Guide to Controls for UFC 2009

If you have read the first two articles in the UFC 2009 Undisputed Game Guide, UFC 2009 Undisputed Xbox 360 Character Creation and Xbox 360 UFC 2009 Undisputed Training Camp, then you now have a general understanding of the basic concepts of fighting in UFC 2009 Undisputed.

This guide does make a few assumptions that we need to talk about. First it's assumed that your fighter is on the left side of the screen and your opponent is on the right, so if your fighter is on the right side of the screen, reverse all the left and right commands.

Basic Controls List

• Move - Xbox 360: left analog stick -- PS3: left analog stick
• Left Punch - Xbox 360: X button -- PS3: square button
• Right Punch - Xbox 360: Y button -- PS3: triangle button
• Left Kick - Xbox 360: A button -- PS3: X button
• Right Kick - Xbox 360:B button -- PS3: circle button
• Low Guard - Xbox 360: right top button -- PS3: R2 button
• High Guard - Xbox 360: right bottom button -- PS3:R1 button
• Fighting Technique Modifier - Xbox 360: left bottom button -- PS3: L1button
• Attack Height Modifier - Xbox 360: left top button -- PS3: L2 button
• Taunt - Xbox 360: control pad -- PS3: control pad
• Pause - Xbox or PS3: Start button

Movement is the most fundamental thing you'll learn in UFC 2009 Undisputed and the three different types included; walking, running, and stepping, all have their uses. Walking is an energy efficient way to move around the Octagon and put you in position to execute the techniques. The harder you push the left analog stick toward your opponent, the faster you'll move. Running allows you to quickly put some distance between you and your opponent, but uses up needed energy quickly. Stepping is the preferred method to move around the Octagon because it consumes less energy. Stepping also allows for better transition between probing, striking, and clinching ranges. In addition, stepping toward your opponent while striking unleashes a heavy strike, and if you flick the analog stick in the direction you want to step, you can execute a side-step to avoid any counter strikes by your opponent.

Striking in UFC 2009 Undisputed refers to a sudden forward attack, which can be a knee, kick, punch, or even an elbow. Strikes that land use less energy than blows that miss and generally use less energy than grappling requires. A strike doesn't advance a fighter's position as can happen in grappling, unless you knock your opponent down. Standing strikes are certainly the more common and well known striking technique, but strikes can be executed from all offensive or defensive standing, clinch, or ground positions.

You can knock an opponent out with a perfectly timed strong strike if you have already softened them up a bit, with a few well placed strikes. If you hit your opponent with a series of unanswered blows that leaves them in a state where they're hands are down and they can't defend themselves, then your opponent is "rocked", and this could result in a TKO.

All the strikes in UFC 2009 Undisputed are executed using the face buttons; A, B, X, and Y if you're using a Xbox 360 or circle, square, triangle, and cross, if you're using a PS3. The various types of strikes are all executed from different positions, but these four buttons are always the ones used.