Ring the bell, UFC 2 lands on retail shelves this March

A brand new trailer emerges as a release date is announced for EA Sports UFC 2.

“Whether fans want to play upcoming cards, recreate the outcome of recent fights, or go back to fight with MMA legends, we’ll help them do that in the most authentic and exciting way ever in an MMA simulation,” said Brian Hayes, Creative Director. “Our first two pre-order fighters, Bas Rutten and Kazushi Sakuraba are perfect additions to what is already the biggest roster ever for an official UFC game. Adding them is huge, and fans are going to go nuts when we reveal who the mystery fighter is. I can’t wait.”

Promising plenty of “moments from recent bouts, showcasing authentic gameplay features”, and new characters and animations for them, EA is hoping that their latest stab at the UFC franchise will land with the force of one of cover-athlete Conor McGregor’s hits. With the Knockout Physics System, which makes its debut in this edition, fans will be seeing what EA calls Dynamic Grappling, and Next-Level Submissions.

You’ll also get “day one access” to  pair of UFC legends. Both Bas Rutten and “The Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba will be up for addition to the game’s roster, but that’s not all as there’s a third character that will also be available to fans who pre-order, though his identity is hush-hush at the moment. Also worth a mention is that the Deluxe Edition of the game will offer $60.00 USD of UFC Ultimate Team Premium Packs, so there’s a little more bang for your buck there too.

As to when you’ll be able to delve back into the world of the Ultimate Fight, EA Sports’ UFC 2 will arrive on March 16th in the US and on the 17th globally.