As if fighting for the featherweight championship at the UFC 194 pay-per-view event on December 12 wasn't high enough stakes, the bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor will have something else on the line.
According to Game Informer, the winner of next Saturday night's fight will also share the cover of EA Sports' upcoming UFC 2 title with Ronda Rousey. That should spell the cherry on top as far as extra incentive for each Aldo and McGregor to leave the Octagon with their hands raised.
When it comes to cover competitions, holding some sort of fan voting contest is the norm for EA Sports, but this fight-to-cover promotion can't be beat and it's something that EA should strongly consider continuing with subsequent titles in the UFC series. Perhaps, the longtime video-game developer should even have a UFC 2 cover with each fighter prepared, so that it could present the cover to whoever wins live in the Octagon next week.
Rousey was named the UFC 2 cover fighter last month, just before suffering a shocking upset loss by the hands — and feet — of Holly Holm in a brutal knockout that lit up social media around the world. Gamers will remember that the cover featured Rousey front and center with a shadow of a male fighter in the background.
Well, that shadow is a mere placeholder, one that gamers and MMA fans alike both now know will be occupied by either Aldo or McGregor. Who do you think will win the fight and share the cover with Rousey?
UFC 2 is scheduled for a spring release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, although an exact release date of the game hasn't been announced just yet.
