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Fantastic things are happening at the studio! We were recently visited by none other than Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. He's one of my favorite fighters in the world, so I was ecstatic about the visit. I was even more excited about grappling with him while he showcased some of his favorite techniques.

Jacare showed us many of the techniques he's used in past fights, and a few things he's been working on lately. His showcase consisted of his unique approach to the following:

• Training drills
• Transitioning from submission to submission
• Takedowns from clinch
• Single and double leg takedowns
• Takedowns from a caught kick
• Standing strikes
• Ground strikes
• Guard passes
• Sweeps
• Flying submissions (!)
• Flying knees
• Submission escapes

I've seen tons of Jacare videos, but none really compare to actually grappling with him. Everything about his jiu-jitsu technique is perfect, from his hand and foot placement to his weight distribution. He taught me a lot of new techniques, and I can't wait to go to the gym and try them out.

A majority of the gameplay team was present while we rolled, and they took notes (when they weren't laughing). Jacare even grabbed the sticks for a while and gave us additional feedback on our gameplay. Based on his suggestions, we plan on making a few tweaks to the AI, animation, and attributes to create a more accurate depiction of a skilled jiu-jitsu practitioner.

With regard to Jacare's in-game character... well, let's just say if you find yourself face to face with him in the game, you'd better be ready to sprawl!

We trained this past Saturday morning, and I have to say it was one of the best sessions I have ever had. The session was about an hour and a half, and included shadowboxing, takedowns, and ground techniques. He taught me many lessons about technique, and the psychology behind submission fighting. It was very, very smart stuff.

We also grappled for about an hour, and I can honestly say that he is a grappling genius. As far as how it turned out... Well, he is one of only two people I have ever competed against that could submit me at will, and when I'm not completely exhausted. His style is completely unpredictable, and that makes him very dangerous on the mat.

Training with Frank gave me a new perspective on the caliber of talent that we see in major MMA events. He also helped me understand the approach that a submission fighter or catch wrestler takes to grappling versus what a judo or jiu-jitsu fighter takes instead. Our training session will be very helpful for creating authenticity in how our fighters perform in the game.

-Victor Lugo, Game Designer, EA SPORTS MMA