Addison Sports Management and Media: Mick Hammond: Quadros and Rutten Back in Pride Mode

Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten

One of the most highly anticipated new features in THQ’s upcoming UFC Undisputed 3 is the addition of Pride FC mode, in which the player can take control of fighters in the classic Pride setting, including introductions from “The Screaming Lady” Lenne Hardt, and commentary from Bas “El Guapo” Rutten and Stephen Quadros.
While it won’t take veteran MMA fans long to want to relive the glory days of Pride, it actually took some convincing to get the famed “Fight Professor” on board.
“What happened was, I had received a number of emails and at first I thought it was somebody pulling a joke on me,” said Quadros. “I didn’t take it seriously, so I avoided it. The next thing I know my manager got in touch with the people sending me emails and told it me it was for Pride mode.
“It made me feel like I was Al Pacino in Godfather 3 where he says, ‘Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in.’”
Once Quadros was on board, it didn’t take long for he and his commentating partner Rutten to get back into the swing of things.
“It was one of those things where it’s like riding a bicycle, you pick it up quickly,” said Quadros. “As soon as we sat down, we just kind of looked at each other, smiled and just started nailing aces right away.
“It was very cool. There’s a certain amount of sentimentality I have for the days in Pride. Because Bas and I always say once we sit down and put the headphones on, it’s like we’re in a completely different world. It was the same kind of situation: we’re there – and even though it’s animated and we’re in a studio – nonetheless it’s the chemistry we had, and probably always will have.”
Quadros tells MMAWeekly.com that while some might find the repetitive nature of voice-over work, especially for a sports game, to be tedious, it’s not so much the case for him.
“I understand why some people might get bored, but for me, no,” he said. “Because I think it’s part of a thing that I have that’s a regenerative thing. I always want to try to add something every time I do it.
“Even if it’s just like (variations of) ‘left jab,’ you try to find ways to improvise and add to each one, so it really doesn’t get boring.”
Quadros anticipates fans of the series will be blown away not only by Pride mode, but the overall improvements and changes implemented for Undisputed 3.
“The graphics and the design in the previous two are really good, but this one they just took it up a notch,” he said. “I would say that the credit not only goes to THQ, but to Wes Bunn who is the senior designer on the game.”
Along with reforming his band Snow with former members of Quiet Riot and The Offspring, Quadros is ready to get back into the entertainment field in 2012 beyond gaming.
“2012 is going to see me returning to more TV and movies,” he said. “I’ve been concentrating primarily on broadcasting… But with the restructuring of the new Showtime contract with only eight shows instead of 16, it frees me up quite a bit to do other things.
“I can’t get into specifics, but about mid-year I’m going to start working on a big movie that might turn into a trilogy, and keep me busy for a good year to year-and-a-half. I’ll just be teaching, having fun, and living the life down here in Southern California.”