As a gamer I take much pride in seeing the medium evolve beyond just playing games. The gaming demographic does more than just play games. They are wrestling fans, sports fans and MMA fans who love to consume as much of their favorite past times as they do playing the newest games. Microsoft saw this evolving trend and decided to make the Xbox more than just a console but a hub for gamers to consume various amounts of content.

This process started with the additions of Hulu, Netflix and even the Zune Marketplace which opened the new content gates to reach gamers. We all know that sports fans got ESPN which was met with a very positive response. Zuffa saw that Xbox was undiscovered country and announced their intent to offer programming to XBL subscribers. Now we see the fruits of that labor with the UFC on Xbox Live app that not only introduces MMA to a new audience but also gives long time fans a level of interactivity with their favorite sport. Besides being able to watch various forms of UFC content, gamers also get the opportunity to see fight week programming such as weigh ins and countdown specials. The big feature is the ability to watch UFC PPV events without having to touch your cable box. Xbox owners will be able to order UFC pay per views in HD and standard definition all from the comfort of their dashboard.

Below you will see how the UFC looks on your Xbox and how the future of sports has been changed. MMA fans will now be able to pick their fights on their consoles and compete against friends during fight night to see who gets the most picks right. Let’s not waste any more time and get to the pictures and video showing the functionality.

When picking your fights it’s not just a matter of picking a winner but also about how they are winning. Besides a tale of the tape to assist you in choice you will also get a brief history for each fighter and the results for their last three fights.

After the fights are over your picks are tallied and you are given a score. This will lead to a ton of competition amongst gamers and MMA fans to see who got the highest score. There have been rumblings of prizes being awarded for perfect picks. As of right now it is only rumor but definitely can be something we may see in the future.

It wouldn’t be complete without you seeing the whole thing in action now would it? Here is a video walk-through of the UFC on Xbox Live app.

Written & Video by: Rich Butler (My Take Radio)