UFC 194: Conor McGregor Will Be On EA Sports UFC 2 Cover

Conor McGregor joins Ronda Rousey as cover athletes for EA Sports UFC 2.

While both Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor had the UFC Featherweight Championship belt to strive for at UFC 194, there was a secondary bonus prize waiting in the wings for the winner. As Electronic Arts announced more than a week ago, the winner of the Featherweight Championship bout would become a cover athlete for EA Sports UFC 2, marking the first time in EA Sports history a sporting event’s outcome influenced such a decision.

As it so happens, then-UFC interim featherweight champ Conor McGregor knocked out his opponent in a blistering 13 seconds, becoming the undisputed champion of the 145 lb division and taking co-ownership of the UFC 2 cover alongside Ronda Rousey. The decision was set in stone weeks ago, even though Holly Holm recently knocked Rousey out to become the UFC Bantamweight Champion of the world. For more MMA coverage, check out the MMA category on our mother site, FanSided.

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Regardless of the results of the intense fight, the decision for EA Sports to let real-world results dictate their marketing strategy for deciding cover athletes not only makes sense, but adds that tiny bit of immersion for those who love both the game and to watch the fights in real life. It would be interesting to see this replicated for the outcomes of other sports, especially for championship-winning teams.

Let’s be serious; who will be the cover athlete means very little to those outside of EA and the family of the athlete on the cover of any of EA’s sports video game titles. But imagine if you were a fan of the Kansas City Royals or New York Mets, and who would grace the cover of MLB 16: The Show (admittedly, not an EA property) was decided on who won the World Series. Not only would fans double down on the excitement, but it would add extra bragging rights to troll online friends.

EA Sports UFC 2 could start a fun trend, if anything.

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