Once you’ve chosen an opponent, a number of pre-fight actions present themselves: You can participate in training sessions or camp sessions, or you can devise and drill a special game plan.
You normally get to take two actions before each fight, unless you’ve accepted a short-notice Fill-In Fight—you have less time to prepare in that case, so you may take only one action prior to fight day.
Training Sessions
Training sessions are designed to increase your fighter’s stats, making him more effective within his current range of abilities.
Use the top triggers to cycle through each exercise’s potential benefits to your fighter’s various attributes and skills. Even if you don’t fare well in the training exercise, you’ll always gain some valuable benefits from training!
Heavy Bag Drill
Challenge Level: Easy
Working the heavy bag is a great way to increase your fighter’s Speed, Footwork, and Standing Strikes abilities. Ensure that you’re standing in the green floor zone as you throw punches and kicks to the green scoring zone of the heavy bag.
Don’t strike from the wrong floor zone or hit the wrong area of the bag, or you’ll be penalized and lose some points. Be ready to move when you see the floor zone flash, and keep those combos coming to really score big!
Primary gains:
- Speed
- Standing Strikes, Offense and Defense
- Standing Kicks, Offense and Defense
Transition Drill
Challenge Level: Medium
Your task in this training session is to reach the indicated ground position as quickly as possible. Glance at the progress bar to see which position you’re meant to reach, then go for it—transition toward that position as quickly as possible!
Note that you must use the Pro Grappling Controls for this exercise, regardless of your current configuration—take advantage of this and transition in the proper direction to quickly move to the desired position.
After you succeed in attaining several dominant positions, your partner will attempt to regain guard. Be prepared for this each time you reach the target position, and prevent his attempts from succeeding by blocking them the moment that the onscreen prompt appears.
Do this quickly enough and you’ll gain some bonus points—fail and your rhythm will be ruined, causing a penalty!
Primary gains:
- Cardio
- Strength
- Ground Top Grapple, Offense and Defense
- Ground Bottom Grapple, Offense and Defense
Tire Flip Drill
Challenge Level: Medium
This challenging exercise tests your mastery over takedowns and transitions. Note that you must use the Pro Grappling Controls for this drill—this allows you to transition to either the left or right, depending on the direction in which you wish to flip the tire.
First shoot in for a takedown against the tire—this causes your fighter to grab hold of it. Now manipulate the Clinch/Grapple stick to transition either left or right around the tire. Perform minor transitions to move 90 degrees around the tire, and major transitions to move 180 degrees.
After transitioning, you’ll be prompted to rotate the Clinch/Grapple stick to complete the takedown and roll the tire over onto the score tile. These tiles quickly lose value over time, so don’t waste time when transitioning and flipping the tire.
Grab on, get into position, and flip that tire over as fast as you can to maximize your score!
Primary gains:
- Strength
- Cardio
- Takedown, Offense and Defense
- Ground Top Grapple, Offense and Defense
Focus Mitts Drill
Challenge Level: Hard
In this difficult striking challenge, you must perform a sway to avoid your trainer’s inbound strike, then quickly press either the Right Punch or Left Punch button to respond with a sway strike!
First throw a punch to get your trainer to strike back at you, then simply hold the High Block trigger as you flick the Movement stick in any direction to sway and avoid your trainer’s fist.
After swaying, quickly press either the Right Punch or Left Punch button (whichever you prefer) to counter with a sway strike and score some points!
Look out: Successfully landing a sway strike prompts your trainer to strike at you again! Keep the combo going by swaying again to dodge the blow, then quickly land a second sway strike.
Your trainer then strikes at you again—keep your rhythm as you perform one sway strike after the next in a steady sequence.
It isn’t easy, but keep trying and you’ll get the hang of it!
Primary gains:
- Speed
- Cardio
- Standing Strikes, Offense and Defense
Takedown Defensive Drill
Challenge Level: Easy
This simple exercise will help you to stay on your feet and avoid the opponent’s ground game. It also sharpens your kicking ability, making it an ideal drill for elusive strikers.
First, check and see whether there is a green circle on the floor beneath your fighter, or whether there is a green line on the floor instead.
If there’s a circle, hold the Clinch/Grapple stick away from the inbound ball and press the Left Kick or Right Kick button as the ball bounds close to knee it out of your way.
On the other hand, if there’s a green line on the floor, move onto the line and then simply hold the Clinch/Grapple stick away from the ball to sprawl against it when it eventually arrives.
Primary gains:
- Cardio
- Standing Kicks, Offense and Defense
- Takedown, Offense and Defense
Cage Control Drill
Challenge Level: Easy
Pay close attention to the instructions that appear near the progress meter in this unique drill, which sharpens your ability to dominate in the clinch. Simply perform each action precisely as instructed to complete the exercises and score points!
You only earn points when you complete a lesson, so work fast to complete each task and fill that progress meter ASAP.
Primary gains:
- Speed
- Clinch Striking, Offense
- Clinch Grapple, Offense
- Takedown, Offense
Defense Drill
Challenge Level: Medium
Tired of getting rocked? This exercise is a great way to improve your resistance against strikes!
Your training partner throws strikes in a steady sequence—look at the onscreen fighter indicator and hold either the High Block or Low Block trigger, depending on which area of the indicator is colored red.
Just keep blocking your partner’s strikes to build up points.
When the indicator turns blue, you have the option of quickly flicking the Clinch/Grapple stick to catch your partner’s strike with a well-timed counter grapple! Flick the stick up when the top half of the fighter indicator is blue, and flick the stick down when the bottom half is blue.
Time your counter grapple correctly, and you’ll deposit all of your current points into the progress meter!
Primary gains:
- Cardio
- Standing Strikes, Defense
- Standing Kicks, Defense
- Clinch Striking, Defense
- Ground Striking, Defense
Stand-Up Sparring
Challenge Level: Easy
Regular sparring benefits every fighter, because it makes them all more dangerous on the feet, where every fight begins. Be precise when attacking your training partner in this exercise, because missing him costs you points.
Don’t let him hit you, either—switch between blocking his strikes and landing powerful blows of your own. Work the body, legs, and head equally to bypass your rival’s defense and rack up points. Rock your partner to fill the progress bar in no time!
Primary gains:
- Strength
- Standing Strikes, Offense and Defense
- Standing Kicks, Offense and Defense
Clinch Sparring
Challenge Level: Medium
Outwork your training partner in the clinch to overcome this straightforward exercise. Each transition you perform and every strike you land scores you points.
Lock up in a Single Collar Tie clinch, then transition to the Muay Thai Clinch and unleash some brutal strikes to earn big points!
Clinch throws performed by transitioning from the Double Underhook clinch will also win you some points. Don’t let your partner strike or transition against you, however, or you’ll be penalized!
Primary gains:
- Cardio
- Clinch Striking, Offense and Defense
- Clinch Grapple, Offense and Defense
- Takedown, Offense and Defense
Ground and Pound Sparring
Challenge Level: Medium
This is by far the best way for ground-and-pounders to increase their bread and butter offensive skills.
Transition to Half Guard or Mount, then posture up into sub position and rain down punishing blows on your unfortunate training buddy.
Be sure to mix in plenty of strikes to the body, because bottom fighters commonly protect their head, and you don’t earn points for strikes that your partner blocks.
Land technique strikes from the top if you’re able, such as hooks and elbows, and just keep hammering away to the body and head from either Half Guard or Mount.
Primary gains:
- Strength
- Ground Striking, Offense and Defense
- Takedown, Offense
- Ground Top Grapple, Offense and Defense
Ground Top Sparring
Challenge Level: Medium
This exercise is the submission grappler’s version of Ground and Pound Sparring.
Transitions count for more points than strikes during this drill, so it’s best to perform only minor transitions, spinning from North/South to Side Control and back again without ever entering the Mount.
You’ll earn points for every transition you complete—mix in a few strikes for variety as you pump up the progress meter!
Primary gains:
- Cardio
- Ground Striking, Offense
- Ground Top Grapple, Offense and Defense
- Submission, Offense and Defense
Ground Bottom Sparring
Challenge Level: Easy
This is a fantastic exercise for any fighter who wants to improve his ability to either attack off his back or get back up to his feet when stuck on the bottom of a ground position.
Simply perform major transitions until you kick the opponent away, then immediately stand up to your feet by pressing the Movement stick like a button.
You’ll earn big points for escaping from the bottom in this fashion, and are then promptly reset on your back again—just keep working your way back up to your feet to steadily fill the progress meter and ace this easy drill!
Primary gains:
- Cardio
- Ground Striking, Defense
- Ground Bottom Grapple, Offense and Defense
- Submission, Offense and Defense
Takedown Sparring
Challenge Level: Easy
Here’s an excellent training session for clinch fighters and takedown artists alike. The secret to success lies in performing short takedowns, which are worth big points—do this by shooting in for a takedown just as your training partner begins to throw a strong strike.
However, always be ready to rotate the Clinch/Grapple stick to drive and finish a takedown if you end up in a struggle.
You can also earn points by completing takedowns from the clinch, but these are more time-consuming to accomplish—stick with standing shots and try for those short takedowns instead!
Primary gains:
- Strength
- Clinch Grapple, Offense and Defense
- Takedown, Offense and Defense
Submission Sparring
Challenge Level: Hard
Submission experts would be wise to train this excellent exercise between almost every fight, as it will greatly improve both their offensive and defensive ground game and submission ability.
Work to improve your bottom position to Half Guard Clinch or Open Guard Clinch, then attempt to lock in a sub, such as a kimura, from the bottom.
You earn significant points even if you fail a submission battle, but try to finish those submissions to earn even more points for each attempt!
Primary gains:
- Cardio
- Ground Top Grapple, Offense and Defense
- Ground Bottom Grapple, Offense and Defense
- Submission, Offense and Defense
Camp Sessions
Like training sessions, camp sessions offer you a means of growing as a fighter. However, instead of increasing your various attributes and skills, camp sessions let you learn awesome new technique moves, including technique strikes, transitions, and submissions.
You may also choose to “level up” technique moves that you already know by visiting a camp—be sure to do this, because increasing the level of your technique moves makes them far more effective!
Learning New Moves
Unlike most training drills, learning a new move is easy—you’re simply required to perform the move three times against a sparring partner. The challenge is always minimal, so don’t shy away from learning a new move if you think it will help improve your game.
It’s important to consider your fighter’s fundamental style when choosing to learn or develop a move:
Grapplers should look to learn and master technique takedowns, transitions, and submissions—these will allow you to control and dominate your opponents!
Strikers should quickly learn and master two technique strikes, one with the left hand or leg, and one with the right—this lets you easily add devastating techniques to your combos!
Leveling Up Moves
Increasing a technique move’s level is a little more challenging than learning a new move, but it’s still easier than acing most training sessions.
Leveling up a technique move makes it significantly more effective, so prioritize mastering your go-to moves over learning new ones, and work on leveling up a move between each fight.
Each time you visit a camp to level up a move, you must participate in a brief sparring session. The better you perform, the more experience you’ll gain, and the faster your move will level up.
Score big points by performing the move that you’re attempting to level up, and score fewer points for performing comparable moves.
For example, if you’re trying to level up a standing technique strike, you’ll earn points for each standing strike that you land, including regular quick and strong strikes. Push the pace and score big points to top off that progress meter!
Game Plans
Game plans are excellent ways to dramatically increase your fighter’s abilities for one fight, providing a tremendous advantage in one area of the fight game.
However, the trade-off is that game plans also cause your fighter to suffer severe penalties to other stats, making him extremely vulnerable if things don’t go your way.
Use the triggers to cycle through each game plan’s potential statistical effects—this is how much you stand to gain and lose by selecting the game plan.
After you’ve chosen a game plan, you get to drill it in the gym.
Each game plan features three special challenges that must be performed or upheld over the course of the exercise—the more challenges you satisfy during the drill, the greater the game plan’s statistical impact will be during the upcoming fight!
Clear all three challenges to ace the drill and gain the full stat benefits you saw while cycling through the different game plans.
Don’t just settle for enjoying a game plan’s full in-fight benefits—strive to clear all three of its challenges again on fight day as well!
Complete all three challenges again during the actual fight to receive a small amount of the game plan’s benefits as a permanent stat boost to your fighter!
Each game plan is unique—let’s give them a look:
Aggressive: This game plan is ideal for strikers, adding significant speed and power to their strikes in all positions. To ensure you aren’t taken down, try bringing your training partner to the mat early in the first round, then pound him out from the top!
Counter Attack: This game plan is perfect for elusive strikers who prefer to keep a respectable range from their opponent on the feet. Avoid grappling on the ground at all costs as you use your superior speed and punching technique to rock and drop your training partner!
Sprawl and Brawl: Your clinch and ground grappling skills are dramatically reduced when you use this game plan, so use your greatly enhanced takedown defense to stuff your partner’s shots and remain in the standing position.
Avoid going for takedowns and clinches when using this game plan—you’re at risk of being thrown or swept when grappling!
Work the Clinch: This game plan enhances your clinch control and fighting skills so much that it’s easy to gain and maintain dominant clinch positions. Lock up in the Muay Thai Clinch, then land devastating strikes to your partner’s head—including crushing knees—to rock him in short order.
Ground and Pound: Use your vastly increased takedown ability and ground grappling offense to bring your partner to the mat and overwhelm him with strikes from a dominant top position, such as Mount. Don’t fool around on your feet for long—your striking skills really suffer when you select this game plan.
Submission Grappling : This exercise is great for submission experts. Get your partner to the mat with a takedown as fast as you can, but avoid takedowns from the clinch because you’re less effective in that position under this game plan.
Work to a dominant position such as Side Control or Mount, then posture up and damage your partner’s head and body with strong strikes to erode his Stamina. Maintain top position and slap on a submission after giving his ribs a good beating, or as soon as you happen to rock him.
Stick and Move: This unique game plan is ideal for elusive strikers, boosting their Speed, Footwork, and all aspects of their stand-up striking game. Simply avoid being taken down as you unleash your greatly enhanced skills on the feet.
Out-strike your partner enough to impress the judges, but avoid prolonged exchanges—remain elusive and attack in short, measured bursts of offense to avoid gassing out.
Lay and Pray: Waste little time shooting in for the takedown when fighting under this game plan. Use your vastly improved takedown ability to get your partner to the ground, then work toward dominant top position and simply focus on maintaining your posture as you score points with the occasional strike.
Post Fight Menus
The results of every Career Mode fight are shown through a brief sequence of post-fight menus. Use the triggers to cycle through the various results screens:
Fighter Information : This panel provides a “before and after” view of your fighter’s career stats, such as his total Cred, ranking, and record. A breakdown of all the Cred you earned for the fight is provided in the panel’s lower half.
Game Plan Effects: If you chose to spend an action on setting up a game plan, then the lasting statistical effects of the game plan are shown here (if any). Complete all three of your game plan’s challenges during the fight to receive maximum permanent gains!
Sponsor Information: This panel shows you how much Cred you’ve earned from each of your contracted sponsors during the fight. You can also see each sponsor’s current level here, along with a progress meter that indicates how close each sponsor is to leveling up. (The maximum sponsor level is five.)