UFC heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier is the EA UFC 4 ratings adjuster this year, which means he'll have a major role in which fighters move up or down during the year.
"The easiest way to my heart is through my stomach," Cormier, who is also the voice of the video game, said in a social media post. "I'm an easy man, so if you want those ratings to fly up, you better get with your boy."
The game's top-10-ranked fighters were revealed Thursday morning. Women's featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is ranked No. 1, and two of Cormier's rivals were included. Light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, who is 1-0 with one no contest vs. Cormier, was one of four fighters who received the maximum five-star rating. Stipe Miocic, who is 1-1 against Cormier and defends his heavyweight belt against him in their trilogy match on Aug. 15, also is in the top 10, but only at No. 8 with 4.5 stars. Cormier, by the way, came in at No. 16.
Nunes, Jones, Nurmagomedov and Shevchenko debut as #UFC4's first group of five-star fighters ⭐️
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 6, 2020
(via @EASPORTSUFC) pic.twitter.com/J3eayVvQG4
Here's the EA game's top 10:
1. Nunes
2. Jones
5. Henry Cejudo
7. Zhang Weili
8. Miocic
10. Kamaru Usman
The ratings have been changed from an overall score to a ratings system based on a 1-to-5 scale. Things such as punch/kick speed, clinch striking and ground striking were rated to help with authenticity.
"My job is, after select pay-per-views, I'm going to work with the people at EA Sports and give them feedback on which fighters should go up and which fighters should go down, based on their performances inside of the Octagon," Cormier said. "That means fighters' rankings can go up and down from month to month throughout the year.
"So if you're in the Octagon in the next couple of months, realize that your results will affect your in-game character. So you better represent in that Octagon if you want your rankings to be as high as most people want them to be. And also, time to start making friends with old DC."
That means if Miocic wants to climb the rankings, he'll have to do a number on the ratings adjuster.