Clinching mechanics explained in UFC 2009 video
by Justin McElroy 
{ Apr 20th 2009 at 6:00PM } 
The confusion came, we think, from a difference in nomenclature. What the UFC calls "clinching" we call "totally hugging." And we know our hugs. Heck, if they'd just called them hugs from the start, we probably could have been more helpful.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Pszczola @ Apr 20th 2009 6:19PM
When I was playing the demo, my sister asked me why they were hugging.
Velocifaptor @ Apr 20th 2009 6:31PM
So, did you start with "Well, when a man loves another man very much..."?
Deadpool @ Apr 20th 2009 6:56PM
What did she say when they went into the "Full Mount" position?
Jose @ Apr 20th 2009 7:07PM
I bet it got really awkward when one of the guys put the other guy in a "rear naked choke".
heypaul @ Apr 20th 2009 9:32PM
I can't speak for you guys, but I know I've been looking for a good shirtless man hugging simulator. Let's hope this delivers.
Mat Schwartz @ Apr 20th 2009 6:21PM
Sorry man this isn't Kotaku :|
Gambit07 @ Apr 20th 2009 6:24PM
Thank god these guys have shorts on.
Markez @ Apr 20th 2009 6:27PM
Was your first thought "OH MAN WHAT IF THOSE GUYS DIDNT HAVE SHORTS ON"? Don't you hate pants?!
xandeR- @ Apr 20th 2009 6:25PM
I got the demo for this from GameStop and while the game looks pretty good, the controls are WAY complicated. There's a page of controls for every position and situation in the game, which equates to about 20 pages of controls to know. For a non-MMA fan, this is wildly overwhelming. I'm a boxing fan and was curious as to the intracacies of the upcoming sport. I hoped that this game would provide me with the same insight that Fight Night Round 3 gave me on boxing.
After about 15 fights, I had my answer.
It does not. None of the controls are explained besides the names of the positions and the actions. I lost several fights in the demo before I realized how to escape a submission without spamming buttons on the controller. Several times, I lost or won without any warning at all with one punch knockouts. Shouldn't these be...rare occurances? Only twice did I encounter the "dazed" situation where one more good hit ends the fight.
Inevitably, this is going to be compared to Fight Night, which in my opinion, is far far better.
Pszczola @ Apr 20th 2009 6:26PM
Did you play the tutorial? I found it really helpful.
green11420 @ Apr 20th 2009 6:58PM
MMA is constantly compared to boxing, and vice versa, so why not compare the games to one another!
Seriously, they are two completely different sports and it really makes no sense to compare the sports let alone the video games of the sports! lol
JohnHype @ Apr 20th 2009 7:02PM
Any decent MMA game is going to be difficult for non-MMA fans to pick up. The sport is too deep and varied to expect to just jump in and swing.
One punch knockouts in the game are a little more common, but I'm hoping they go down when you up the difficulty.
OmegaX @ Apr 20th 2009 7:17PM
Xander if you did the tutorial every aspect of the game in explained. Granted I didn't learn all the controls 100% until I played for about an hour, but I wasn't completely lost either. As for getting randomly knocked out, it's a part of MMA. That what makes the sport and the game so enjoyable. You can win, or lose at any time. You need to pick your shots and play somewhat cautiously. Button mashers won't thrive here.
Cutty @ Apr 22nd 2009 2:51PM
Well, actually there was quite an extensive tutorial in the demo which pretty much explained everything that you could do. I could understand the frustration because it's not an easy game, you'll notice this when you up the the difficulty (if you fight shogun on expert he will instantly take you down and eventually full mount you, and your pretty much done). I think I won 2 out of 8 fights on expert.
"Several times, I lost or won without any warning at all with one punch knockouts."
And this is actually a very common occurance if you ever watch MMA. I'm actually really glad that this can happen because it makes it that much more realistic.
I've had the demo for a couple days, and have put at least 4-5 hours in it. Give my roomate the second controller and its 10 times as fun.
Awesome demo, so hopefully awesome game.
PR0F3TA @ Apr 20th 2009 6:31PM
yeah please don't start with the "First" thing on Joystiq... not this sacred ground
green11420 @ Apr 20th 2009 6:55PM
The clinching looks alright but when the fighters are in "clinch mode" it looks kind of awkward when one dude is just standing there. In a real MMA fight, 9 times out of 10, the other guy would be maneuvering around and trying to get out of it! But besides that it looks good.
And was that Karo I saw in the vid?? If so, I'll be using him on a regular basis!
It's also funny that Roger Huerta is in the game. I heard he had quit MMA.
oolz @ Apr 20th 2009 7:10PM
maybe...just maybe... they weren't trying to escape so they could show you what they're talking about?
You saw Karo, and I'm sure he'll gas in the first like always.
Huerta didn't quit, he's just taking time off to do his modeling/acting. The ufc still owns him.
green11420 @ Apr 20th 2009 8:00PM
Ah ok.
And I think Huerta only has 1 fight left on his contract. After that, he's pretty much on an indefinite hiatus. That's not to say he wont be back...
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/huerta-passes-on-ufc-contract-15722
And Karo has been the distance in a ton of fights! Half of his wins were by decisions, and they are almost always very exciting.
Kenny Powers Fastball (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Apr 20th 2009 9:20PM
Here is the full fighter roster for UFC 2009 Undisputed:
KEY:
LH: Fighter can switch to Light Heavyweight
MW: Fighter can switch to Middleweight
WW: Fighter can switch to Welterweight
LW: Fighter can switch to Lightweight
Heavyweights
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Brock Lesnar
Frank Mir
Brandon Vera (LH)
Gabriel Gonzaga
Cain Velasquez
Cheick Kongo
Eddie Sanchez
Heath Herring
Andrei Arlovski
Mirko Crocop
Fabricio Werdum
Tim Sylvia
Mark Coleman
Antoni Hardonk
Justin McCully
Light Heavyweights
Chuck Lidell
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Forrest Griffin
Tito Ortiz
Keith Jardine
Wanderlei Silva
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Lyoto Machida
Rashad Evans
Stephan Bonnar
James Irvin
Wilson Gouveia (MW)
Houston Alexander
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Thiago Silva
Tim Boetsch
Ryan Bader (DLC)
Middleweights
Anderson Silva (LH)
Rich Franklin (LH)
Dan Henderson (LH)
Michael Bisping (LH)
Kendall Grove
Chris Leben
Jason MacDonald
Nate Marquardt
Drew McFedries
Ricardo Almeida
Evan Tanner
Yushin Okami
Demian Maia
Martin Kampmann (WW)
Amir Sadollah (WW)
Thales Leites
Welterweights
Georges St-Pierre
Matt Hughes
Matt Sera (LW)
Jon Fitch
Karo Parisyan
Josh Koscheck
Diego Sanchez
Mike Swick (MW)
Marcus Davis
Thiago Alves
Chris Lytle
Ben Saunders
Josh Burkman
Kyle Bradley
Matt Arroyo
Anthony Johnson
Lightweights
BJ Penn (WW)
Sean Sherk (WW)
Kenny Florian
Roger Huerta
Joe Stevenson
Mac Danzig
Nathan Diaz
Spencer Fisher
Tyson Griffin
Gray Maynard
Thiago Tavares
Joe Lauzon
Rich Clementi
Mark Bocek
Hermes Franca
Frank Edgar
Efrain Escudero (DLC)
Kenny Powers Fastball (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Apr 20th 2009 9:23PM
Karo Parisiyan last fight (Dong Hyun Kim) was changed to a no decision after he tested positive for steroids. I believe he is suspended for 1 year. His career is pretty much finished so if you are a fan this game is your only chance to see him as a successful MMA fighter.
sc00by_y00 @ Apr 20th 2009 7:08PM
1:44-146 I swear they were kissing.
hannibal222 @ Apr 20th 2009 7:18PM
Clinching should be highly risky, as when going in for a clinch your head is unprotected.
To the guy that asked if one-punch knockouts should be rare, the answer is no if you're doing something tactically dumb.
I'd love to see if they make it realistic, like if during a clinch Karo Parisyan is completely unstoppable, and if his throws are way better than everyone else.
Firewarrior @ Apr 20th 2009 7:34PM
Nice, I'm seriously expecting this and FNR4, can't wait to virtual knock out my mates.
Firewarrior @ Apr 20th 2009 7:36PM
Known Wrong Password
Firewarrior @ Apr 20th 2009 7:36PM
WRONG PASSWORD
Firewarrior @ Apr 20th 2009 7:37PM
Ignore the 2 above, seems I can't login into my profile but can post fine, so I need password confirmation.
ccc @ Apr 20th 2009 8:06PM
The video was more of a basic explanation of what clinching is and not the game mechanics of how it works in the gameplay as I had hoped. Either way this is shaping up to be the best thing THQ has ever had their name on.
Kenny Powers Fastball (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Apr 20th 2009 9:34PM
get the demo ... it's has a great tutorial for the clinch game. It requires a gamestop pre-order. I think the demo is only for the 360. I don't have a 360 but my brother does so I just grabbed a code and we played for a few hours today.
ccc @ Apr 21st 2009 6:21PM
Kenny Powers
The demo releases on the marketplace this week I'll catch it then.
Kenny Powers Fastball (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Apr 20th 2009 9:33PM
I got a chance to play the demo today on my brothers 360 and it's very technical which is super refreshing to see in a combat game. I'm so happy they didn't dumb the game down for your average Lestard fan.
The demo only allows you to be either Liddell or Shogun. Now, I probably fought the computer 6-7 times with both fighters and almost each fight ended differently. There were some knockouts (one from a head kick & one from an overhand right), submissions (kimora & knee bar) and TKO's (referee stoppage). The only thing is I never made it to a decision so thats a little disconcerting in terms of authenticity.
The game is so deep and technical that it will take quite a bit of practice to truly have mastered the controls. I can't wait to completely dominate people with BJ Penn. I'll dominate them with superior punching and then submit them! I think the key to this game will be being proficient with your defense and ground game. It doesn't matter if it's a wrestler or a jujitsu artist but you need to take the fight to the ground and punish your opponent. The people who go in there with the mentality of only striking will be neutralized by someone like me who will be all to happy to take it to the ground. Can't wait.
xFenixKnightx @ Apr 21st 2009 12:10AM
Yo Johnny, might end up getting this for PS3. DO FUCKING WANT!
Guiltyspark @ Apr 20th 2009 9:40PM
I am really looking forward to this game. I hope that they are able to make the controls and the game work out. Even if that means that it has a big learning curve.
WallyMS @ Apr 20th 2009 10:22PM
Somehow I cant see this game being as realistic as FNR4
Kenny Powers Fastball (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Apr 21st 2009 12:09AM
It's two different sports. I love all combat sports including MMA, boxing & Kickboxing and have watched them for nearly 10 years. Neither game will give you a perfect recreation of the actual sport but after playing the demo for UFC Undisputed I have no issues saying it's the most technical & accurate combat sports game ever created. The controls are actually very complicated because it's a true simulation game more than a shallow version of MMA. Another thing that makes this being super realistic is the presentation. The character models are very high resolution and realistic, great broadcast quality including actual UFC referees, real commentators, real celebrations, the actual ring girls and every other technically possible submission & takedown.
I think both games look extremely realistic and true to their respective sports. Can't wait to get both of them and after playing the UFC demo I can say it's as realistic and technical as possible.
Duke @ Apr 21st 2009 12:09AM
I downloaded the demo from demonoid and burned it to a cd. Works on the 360. I did the same thing with RE5 before the demo was officially out. UFC demo is out this Thursday anyway for those who are patient.
MAJE3STIC @ Apr 21st 2009 8:17AM
All I have to say is the "Flying Arm bar" and "North South Choke" is damn sick in this game! I can't wait for the retail version to release!
darkeyez @ Apr 21st 2009 10:59AM
I thought the last post with the funny hand drawn pic was the funniest post I've read on here, but this one takes the cake. thanks.
Lemmy @ Apr 21st 2009 12:01PM
I've got this demo already. You can believe it or not. Email me jfrnandez@aim.com then I will send you the details. Don't email me any spam.