Issue 122
December 2014
The Canadian UFC lightweight likes to keep things old school by revisiting the video games he loved as a child
You’re probably one of MMA’s biggest video game addicts, but how did your journey into the gaming world begin?
“My dad had the very first Atari. I remember playing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which is known for being one of the worst games ever. A bunch of them were buried in a landfill in New Mexico but I actually had a copy. It was the biggest piece of garbage I’ve ever played and I remember being so young and hating it. My first-ever real console was the NES and I really loved playing Super Mario Bros.”
Have you still got the E.T. game? It’s quite rare.
“I don’t know. I was asking my dad about this the other day because he’s a bit of a hoarder. I’ve got my fingers crossed that it’s still there.”
We hear you’re a keen collector of old-school games?
“I actually collect Super Nintendo games these days. I played The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past recently. That’s one of the greatest games of all time and even though it’s, like, 23 years old it still holds up great.”
What’s your favorite game of all time?
“I’ve got a few. I’ve always been a big fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I love Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. I also really love the first Prince of Persia game for PS3. GoldenEye 007 for the N64 was brilliant too. As you get further on you see how games have progressed, but it’s always good to go back and get back the nostalgia you had as a kid.”
What’s the most recent console you bought and games you’ve played?
“The newest console I have right now is a PS3 and I’ve been playing The Last of Us. I actually can’t play it at night because I get creeped out. I’m kind of a sissy in that sense. It’s a really creepy game and I like the idea that if you get bit once then it’s all over.”
Do you ever play against fans online?
“Not really. I’ve played Call of Duty online against fans before and that was fun but I never broke out the microphone or anything like that. I’m terrible at those FPS games. It’s a steep learning curve for me on those games.”
Quick Fire
Sega or Nintendo? Nintendo
Super Mario or Sonic? Super Mario
PlayStation or Xbox? PlayStation
Three games on a desert island? “The Last of Us and Grand Theft Auto 5. That’s probably all I’d need.”
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Video Game History of MMA: Money in the bank
Despite the majority of fighters in the world of MMA being upstanding, law-abiding citizens who have performed heroic acts such as chasing down thieves in parks before successfully apprehending them in front of applauding onlookers. Or spending time overseas serving and protecting their country in the military. Like with everything in life there are always going to be some bad apples who spoil the barrel containing everyone else.
While many of MMA’s bad boys have spent some time behind bars for various reasons, none have reached the same level of notoriety as former Cage Rage favorite Lee Murray. Known as one of London’s most fearsome gangsters before he became the poster boy for mixed martial arts in the UK, Murray simply couldn’t escape the life of crime he had before he entered the cage.
In 2006, Murray and a group of criminal associates robbed a UK cash depot, taking £53,116,760 ($86,601,565) in what was the biggest heist job in British history. Murray was eventually caught while in Morroco and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 for the crime.
Murray’s numerous run-ins with the law are similar to that of Michael Townley in last year’s best-selling video game Grand Theft Auto V. Townley, a former bank robber who after nine years clean following a botched bank robbery finds himself loading up the guns and scouting out locations again for another stint in the world of crime.
Townley just couldn’t stay away from the money that came with robbing banks, which led to him being chased around the streets of Los Santos by police, much like Murray. Proof that crime doesn’t pay, it just lands you in jail.
LAUZON’S Best Bits
JOE LAUZON ON UFC GAMES
“I like to see the improvements they’ve made in the UFC games. I remember for the first UFC Undisputed you couldn’t push someone up against the fence. That’s such a big deal. That’s a big part of fighting. There was nothing. Your guys would get into a clinch and walk to the wall but then you’re still in a clinch; there was no difference if you were in the middle of the cage or pushed up against it.”
Separated at birth
Lyoto Machida / Ryu
Is there a character more associated with the Street Fighter franchise than Ryu? The globe-trotting martial artist with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and the need to prove himself against all-comers as the best fighter in the world has become a firm fan favorite since the game first came out in 1987. His love of shotokan karate is eerily similar to that of former UFC 205lb champ and middleweight contender Lyoto Machida. He also has the mystique that comes with being a true martial artist. This being said, we’re yet to see ‘The Dragon’ unleash a hadouken on any of his opponents, although his front kick to Randy Couture was still quite special.
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