On December 12, 2015, Conor McGregor broke the record for the fastest knockout in a UFC title fight. It took just 13 seconds for the Irish featherweight to land the critical punch, flooring the incumbent champion, José Aldo, in less time than it takes to brew a cup of tea. The bout was remarkably short, but the fans at Las Vegas' MGM Grand felt anything but shortchanged. They'd been present at one of the greatest moments in their sport's short history.
This unpredictability - the way a fight, or indeed a championship belt, can hinge on a decisive millisecond - is a huge part of UFC's personality. But how it would work in a video game? How would a player feel having spent five rounds dominating an opponent only to lose from a lucky punch? Or, indeed, for a fight to be over within a quarter of a minute, just because of one missed block?
It's challenges like these that makes MMA such a tricky proposition for developers. In a sport that is a much about moments of explosive violence as it is technical skill, how do you strike the right balance? It's this reason, as much as any other, that explains why there's never been a UFC game that's really hit the mark. To their credit EA Canada have some gone some way to change that with UFC 2, in what must be the sport's best interactive incarnation to date.
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