Summary
UFC 5is a brutal but complex combat sports game that can be intimidating for new players who want to learn its mechanics. There is a steep learning curve with the takedowns, grappling, submissions, and timing combinations. However, with the right fighters, new players have a sound chance to be successful against AI opponents or online players, whether it’s ranked or quick matches.
There is a vast roster ofUFC 5fighters to choose from, and most players will find one that suits their style. There are several top-rated fighters to select inUFC 5,but this selection puts together some of the best for players new to the series.
1Jon Jones
Rating: 5 Stars
Jon Jones is arguably the greatest fighter of all time. Aside from a disqualification for illegal elbows on the ground, he remains undefeated in MMA. He’s an all-around fighter with fast hands, strong clinch, and outstanding wrestling. Jones dominated the light heavyweight division and won the title in the heavyweight division, so he’s available in both classes inUFC 5.
His stats don’t convey the best striking game with his speed and power, but he has the fast hands perk, high accuracy, and head movement. This makes him an excellent counterpunch with an exceedingly long reach. Moreover, his wrestling and takedown defense is among the highest inUFC 5.
2Stipe Miocic
Rating: 4½ Stars
Stipe Miocic is another fighter considered among the greatest in the heavyweight division. He’s primarily a boxer with high stats in accuracy, head movement, punch speed, and power. Moreover, Miocic has good footwork and solid takedown defense. As a former NCAA Division One wrestler, he can hold his own in a grappling match, and Miocic has solid stats on the ground.
Miocic has good cardio and scores highly for his chin, body, and legs, making him a challenge to knock out and damage with his high recovery stats. His jabs to the head and body are fast and can cause significant damage to his opponents, and he has excellent boxing combinations.
3Stephen Thompson
Stephen Thompson is undefeated in full-contact kickboxing with 58 wins and one no-contest. He’s usually in the top ten fighters of the welterweight division and has fought for the title twice against Tryon Woodley, with their first fight ending in a controversial draw. Thompson is an excellent choice for new players because his Karate and kickboxing style almost taps into traditional fighting games likeTekkenandStreet Fighter.
Thompson lacks the power of several other welterweights, but his footwork, reach, speed, and accuracy make him a good choice for players who like to keep the distance and land combos. He has almost perfect kicking speed and power and is effective in southpaw and orthodox stances. His Laser Focus perk allows him to throw devastating straights, superman, and spinning punches. The Taekwondo and Frontal Assault back up his stats with his lethal kickboxing style. Interestingly, Thompson has solid takedown defense and decent stats in submission defense, making him great for keeping the fight on the feet against grapplers.
4Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkonovski is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC. The former pro boxer and undefeated featherweight title holder has defeated a who’s who of the featherweight division with wins over Max Holloway (three times), Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo, and Yair Rodriguez.
Unsurprisingly, he is one of the best fighters inUFC 5with his near-perfect hand speed, head movement, and footwork. Moreover, he has good punching and kicking power and excellent wrestling stats, making him a good all-around mixed martial artist. It may take some players time to get used to Volkanovski’s height disadvantage, but he makes up for it with his speed and ability to close the distance and get out of trouble.
5Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes is one of the greatest female fighters in the UFC. She was a two-division champion and successfully defended both belts. Nunes has defeated Chris Cyborg, Valentina Shevchenko, Holly Holm, and Ronda Rousey - knocking her out in 48 seconds of the first round.
Nunes has near-perfect punching speed and power, a long reach with excellent accuracy, and can fight from orthodox or southpaw. She has solid wrestling skills with decent takedowns, defense, and ground strikes. Moreover, she has a dangerous looping cross that lands at a distance with devasting power.
6Max Holloway
Max Holloway is one of the best boxers inUFC 5and an excellent choice for new players. He’s useful againstConor McGregorplayers because of his reach, punch speed, footwork, and head movement. Moreover, he can fight from any angle by scoring 100 in his switch stance.
Holloway has reasonable stats in his grappling, near-perfect cardio, chin, and recovery. This means he’s great at recovering from damage and retaining stamina. Holloway is a former featherweight champion with wins over Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, and Calvin Kattar.
7Zhang Weili
Zhang Weili is one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC and has won against Tecia Torres, Joana Jezrzejczyk, and Carla Esparza, winning the women’s strawweight title twice. Weili is one of the best fighters to play for newcomers because she scores 96 for her punching power and speed, with similar stats in accuracy, footwork, and takedown defense.
She has 97 for cardio and 94 for chin, making her resilient and capable of recovering fast between rounds.
8Israel Adysanya
Despite his loss against Sean Strickland,Israel Adesanyais still considered one of the best pure strikers in the UFC. This is reflected in his character forUFCwith near-perfect punch speed, power, accuracy, head movement, footwork, kick speed, and switch stance.
The former kickboxer is the perfect choice for players who prefer utilizing their reach and landing counterattacks. The former middleweight champion scores highly for his cardio and recovery but is susceptible to cuts. He has outstanding boxing and kickboxing combinations, and in the right hands, he is one of the best fighters in the game.
9Anderson Silva
UFC 5features the legacy version of Anderson Silva in his prime, and as one of the greatest middleweight fighters ever, he’s easily one of the best fighters in the game. The former middleweight champion has near-perfect punching speed and kicking power at 98. His head movement score is 100, and his footwork score is 97.
Additionally, Silva’s clinch striking and control scores are 98 and 97, respectively. Like Adesanya, Silva is a devastating counterfighter, but he can pressure his opponents when the time is right. He’s an excellent character if players want to get the hang of head movement and footwork.
10George S-Pierre
Another contender for being one of the greatest is the former welterweight and middleweight champion - andCaptain America: Winter Soldieractor -George St-Pierre. Like Jon Jones, GSP has mastered grappling, submissions, and takedowns and has perks in Wrestle Clinic and Workhorse.
His striking, footwork, and cardio are excellent, with bonuses from Laser Focus, Skirmisher, and Marathoner. GSP is one of the best and most balanced fighters inUFC 5and the perfect choice for new players.
UFC 5is available for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
