edwards
Corey Anderson
Grant Neal
Julius Anglickas
Lee Chadwick
Lyoto Machida
Melvin Manhoef
Phil Davis
Vadim Nemkov

Middleweight[]

Austin Vanderford
Charlie Ward
Costello van Steenis
Ed Ruth
Fabian Edwards
Gegard Moussasi
John Salter
Lorenz Larkin
Mike Shipman
Norbert Novenyi Jr.

Welterweight[]

Andrey Koreshkov
Derek Anderson
Douglas Lima
Joey Davis
Logan Storley
Michael Page
Neiman Gracie
Paul Daley
Sabah Homasi
Yaroslav Amosov

Lightweight[]

Adam Piccolotti
Benson Henderson
Chris Gonzalez
Georgi Karakhanyan
Myles Jury
Goiti Yamauchi
Patricio Pitbull
Patricky Pitbull
Saad Awad
Sidney Outlaw

Featherweight[]

Aaron Pico
Adam Borics
AJ McKee
Daniel Weichel
Emmanuel Sanchez
Gaston Bolaños
Jay Jay Wilson
Jeremy Kennedy
Mads Burnell
Pedro Carvalho

Bantamweight[]

Brian Moore
Darrion Caldwell
Henry Corrales
James Gallagher
Josh Hill
Juan Archuleta
Leandro Higo
Patchy Mix
Raufeon Stots
Sergio Pettis

Women's Featherweight[]

Arlene Blencowe
Cat Zingano
Cris Cyborg
Janay Harding
Julia Budd
Leslie Smith
Sinead Kavanagh
Talita Nogueira

Women's Flyweight[]

Alejandra Lara
Denise Kielholtz
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
Juliana Velasquez
Kana Watanabe
Kate Jackson
Liz Carmouche
Veta Arteaga

Default Champions[]

Arenas[]

Soundtrack[]

Bellator: MMA Fury features 24 licensed hip-hop and rock/metal songs from various artists and bands.

Bullet for My Valentine - "Knives"
Cartel Madras - "Drift"
Cypress Hill - "Can't Get the Best of Me"
D12 - "Fight Music"
Denzel Curry - "The Game"
Dirty Machine - "Against the World"
Drowning Pool - "Bodies"
Eminem ft. Jack Harlow and Cordae - "Killer (Remix)"
Emmure - "Uncontrollable Descent"
Godsmack - "Unforgettable"
Hollywood Undead ft. Papa Roach and Ice Nine Kills - "Heart of a Champion"
I Prevail - "Bow Down"
Jynx - "Fails"
LL Cool J - "Mama Said Knock You Out (Undefeated Remix)"
Machine Head - "Bulldozer"
NF ft. Tech N9ne - "Trust"
Nonpoint - "Chaos and Earthquakes"
Otep - "Battle Ready"
Saint Asonia - "Beast"
Seether - "Bruised and Bloodied"
Skepta - "Bellator"
Tech N9ne ft. Flatbush Zombies and Jehry Robinson - "Look What I Did"
Token - "Chit Chat"
Yelawolf - "Hot"

Sequel[]

A sequel to the game, Bellator: MMA Fury 2, was released in 2024 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox ONE, Xbox Series X|S and PC

Trivia[]

The game's cover features mixed martial arts legend and Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix finalist Fedor Emelianenko.
ACS has announced additional DLC content for the game in the near future, including additional fighters and custom fight gear options.