UFC 4 has been out for EA’s Early Access giving players a good look at its gameplay for the duration of ten hours before its official release on the 14th August 2020. Just like its predecessors, UFC 4 is a complicated game to play and arguably far more difficult to master than EA’s Fight Night boxing game series.
In these kinds of games, players can’t get away with mashing buttons and there’s a real sense of strategy and tactical thinking involved. There’s a ton of fighting systems and mechanics to learn as well as different martial arts styles. To go along with this there are over 230 different fighters to choose from, many of which have their own advantages and disadvantages in the cage. Thankfully, this beginner’s guide will go a long way in helping players get off to a pretty good head start with UFC 4.
Updated by Michael Llewellyn on January 31st 2021: Thanks to some excellent support from the developers at EA, UFC 4 is a game that is constantly growing and improving thanks to patches and updates to the gameplay.
As a result, it’s now harder for pressure fighters to spam the clinch hold, throw endless combos without any tax to a fighter’s stamina, and keep landing takedowns without any risk. UFC 4 is a much more balanced experienced now than it was when it launched in August 2020 and going into it with a few new pointers will always prove useful.
15 Refer To The Manual
One of the most useful features in UFC 4 that will likely end up being ignored by most is the in-game manual. The game does a great job of teaching players the ropes as the play but many of these instructions will either get skipped or forgotten over time.
These instructions not only tell the player everything they need to know about strikes, submissions, grappling, and more but they have video demonstrations too.
14 Check Out The Tutorial Videos
Another great way of improving one’s ability in the cage is by watching video demonstrations by some of the best players in the world. In UFC 4, the game has included some great videos by the YouTuber IM UH BOXER.
His instructions are absolutely on point, clear, and include some great animations with some deep insight into what works and what doesn’t.
13 Make Use Of The Practice Mode
Practice modes may not be the most exciting thing in the world compared to jumping straight into the cage and fighting in Madison Square Garden or the MGM Grand Arena. However, making use of the practice arena will go a long in improving one’s game for the real fights.
Players struggling with certain aspects of the game will definitely want to make use of the practice mode. The opponent can be programmed in a way so that players can learn how to stuff takedowns, land combos, or practice submissions.
12 Check The Fighter’s Stats
It’s always tempting to keep selecting the same fighters all the time, especially when it comes to personal favorites. However, it’s still always a good idea to check each fighter’s strengths and weaknesses to see what abilities they have that can suit certain playstyles.
Pressing Y on the Xbox or Triangle on the PlayStation 4 will reveal a lot of information about a fighter. Some of the most important things to pay attention to are their top moves, a fighter’s cardio, their health, and their chin. This will indicate a fighter’s durability and capability in a fight and knowing what moves to use in a fight is always helpful.
11 Don’t Overuse Power Moves And Combos
One of the quickest ways to lose a fight in UFC 4 is to keep going for big moves like overhands, high kicks, throwing too many combos, and punching thin air. Going for these moves over and over again quickly makes a fighter predictable and easy to avoid.
Constantly missing punches and kicks will drain a fighter’s stamina in no time and landing too many punches in an attempt to pressure one’s opponent with four-hit combos can lead to a player’s fighter punching themselves out even before they reach the second round.
10 Practice Head Movement
It can’t be overstated just how important the practice mode in UFC 4 really is. Using it to new learn ways to avoid punches, kicks, and combinations with head movement is one of the best methods of defense.
Setting up an opponent to throw common jabs and four hit combos is a great way to practice head movements, pullbacks, and sways. For example, slipping a jab to the outside and landing a simple but effective counter jab will land up to 85% damage. As with everything else in the game, however, don’t go crazy with it because overuse will make the fighter predictable and drain their stamina.
9 Work The Jab
One of the most useful tools in any combat sport from boxing to mixed martial arts is the jab. The UFC games have done a fantastic job of simulating its usefulness as one of the fighter’s most useful tools in the game.
Working a good jab to the head and body not only creates openings to follow up with powerful hooks and haymakers but it will keep the player’s fighter ahead on the scorecards if the fight should go the distance.
8 Move Side To Side
Moving side to side and avoiding punches has never been as responsive as the Fight Night series. However, thanks to the RealPlayer Motion mechanics that have been included in UFC 4 moving side to side to avoid punches is much easier.
Players need to learn how to avoid their opponent’s attacks not only because it protects their fighter from damage but it leaves their opponent open for a massive counterattack. Timing a good counterattack can often lead to flash knockout ending the fight early but sway the wrong way and the player’s fighter could get knockout too, so don’t overuse it.
7 Learn To Put Combos Together
Learning how to put combinations together in UFC 4 can take some time to learn especially compared to other fighting games. However, starting small with a simple one-two combo is a great place to start.
The one-two combo is best started with a left punch (right if fighting southpaw) followed immediately with a right. Once players get this mastered they can start to add in another punch or even a low kick for a one-two-three combo.
6 Keep An Eye On Your Stamina
It can be very tempting to try and end a fight with a powerful punch or a kick over and over again. However, constantly trying to land these big hits will cause the player’s fight to lose their stamina very quickly.
Furthermore, overuse of the head movements and moving side to side can cause a fighter to gas very quickly too. Players need to be patient and take their time, otherwise, a smarter fighter will just let them gas themselves out.
5 Learn The Submissions System
Dealing with good wrestlers in UFC 4 can be a daunting task, especially for new players. When an opponent picks wrestling specialists like Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, and Khabib Nurmagomedov it’s almost certain that they will try and take the fight to the ground.
The best way to counter this is by learning how to use Jiu-Jitsu specialists like Charles Oliveira, Tony Ferguson, and Jacari Souza. Not only do these fighters usually have better stand-up than wrestlers but they are very good at submitting wrestlers from their back. The key to learning the submission is to not panic or rush and go slowly and deliberately as possible without being predictable in both joint and choke submission moves.
4 Try And Avoid Stand And Bang Mode
One of the game’s most popular modes is Stand and Bang because it removes the ability to take someone down, grapple, ground-and-pound, and clinch. While it’s true that this is a great way to learn the game’s stand-up system it will hamper one’s ability to compete in ranked modes.
Players that only stick to Stand and Bang usually only do so because they are terrible when it comes to wrestling, grappling, and submissions. Moreover, the system is very arcade-like and doesn’t allow downed opponents time to recover before they stand back up again to take another beating. Learn how to play the game properly and it will become so much more satisfying when grappling and fighting on all levels.
3 Use The Clinch When Stamina Is Low
Initiating a clinch and working a fighter’s way into a Thai clinch or a takedown is much easier this time. However, one needs to make sure that they get the timing right before going for a grab because doing so will leave them wide open to massive damage.
The perfect time to initiate a clinch is either when both fighter’s stamina is very low or when the opponent is gassed after hitting each other with a flurry of punches. The clinch will allow players to gain some control, land heavy strikes, score a takedown, and even and gain an advantage on the scorecards.
2 Use Knockout Mode To Learn Striking
If players really want to get to grips with the striking system and learn the best timing situations then they should absolutely invest some time in the game’s Knockout Mode. Put the game in a higher difficulty than one may be used to then simply play the game to learn the system.
It’s best not to concern oneself with winning at first but simply learn the striking system and find out what works best. Before long players will have learned when to time big strikes, cut off the cage and close the distance without feeling overmatched against a high-level player.
1 Play The Career Mode
A great way to learn the game’s many systems in the game is by simply playing the Career mode. It’s very in-depth and a great way to learn the mechanics of UFC 4 because it teaches the player everything as well as helping them figure out what fighting style suits them best.
In addition to teaching the player everything they want to know, the Career mode is actually a lot of fun and completely dynamic to the player’s decisions. So with every playthrough, they’ll get a totally unique experience.
NEXT: 10 Things We Wish We Knew Before Buying EA’s UFC 4
