To many, the UFC's acquisition of the competing fight series Strikeforce in March spelled the end of EA Sports MMA. While EA Sports' chief of development did not say that a sequel is in development, he did not say the label was quitting the sport altogether.

About this time last year, at E3, I was chewing the fat with a 2K Sports representative about NBA 2K11 which already looked to be the monster it would become. Long dominant in the pro basketball genre, the game with Michael Jordan on its cover was going to be 2K's Sunday punch to EA Sports. "That's the idea," the guy…

Zuffa llc, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has bought out mixed martial arts' second largest promotion, Strikeforce. The acquisition could mean only one MMA video game going forward.

EA Sports MMA's initial sales were low enough to get a fatalistic poor-mouthing from industry analysts, but the company is committed to a sequel. A producer has confirmed an EA Sports MMA 2 is coming.

Growing up, I only saw boxing on HBO. With Mike Tyson the premier fighter, it was usually over fast. Anything that wasn't seems sanitized in low-definition hindsight. That changed the first time I saw a bout fought live. In headgear.

"Fastest-growing sport" is often faint praise applied to niche competitions, but with mixed martial arts, it's no joke. Relentless violence and blink-of-an-eye knockout potential make MMA fight night for the video game generation. Can a video game do that justice?

The latest EA Sports title to hit the iPhone is EA Sports MMA - well, "MMA by EA Sports." It's $4.99 and available now on the iTunes App Store.

Randy Couture (left) and Fedor Emelianenko (right), cover stars of EA Sports MMA, have never fought in real life. They battled in-game at a launch event Tuesday, with the big Russian taking bragging rights. [Image via EA Sports]

I can speak highly of the authenticity of EA Sports MMA's Live Broadcast because, were I to fight a mixed martial arts bout in real life, I'd get wrecked exactly this bad, too.