During this year’s E3, EA announced EA Sports MMA, a new mixed-martial arts fighting franchise EA hopes will be a major contender against THQ’s UFC series. And while the tension is sure to ramp up once MMA gets closer to release, there seems to already be some preliminary rumbling going on behind the scenes.

Evil Avatar reports that the confirmed word on the street is that any non-UFC-affiliated fighter who signs on to appear in EA’s MMA will “forever be banned for fighting in the UFC.”

Given the critical and financial success of THQ’s recent UFC 2009: Undisputed, it’s hardly surprising that the UFC would want to ensure it maintains first right of refusal with regards to unsigned talent. Plus, UFC is the dominant force for mixed-martial arts, so if prospective fighters want the most exposure, there’s really only one place they can go. And I find it hard to believe that any young fighter would want to jeopardize his entire future just to appear in an EA-published mma game when he could simply appear in THQ’s game and fight on mma’s biggest stage.

 When I contacted EA to find out its take on these reports (which could end up being quite an interesting battle if the UFC stands behind this policy), an EA representative simply said, “We have no comment regarding the alleged UFC threats to fighters as it pertains to EA Sports MMA.”

This response was to be expected, especially for as fresh as these allegations are, and for as potentially damaging this situation could be for EA’s new franchise. Expect to see plenty more about this whole mess in the near future.

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