Randy Couture on Cover of EA MMA

Randy Couture is expected to be the cover athlete for EA Sports MMA according to SportsBusiness Daily (via First Cuts). The game is still a year away from releasing but this news makes it clear that he will be most recognizable name that EA obtains.

Former five-time UFC champion Randy Couture is believed to be the only fighter currently under contract to Zuffa who will appear in the EA version. “The Natural” managed to ink an exclusive deal during his 11-month courtroom fight with the UFC. Couture, who is expected to appear on the game’s cover, told SI.com he attempted to bring both sides together after falling back in favor with the UFC, but a compromise placing UFC fighters in the EA game never materialized.

The question to me is whether Couture being on the cover would be representative of the product. EA attempting to market this using the one UFC fighter they have could be construed as misleading. With UFC intimidating anyone who may want to join them by threatening lifetime bans as well as the lifetime contracts for those they already have the pickings will be thin. So the game will likely have to base itself heavily on create-a-fighter and career.