UPDATE: The official UFC Undisputed 3 website is now live, and brings new details on the game. They are below.

"UFC Undisputed 3, takes you inside the Octagon, delivering intense UFC action focused on brutal toe-to-toe combat, impressive visual presentation, increased accessibility and raw fight emotion.

"UFC Undisputed 3 ups the intensity with the addition of PRIDE Mode, a brand new submission system, new ways to finish the fight and increased accessibility through both traditional and simplified gameplay controls that, along with significanlt enhanced visuals, new camera positions and personalized fighter entrances, let you step right inside the Octagon.

"UFC Undisputed 3 also lets you take the fight to your friends with a significantly improved online feature set, including new and updated offerings, delivering the most competitive and engaging MMA experience to date.

PRIDE MODE: The no-holds-barred Japanese MMA league brings with it brutal soccer-style kicks, head stomps and ground knees to the head.

FINISH THE FIGHT: Take your opponents down with punishing new moves, a brand new submission system and increased focus on presentation.

FROM BROADCAST TO CAGE-SIDE: Experience the intensity of UFC with new camera positions, compelling fighter entrances, improved facial animations and a gritty, high contrast appearance.

GAMEPLAY ACCESSIBILITY: Get right inside the Octagon with simplified gameplay control options, brutalizing opponents after stepping into the cage for the first time.

EXTRAORDINARY ROSTER: More than 150 of the most intense UFC fighters, including the addition of Featherweight and Bantamweight divisions.

EXTENSIVE ONLINE OFFERING: A significantly revamped online experience, including both new and updated features, rounds out the best competitive fighting experience to date for the franchise.

ORIGINAL STORY: THQ has announced UFC Undisputed 3, set for release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in early 2012.

New features include Pride matches, based on the Pride Fighting Championship. Here, matches are more brutal, set outdoors and with relaxed rules.

The striking and grappling systems have received a makeover, reports GameSpot. A simulation match variant is designed to replicate the in-ring dynamic.

For those who have found the series a tad too complicated, THQ has implemented a more user-friendly, simpler control scheme. This is optional.

Undisputed 3's early 2012 release comes as no surprise.

THQ made no secret of its plan to axe its policy of releasing a UFC game every year after the last game in the mixed martial arts simulation series sold fewer copies than expected.

Between April and June 2010 THQ shipped around 2.7 million units of UFC Undisputed 2010, down from the 3.5 million copies of UFC 2009 Undisputed. In August 2010 core games boss Danny Bilson told Eurogamer the next UFC game would enjoy a longer development cycle than UFC 2010, released in May 2010, did. "The mission on UFC 3, the next game, is to make everybody who's ever bought the first or second game, have to buy the third one," he said. "We don't believe it's a churn it out game every 12 months. We just don't."

The first screenshot is below.