EA Sports UFC 5 release date and gameplay rumored, Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic backup reported, Dana White clears up multiple rumors: MMA News Roundup
Welcome to Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC news updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today's issue, we will discuss new details about UFC 5 that have come to light, the heavyweight title clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, and more.
#3. UFC 5 potential release date and gameplay disclosed
The highly anticipated EA Sports UFC 5 game is set to release this year.
According to a report by Insider Gaming, the release date is October 27, 2023, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms. A PC version of the game is not yet available.
Alexander Volkanovski and Valentina Shevchenko will feature on the cover of the Standard Edition of the game, while Israel Adesanya will star on the Deluxe Edition cover.
It was revealed in the beta registration that the game was moved to an M for Mature rating from the previous T for Teen tag. The change was made keeping in mind the "more realistic aspects of damage" that were included in the gameplay, such as graphic details of injuries and blood pooling on the canvas.
In another report, Insider Gaming revealed that the game will move from Ignite Engine to Frostbite for the first time.
Read the detailed report about the new gameplay features of UFC 5 here.
#2. Backup fighter for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic reported
Sergei Pavlovich will reportedly serve as the backup fighter for the heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic at UFC 295.
The news was first reported by Igor Lazorin, who heard this from Pavlovich's manager Rizvan Magomedov.
Pavlovich is on a six-fight winning streak - all finishes - and has not lost since 2018. It is a common MMA consensus that if not for the Jon Jones-Francis Ngannou stalemate situation, he would've been given a shot at the heavyweight title already.
#1. Dana White addresses Ronda Rousey's return and other rumors
Dana White answered a number of rumors, at the Contender Series press conference, that are floating around on social media at the moment.
Conor McGregor sent MMA Twitter into a frenzy by posting a screenshot of what looked like a leaked UFC 296 schedule featuring him and Michael Chandler. The picture even had a countdown attached to it, similar to the ones put up on the Fight Pass website.
However, there was no such update on the official website at the time. Dana White has claimed that it was not real and must have been an AI-generated image.
"I don't know how that [image] got out or whatever, it wasn't from [UFC] Fight Pass. My team was telling me it was an AI [image]. It wasn't real."
He assured that the fans would have heard from him directly if the fight was indeed announced,
White also addressed the rumor of Ronda Rousey returning for one last ride, which stemmed from a DailyMail report claiming the same. He dismissed the news as a "crock of s***" and said:
"Ronda's having kids. Ronda built this whole thing that's going on with the women here. Then her dream was to go to the WWE. She went there and did everything that she did there and achieved. She has made sh*tloads of money. She has moved on with her life."
Dana White was asked if the rumor that Jon Jones had kicked Colby Covington off the UFC 295 card was true or not.
"No. I don't think Jon Jones could give a s**t one way or the other. Literally, the only person I've ever seen Jon Jones truly hate and could not stand and would say bad things about was Daniel Cormier."
Watch the full press conference below: