Issue 089
June 2012
UFC bantamweight star Brad Pickett reveals his lifelong love affair with gaming and fear of meeting a Street Fighter character inside the Octagon.
Society is quick to tar those who play online games like World of Warcraft or The Old Republic (known as MMORPGs) with a certain brush. The typical image of a basement bound man-child feasting on Pop Tarts, however, couldn’t be further away from this month’s fighter/gamer. He is the unique combination of trilby and trauma: 20-6 UFC bantamweight Brad Pickett.
Thanks for dropping your pad briefly, Brad. I’ll start by asking what was your earliest gaming memory?
“Hmmm, it would have to be something on the Spectrum, but I can’t properly remember. If I saw a video I’d be able to pick them out. I think there was a game called Gold Rush that was like a Pac Man-type game that I remember playing really early on. I started off with a Spectrum 48k then I went up to the 128k +2, that had a built-in tape deck which was cool.”
Spectrum games were notoriously hard to beat; can you remember the first game you ever finished?
“A load of those games you couldn’t actually finish because it was just about getting a high score. They’d loop round forever as long as you kept playing and it was really annoying. One of the most satisfying games I remember beating though was the first Zelda game, on Nintendo.”
What was your favorite console back then?
“I liked the SNES. There were some great games on that, but I had a Mega Drive as well and I played that a lot.”
You had both?
“Yeah I had both systems and I had both 8-bit Sega and Nintendo consoles – the Master System and the NES.”
That’s a very respectable collection of consoles.
“I’d probably say overall the SNES had better games, like Link to the Past and that kind of stuff, but there were great games on both. Nintendo had the best version of Street Fighter 2 which was a big deal.”
OK, so imagine this, if you will. Dana White gives you the call and says for your next fight you’ve got to take on one of the Street Fighter 2 line-up; who do you choose?
“I’d say Dhalsim as I think he’d be easy to submit because he’s got really long arms and legs, but he can change the length of them so that might not work out. I wouldn’t want Blanka as he could go a bit crazy. It’s a tough one.”
Yeah it is. You don’t want any of Zangief realistically with his Sambo pedigree.
“Yeah I’d probably go for Ryu maybe or, actually no, I’d go for Guile. I think I could get him out of there. I wouldn’t want to fight Vega either because of that claw.”
You’d like to think any third official worth his salt would pick that up. OK, following on from that, if that’s even possible, what’s your gaming snack of choice?
“It depends really. I’ll usually have a diet soda of some kind and chips if I’m not fighting and, if I’m fighting, I’ll take an apple.”
Finally, what three games would you take on a desert island?
“World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and Age of Empires.”
BACT TO THE FUTURE: VIDEO GAME HISTORY OF MMA
Street Fighter
2012 has already seen the UFC travel the four corners of the globe to deliver their brand of mixed martial arts action, but, back in 1987, the template for this intercontinental carnage was already in place.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship was originally conceptualized and delivered to find the world’s greatest warrior in any discipline but video games, and specifically developer Capcom, were one step ahead.
The original Street Fighter featured two selectable characters, Ryu from Japan and Ken from America, with traditional karate backgrounds backed up with the un-traditional ability of throwing fireballs. The fighters would travel across the globe fighting a variety of different martial artists from boxers to kickboxers and even a ninja complete with shuriken, claw and the ability to disappear.
The words of every defeated competitor in Street Fighter translate perfectly into the sentiment of modern-day MMA as thousands of truly dangerous fighters do battle every weekend unnoticed. “What strength, but don’t forget there are many guys like you all over the world!”
And in a similar fashion to the UFC, the second installment of the game would explode into the public consciousness. Street Fighter 2 was dubbed ‘The World Warrior;’ a title that could easily have ended up prefixing a UFC event – if Capcom hadn’t held onto the trademark.
- Jon Jones may have struggled had Lyoto Machida mastered the classic karate fireball.
- Even back in 1987 Ryu’s corner were screaming for him to keep his hands up.
LAUZON'S BEST BITS
UFC lightweight contender Joe Lauzon shares his latest video game tips and cheats…
Lauzon on weight cutting: “The thing with playing video games is that, if you’re really into something, eating habits do kind of fall around it. My weight’s not a big deal but I do cut a fair amount. But if I’m gaming then I eat very quickly and only a small amount as I want to get back to the game. I’ve not done it yet, but I’m going to get a sauna set up in my house, probably in my garage, and then I’m going to get an Xbox put in there. I’m sure cutting weight is easier that way. I’ve just got to figure out the logistics.”
SEPARATED AT BIRTH
Don Frye and Mike Haggar
Don Frye’s legendary combination of muscles and moustache rocked the embryonic mixed martial arts scene in a way that not many were truly ready for. Little did he know, however, that Mike Haggar had been cleaning up the streets of Metro City in a similar manner for a number of years. The two continue to enjoy wild barnstorming brawls and truly monumental facial furniture to this day.
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