Combat Mechanics: A Study on Motion and Impact

View one of the UFC's most electric moments recreated in a 3D animation. Created in Maya, this was my capstone project to demonstrate my abilities within the ASU GIT program.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company that has been organizing fights since the early 90’s. After a rocky start, the company really found their groove in the 2000’s and began setting up the best fighters in the world against one another to create spectacular and memorable fights in the realm of combat sports.

The Problem:

Many uninitiated believe that MMA and UFC watchers enjoy the sport for its extreme violence. However, not many people know or understand that MMA is a very technical sport that goes way beyond making the other person bleed or knocking them unconscious.

Behind every punch and kick is a game-plan that a fighter has spent weeks trying to perfect, behind every missed swing is a recalibration, and behind every win was years of experience and training.

I want to demonstrate that level of technique in a 3D animation by recreating one of my favorite UFC moments in a digital space.

The Process:

I chose this project as a way to demonstrate my skills in animation while also learning a new skill. I have not worked with a 3D rig before, but I hoped to improve upon the knowledge I garnered from working with a 2D rig in a previous project.

A lot of emphasis has been placed in making the fight as accurate as possible, with a great amount of detail in the models’ movements, balance transfer, and overall fluidity. I am working with the actual broadcast right beside my Maya workspace and using it as a constant source for reference as well.

This ended up being my senior project as well, as I felt it was would prove to be a very fitting capstone assignment for my time in the ASU GIT program.

The Results:

The end goal of the project is to demonstrate that MMA is not just a bloodsport that revolves around making your opponent suffer, but it is in fact a sport that is just as technical as a chess match and just as demanding as football. A match can be decided by who landed the most hits over the course of several rounds, or it can be decided in one decisive blow.

As for deliverables, I recorded takes of the animation from a variety of angles such as the actual broadcast, ringside, top-down, and even a fan cam. By compiling these videos and adding the audio from the official broadcast, I created a highlight reel that showcased the knockout from many perspectives. I lined up the audio with the videos to best match the perspectives the commentators were speaking on.

The project ended up being the most enjoyable project I have worked in in my academic career, as I really had a lot of freedom with the the contents and how I showcased my skills/capabilities. It was also the first time I got to really get into the nitty gritty of my focus area, 3D modeling and animation.