WWE Hall of Famers to join Kenny Omega in virtual UFC 4 tournament

While COVID-19, and the world-wide lockdown that's followed it, has made public sporting events increasingly difficult (if not outright impossible) to exhibit, there's one venue that isn't hampered by the virus at all. That would be the world of virtual — aka video game — competition. Now, UFC is teaming up with ESPN, celebrities, streamers, and some well-known wrestlers to not only entertain us, but show off EA's latest Ultimate Fighting Championship game, UFC 4.

The event debuts along with UFC 4

This Friday, a 12-person UFC 4 tournament will be held to see who is the greatest celebrity UFC 4 fighter of all time. Or, at the very least, out of these 12 people. Included in the line-up are AEW Tag Team co-champion Kenny Omega and Class of 2020 WWE Hall of Fame inductees The Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie. The latter will be relaxing after each having children days apart to virtually beat each other up online.

The first round matches are set-up like so:

• Idris Elba (actor; Pacific Rim, Star Trek: Beyond) vs Tyson Fury (pro boxing champion)
• Jorge Masvidal (UFC fighter) vs Action Bronson (musician, TV cooking show host)
• Max Holloway (UFC fighter) vs Hannibal Buress (comedian and actor)
• Kenny Omega (Kenny Omega) vs Lirik (pro Twitch streamer)
• Nikki Bella vs Brie Bella
• Ethan "Behzinga" Payne (YouTube personality) vs Spice Adams (TV host and former NFL star)

Tyson Fury — who worked for WWE last year in a match against Braun Strowman in Saudi Arabia — is one of the unlockable fighters in the game for anyone who preorders. There will also be a timed demo available for EA Access subscribers.

Golden Globe and BAFTA-nominated actor Idris Elba might be the most high-profile celebrity in the tournament, but he also has some actual fighting experience. In 2016, Elba trained for, and won, a professional kickboxing bout against Lionel Graves of The Netherlands.

The tournament, which will be held on August 14th on both ESPN 2 Plus, as well as UFC's YouTube and Twitch channels, will coincide with the release of the game. EA Sports UFC 4 will be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. In the United States, the title will be rated T for Teen by the ESRB