Guard is here: sweeps, passes and a real BJJ game

GUARD is the eighth fighter skill. It is the jiu-jitsu game off your back: pull guard, keep it, sweep to the top, and hunt submissions from the bottom. Taking down a good guard player is no longer a free round.

THE MAT HAS TWO SIDES NOW
• On your back, your guard is either intact or passed.
• With the guard intact, you can sweep, attack submissions, or work back to your feet.
• A pass shuts down your sweeps and most of your submissions until you hip out and recover guard.
• A sweep flips the fight. You come up on top, and the judges score it like a takedown.
• Ground Game is now the top game: passing, riding and ground-and-pound. It is the wrestler's answer to a good guard.

SIX NEW TECHNIQUES
• Sweeps (Guard): Hip Bump Sweep, Butterfly Sweep
• Passes (Ground Game): Knee Cut Pass, Pressure Pass
• Defense (Guard): Technical Stand-Up, Guard Retention
Each one levels up to Mastered, and every mastery unlocks a perk. Pull Guard runs on Guard now too. Pull it on a good passer with sloppy grips and you land already passed.

BUILD A GUARD PLAYER
Every style has a Guard base. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has the best one, learns Guard at 35% off, and starts with Hip Bump Sweep. Spend your XP on GUARD from MY FIGHTER. Already have a fighter? They already have a Guard rating, based on their ground game and submissions. BJJ fighters get a bonus.

IN THE CAGE
• ADVANCED strategy has new ground calls: PULL GUARD, HIP BUMP, BUTTERFLY SWEEP, KNEE CUT PASS and PRESSURE PASS.
• Camps with a level 2 MAT ROOM unlock the LIVE GUARD fight boost.
• The fight stats card now counts SWEEPS and GUARD PASSES.
• Sweeps, passes and guard recoveries are all on the play-by-play, and the booth has new lines for the mat game.

Out now on iPhone, Android and the web.