UFC 2009 Undisputed

"There's a huge variety of gameplay options to really convey the sense of struggle of an actual fight. Our grappling game is probably what's going to distinguish us most from other games out there - Nearly 50 percent of UFC's combat will come from the clinch in the ground position". They want you to play strategically, to think like a real mixed martial artist: "Button-bashing will make you lose - there's no advantage to that."

The game will feel markedly different, we're assured, depending on which fighting style you favour, and moves will use a combination of button presses and thumb-stick gestures. "We're still playing with the control system - there's a ways to go," reveals Kendell. "We're trying to combine elements with which the players are familiar. If you're a fan of popular fighting games, popular sports games, you'll probably find the controls immediately accessible."

With the game still a year away, we're not allowed hands-on time. Instead, and in anticipation of the 5th July bout, Jackson and Griffin square off under the control of Yuke's staffers, egged on by the real fighters. Make no mistake, this may be a videogame demo, but with a world title fight two weeks away, the egos on the line are all too real.

Already, the visuals depict the ferocity of UFC in compelling fashion: people in the room actually recoil and yelp as some of the heavier blows make contact. Taking a cue from Fight Night Round 3, there is no HUD or health bar. Each fighter's physical condition is represented visually. A nasty bruise ripens across Griffin's ribs, a deep cut opens above Jackson's left eye, and a TV-style slow-mo highlights reel at the end of each round shows how bodies deform and muscles ripple as blows are landed, with juicy dollops of blood and sweat sprayed around.

The fight ends abruptly as Jackson lands a jaw-breaking punch that knocks Griffin clean off his feet and unconscious. The real Rampage has an orgasm of gloating. "You just took one hell of a beating," we say to Griffin afterwards. "I did, thanks for bringing that up. It's nice of you," he deadpans. "It was cool seeing myself in the videogame - right until getting knocked out." Is that going to happen on 5th July? "God I hope not, I don't think so."

Jackson, however, thinks he's scored an important psychological victory. He tells us: "Fighting's 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical, so hopefully he sees himself getting knocked out in the game, and so in the fight." In Jackson, the UFC has a champ that's also a genuine superstar - a larger-than-life, brash and funny showman who could out-trashtalk the biggest WWE diva, and who just happens to be the best light heavyweight on the planet. And he's also a big gamer (he's currently hooked on Ninja Gaiden II), who is relishing his videogame debut. "It's a great ego-trip - I can play with myself. Fighting is the most selfish thing on the planet - it's all about me, me, me, me."

Griffin couldn't be more different. A man of few words who does not appear to relish the interview situation, he is most definitely not a gamer: "God, no. I don't play. I'm borderline retarded... what are you gonna do?" And UFC 2009 Undisputed doesn't look like changing that. "God no, it's horrible. I'm not going to start head-hunting with videogames." Griffin's philosophy is straightforward: "Really, you're in a bar thinking: can I beat that guy up, and does he have a bigger dick than me? Those are the important things in life. You can't make your dick any bigger, so I started beating people up." Can't argue with that.

Despite his crushing virtual defeat, back in the arena Griffin manages to have the last laugh. His student Amir Sadollah secures a controversial first-round tapout against Jackson's boy to become season seven's Ultimate Fighter. Jenna Jameson seems to enjoy it: the Ultimate Fighter cheered on by the Ultimate F*****.

While the showboating suntan circus of WWE seems much more obviously 'Vegas' than the serious business of mixed martial arts, Sin City is nevertheless the home of UFC, and the nuance-free neon vulgarity of the strip offers a necessary and proven recipe for ratings success and mainstream popularity. There's much more of the game still to be revealed, from the promised career mode, to online options, but for now the early signs strongly suggest that this is the UFC game fans have been waiting for, with good potential for a brawler all fighting fans can enjoy.

So, just this once, what goes on in Vegas shouldn't necessarily have to stay in Vegas.