The eight fighter attributes
Striking, grappling, cardio, chin, power, leg kicks, fight IQ and speed: how each one is rated, what it changes in a fight and how to build around it.
Why the draft uses real fighters
Every fighter in UNBEATEN is built from eight attributes. Each one is rated from 40 to 99, and each card you land during the draft is borrowed from the real fighter who is best known for that trait. The numbers are not official statistics. They are our own FIFA-style ratings, set from fight records, finishing rates, long-running reputations and the way those fighters are generally described by analysts, so that a 99 means "the best in the sport at this" and a 60 means "a known weakness".
Ratings of 90 or above show in green on your fighter card, and anything below 75 shows in red, so you can see your strengths and your holes at a glance.
The eight attributes at a glance
| Attribute | Share of overall rating | What it does in the game | Best card in the pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grappling | 18% | Raises your submission chance and how often you take opponents down. | 99 Khabib Nurmagomedov |
| Striking | 17% | Feeds knockout chance and the standing exchanges in a fight. | 97 Anderson Silva |
| Cardio | 14% | Lifts your overall rating, and so your win chance in every fight. | 99 Merab Dvalishvili |
| Power | 12% | Strongest driver of knockout chance and big shots like knockdowns. | 99 Francis Ngannou |
| Fight IQ | 12% | Lifts your overall rating; the quiet attribute that wins tight fights. | 98 Jon Jones |
| Chin | 11% | Reduces the damage you take in the live fight, so you survive the big shots. | 97 Max Holloway |
| Speed | 8% | Lifts your overall rating through faster exchanges and transitions. | 96 Demetrious Johnson |
| Leg kicks | 8% | Adds low-kick damage to the live fight and chips away at opponents. | 98 Jose Aldo |
How the overall rating is built
Your overall rating is a weighted average of the eight attributes, using the shares above (so grappling and striking count most, speed and leg kicks least). That single number is the heart of the simulation: it is compared with each opponent's rating to work out your win probability. Because every attribute only carries a share of the total, raising grappling by 10 points, for example, lifts your overall by about 1.8 points, not by 10. That is why a balanced set of 85s usually does more for you than one 99 surrounded by weak spots.
The overall is not the whole story. Individual attributes also steer how fights are won and lost, which is why two fighters with the same overall can have very different careers.
Attribute by attribute
Striking
Striking covers your boxing, kickboxing and general standing offence: accuracy, volume and technique. Anderson Silva's head movement and Max Holloway's all-time strike volume are the kind of reputations that earn the top cards. High striking raises both your overall and your knockout chance, and it makes the standing exchanges in a live fight go your way.
Grappling
Grappling combines wrestling, jiu-jitsu and judo: taking people down, controlling them and finishing from the ground. It is the single most valuable attribute for your overall rating, and the main driver of submissions. A great grappler also makes takedown attempts a regular feature of a live fight. The 99 belongs to Khabib Nurmagomedov, who finished his career 29-0 largely by smothering opponents on the mat.
Cardio
Cardio is the engine: how well a fighter keeps pace over three or five rounds. Merab Dvalishvili is the standard for a relentless pace; at the other end, Derrick Lewis is the standard for fading. Cardio matters more than it looks, because it has the third biggest share of your overall rating and you will spend a lot of your career in five-round title fights.
Chin
Chin is durability, the ability to take a shot and stay in the fight. In the live simulation your chin directly reduces the damage you absorb. That means a great chin turns near-finishes into survivable moments, while a poor chin makes every power shot a potential end to the run.
Power
Power is how hard you hit. It is the biggest single input to your knockout rate, and it is the attribute behind knockdowns in a live fight. Francis Ngannou's record-setting punch gives the highest card in the game.
Leg kicks
Leg kicks are the specialist attribute: the calf kicks and low kicks that slow opponents and drain their legs. Jose Aldo's and Edson Barboza's reputations are the benchmarks. Because the live fight shows leg-kick exchanges and their damage, a strong rating adds a steady drip of damage that helps you win rounds and decisions.
Fight IQ
Fight IQ is everything that is not obvious: game plans, adjustments, range control and knowing when to take a risk. Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre sit at the top of the pool. It lifts your overall rating without showing up in a highlight, but it is the attribute that most often turns a close fight your way.
Speed
Speed is hand speed, foot speed and the pace of transitions. Demetrious Johnson's transitions are the reference point. It has the lowest weight along with leg kicks, but fast fighters tend to do well in the middle of the rankings where margins are thin.
What makes a good build?
There is no single best build, but a few patterns hold up in testing:
- Balanced beats lopsided. Because the overall rating is a weighted average, a set of mid-80s across the board usually beats one 99 surrounded by 65s.
- Protect the weak spots. A red attribute, especially chin, is a liability on a long run. Think about spending a re-spin there.
- Grappling and striking are the safest investments because they have the largest weights and also drive finishes.
- Personality should fit the card. A knockout artist gains a lot from a persona that boosts finishing; a grappler is better off with one that adds cardio.
Elite cards are weighted to land much less often than average ones. If you have a run of average cards, that is normal; the game is built to make a great draft something worth celebrating.