All of this comes together to take the striking emphasis off of powerful haymakers and transfer it to jabs and combinations. Heavier blows can also be interrupted by basic jabs, quick strikes landing first, and throwing off a cross' or hook's trajectory. Players can now catch incoming attacks, transitioning into either a clinch, a takedown, or a strike, depending on what blow is countered, and low kicks can be 'checked' using the same mechanic. Sways aren't one's only means of defense against powerful head blows anymore, though. Even sways feel more 'on point' as one snaps back just out of reach of the opponent's arm. In Undisputed 3, matches feel more action-packed and hits are more visceral-especially in the new Pride mode. Previous Undisputed titles were plodding affairs, with strikes that often lacked impact due to the leisurely pace with which they flew forth. The animations were the first thing that struck me: faster, sharper, but somehow more natural than before. I was only with the game for a few hours, so it's impossible to say if this polish carries through the entire experience, but what I saw almost immediately struck a positive chord with me. UFC Undisputed 3 throws in a wealth of new features and overhauls the basic gameplay in ways that don't entirely undermine what was there before, instead refining and refocusing it. Perhaps I wasn't the only one less-than-enthused by the Undisputed series' second outing. It spoke to me, however, that THQ gave its potentially annual series the year off in 2011, forgoing a yearly entry for a two-year development cycle. To be fair, that's how most sports games feel for me: exercises in abstract control. Improvement was a frustrating exercise in trial and error, and rapidly mashing ambiguous inputs were met with uncertain, if any, effect. It was certainly a serviceable MMA game, but the systems at work behind the scenes were obtuse and unclear. Maybe it puts me in the minority, but I didn't like UFC Undisputed 2010.

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