Issue 105
September 2013
This 8-1 heavyweight of the legendary Gracie clan is a die-hard Xbox fan boy who likes to swap the mats for a bit of FIFA 13
What was the first console you ever had in the Gracie household?
“Man, my first console was probably the Atari from back in the day; it was a long time ago. Since then I’ve pretty much had every single console. I had the original Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64... I didn’t have the PlayStation but my brother had it. Now I’m a big Xbox fan because I’ve got really big hands and the controllers fit nicely in them.”
Clearly the Gracies are a competitive bunch, but who was the best gamer out of you all?
“I would have to say that the one guy out of all of us who loved video games and was immensely competitive was my cousin, and Renzo’s brother, Ralph. He really loves video games and is highly competitive when it comes to them. I’m pretty competitive, but he’s definitely the most competitive out of all of us.”
Will you be getting an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4 when they go on sale?
“After all the things I’ve read about them, I think I’m going to have to get the new Xbox. I’m really looking forward to it coming out and playing new games and stuff like that.”
If you had to battle anyone at one game, and it was your choice which game you were going to play, what would it be?
“That’s a tough question because I think at this point I would lose to most people because I haven’t been able to play properly in such a long time (laughs). However, if I had to choose, I think I’d do pretty well against most people on FIFA 13; I’m quite good at that. At this point I think I’m better trained for FIFA than for any of the other games.”
What team do you prefer to play as on FIFA?
“I like to play as Bayern Munich; they have the best team in the world right now because they have some of the best players in the game. I also like to play with Flamengo because they’re my team from Brazil. Those are my two teams.”
Quick Fire
Sega or Nintendo?
Nintendo
PS3 or Xbox?
Xbox
Fighting games or sports games?
Fighting
Three games on a desert island?
“Call of Duty, FIFA 13 and Street Fighter.”
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Video Game History of MMA: WE’RE SLAMMIN’
The year is 2002, the place is the Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut. Four of the UFC’s best lightweights prepare to do battle at UFC 39. Six months prior, their division’s champion, Jens Pulver, had departed the UFC under a shroud of mystery (known in some parts as contract issues).
The four combatants – ‘The Prodigy’ BJ Penn, Matt ‘The Terror’ Serra, Din ‘Dinyero’ Thomas and Caol ‘Uno Shoten’ Uno – would fight as part of a thrilling, four-man tournament to decide who would become the next Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight lord.
To this tale you are undoubtedly saying, ‘Cool story, bro. Four words: Saturday Night Slam Masters.’ Because let’s face it, this whole UFC lightweight title drama, kind of been covered by video games.
Saturday Night Slam Masters was, more or less, exactly the same thing. The wrestling-meets-beat ‘em up hybrid hit arcades in 1993, and later the Genesis/Mega Drive and SNES, depicting 10 fighters competing in a tournament to, you guessed it, decide a new champion of the Capcom Wrestling Association after its champion mysteriously scarpered.
Mixing strikes and grappling, the gameplay itself isn’t far from MMA. And even though most of the characters appear based on pro wrestlers, plenty of them have turned out to be the direct forerunners of modern mixed martial artists.
The mustached Mike Haggar and MMA vet Don Frye could give the Olsen twins a run for their identical money (as we pointed out several issues ago), monkey-owning King Rasta Mon used cartoons to learn English just like former UFC champion Junior Dos Santos, and Mexican 163lb’er El Stingray and ex UFC lightweight Roger Heurta are both popular with the ladies.
What did the mixed martial arts world learn? Nothing. While in the game you can actually win the tournament in question, no amount of pleading to the MMA gods can ever undo Penn and Uno’s draw in the UFC’s final. And we’ve even offered our social media manager as a sacrifice.
see image 1. Don Frye goes old-school ‘Rampage’ on TUF alumnus Justin Wren.
image 2. Hong Man Choi should never have gone to the local red light district.
image 3. ‘What did you say about my monkey, motherf***er?’
LAUZON'S BEST BITS
Geek and UFC 155lb contender Joe Lauzon shares morsels from his life in video games
Lauzon on on why he likes his games smooth
“For the most part, graphics wise, I notice the difference. I play a lot of Call of Duty and I really like it because I feel like it’s the standard shooter game and it’s super smooth. I would rather have something that’s really smooth and has a little less graphics. I think it gives a better experience.”
SEPARATED AT BIRTH
JOSH BARNETT - TRAVIS TOUCHDOWN
So, you’re sat there thinking, ‘Pah, they don’t look anything alike.’ But UFC heavyweight Josh Barnett was officially the inspiration for Travis Touchdown, the protagonist in the No More Heroes series. How do we know? Because the game’s creator, Suda 51, has said as much. Noting part-time pro wrestler Barnett and Jackass main man Johnny Knoxville share responsibility for the Touchdown’s appearance and obsession with all things anime and professional wrestling.
