Recently crowned UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev received new statistics in the latest update for the EA Sports UFC 4 video game. The new lightweight king is the only fighter to get a stat change in the latest update.
With the new update, Makhachev has finally been raised to a 5-star fighter, an accolade enjoyed by only a few of the UFC's top echelons.
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Although the update only dropped earlier today, Machachev was presented with the EASports 5-star chain right after his title win at UFC 280 last Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
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The fighter's in-game avatar currently enjoys an overall grappling stat of 5 stars and a 4.5-star rating for his stand-up.
The change in fighter stats is not a big surprise considering that the Dagestani claimed his maiden UFC gold at UFC 280 by submitting the formidable Charles Oliveira. The 32-year-old submitted 'do Bronx' in the second round with an arm-triangle choke.
With the title win, the Russian has extended his winning streak to 11. The fighter's pro-MMA record currently stands at 23 wins against 1 loss. Based on his call-out at UFC 280, Makahcev will be hoping to make his first title defense against Alexander Volkanovski in Perth, Australia, in 2023.
Who are the current 5-star fighters in EA Sports UFC 4
Although almost 50 UFC fighters have been included in EA Sports UFC 4, only a select few among them have been able to secure the coveted 5-star rating in the MMA simulator title.
As per ea.com, the highly exclusive 5-star club consists of former heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones, women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and two-division champion Amanda Nunes.
Most recently, UFC's pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski and newly crowned lightweight champion Islam Makhahchev have also been awarded a five-star rating.
According to EA, the fighter ratings in UFC 4 are constantly adjusted according to the fighters' real-world performance. So a fighter who has been awarded the five-star rating could be demoted later in the future.
Interestingly, former UFC two-divisional champion Daniel Cormier is the one who makes the decisions regarding promoting and demoting fighters to and from the the 5-star club.
