EA Sports UFC 5 Cover Athlete Reveal Gets Underwhelming Reception From Fans

One former and two current UFC champions will feature as cover athletes.

The cover athletes for EA Sports UFC 5 have finally been revealed, but most fans seem to be hoping the cover art that accompanied the announcement won't be the final product for the game.

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Rather than just settle for one cover like previous entries in the EA Sports UFC franchise, this year fans will have the option of purchasing two versions of the game with different athletes adorning each cover.

The Standard Edition of the game features UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski and Valentina Shevchenko, who held the women’s flyweight title for more than four years before she was upset by Alexa Grasso at UFC 285.

The Great 🤝 The Bullet

Your #UFC5 Standard Edition cover athletes Alexander Volkanovski and Valentina Shevchenko 🤜💥🤛

See the full reveal 9/7
➡️ https://t.co/Buf42tWtjV pic.twitter.com/ddDQPAp4yu

— EA SPORTS UFC (@EASPORTSUFC) September 5, 2023

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EA Sports UFC 4 was released in 2020 with Jorge Masvidal and Israel Adesanya on the cover, and “The Last Stylebender” has the honor of being the cover athlete for the Deluxe Edition of the latest version of the game.

The Main Character is here 🕹️

Stylebender has returned as your #UFC5 Deluxe Edition cover athlete 🏹

See the full reveal 9/7
➡️ https://t.co/Buf42tWtjV pic.twitter.com/R0jjrW6zWR

— EA SPORTS UFC (@EASPORTSUFC) September 5, 2023

The timing of the cover athlete reveal certainly works out well for Adesanya considering he's set to defend his middleweight title this Saturday at UFC 293, while Volkanovski most recently stopped Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 for his fifth featherweight title defense. 

Shevchenko’s inclusion as a cover athlete has been met with surprise by some fans considering she’s no longer a UFC champion, but she will have a chance to reclaim the women's flyweight title when she meets Grasso in a rematch at Noche UFC on September 16.

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