Okay, so I’ve been grinding UFC 4 quite a bit lately. You know how it is, you get decent at the striking, maybe okay on the ground, but then you see these awesome slams and think, “Man, I gotta learn how to do that!” That was me last week. I decided I was gonna figure out these slams properly.
Getting Started: Lots of Failed Takedowns
First off, I just tried… well, everything. I knew how to shoot for a regular takedown, holding LT and flicking the right stick, or L2 on the PlayStation controller. But that just gave me normal takedowns. I tried holding different buttons while doing that, pressing stuff wildly during the takedown animation. Nothing. Just ended up on the mat in the usual way, sometimes getting stuffed completely. It was pretty frustrating, felt like I was missing something obvious.
Catching Kicks and Clinch Work
Then I started noticing slams sometimes happened when I wasn’t even directly trying for a takedown in the usual way. Like, sometimes I’d catch an opponent’s kick. You know, timing it right with LT + RT (or L2 + R2) when they throw a body or head kick. After catching the leg, my fighter would sometimes lift the opponent.
This seemed like a key moment. So, next time I caught a kick and had the guy hoisted up, I started experimenting again. Instead of just hitting the normal takedown buttons, I tried holding down buttons. I mashed a bit at first, not gonna lie. But then I focused. I tried holding LB + RB (or L1 + R1) and moving the left stick. Sometimes that worked, depending on the fighter and position! Other times, especially after catching that kick, holding LT + RT (L2 + R2) while they were lifted seemed to be the ticket. Then you use the left stick to pick the direction you wanna slam ’em. It felt awesome when it finally clicked and I sent the guy crashing down.
Finding Other Slam Opportunities
It wasn’t just catching kicks. I realized there are specific clinch positions too. Like if you get into a certain spot against the cage, or initiate what the game calls a ‘power takedown’ (which often involves holding LB or L1 when you shoot), you get that lift animation. Same deal applied: once they’re up, hold down those shoulder buttons – either LB + RB or LT + RT, seemed to depend on the specific takedown type – and use the left stick to direct the landing.
There was also the defensive slam I stumbled upon. Got caught in a standing guillotine choke, panicked, and started holding triggers and moving the stick. Turns out, holding LT + RT (L2 + R2) and pushing UP on the left stick could sometimes lead to a desperation slam to break the hold. Pretty neat trick to escape a bad spot.
Practice Makes Perfect (Sort Of)
So, the main things I learned were:
- You often need a specific setup, like catching a kick or initiating a power takedown/clinch.
- Timing is crucial. You gotta hit the buttons while the opponent is being lifted or held in that specific vulnerable state.
- The key buttons seem to be holding both left and right shoulder buttons (either the top ones, LB/RB or L1/R1, or the triggers, LT/RT or L2/R2, depending on the situation).
- The left stick directs the slam once you’ve got them up and are holding the buttons.
It took a while, messing around in practice mode and just playing matches, to get a feel for the timing and recognizing the situations. Some fighters seem better at it than others, obviously the wrestlers and stronger guys. But yeah, that’s basically how I figured it out through trial and error. It’s super satisfying when you pull off a big slam now. Feels like you really earned it.
