Let's just get straight to the point. Make sure you read all of this before beginning your career.
BEGINNING STEPS:
Make sure you get 4 stars on all the pre-career mini-games to get your 5 point bonus on all your skills.
Play career on EXPERT mode only. Anything less will net you less points in the training minigames and take away more from other areas. Do not play on ULTIMATE unless you want bragging rights/want to kill yourself.
Play on SIMULATION mode. You do more damage and submissions are easier to get. Training games are unaffected by your stamina setting. You have nigh-infinite stamina in your training games.
YOUR FIRST 15 FIGHTS:
When you first begin find whichever camp you want to be your main camp after 15 fights by the amount of moves you want that are in said camp. For your first 15 fights pick every move you want from any camp that will not be your main one. If a move you want requires a stat cap, raise your stats accordingly and get it. Obviously you will need to prioritize your moves. If you have all the moves you want, begin working on your stats.
AFTER YOU PICK YOUR CAMP:
After picking your camp you should immediately start working on your stats. You have all the time in the world to pick your moves after you get your stats to their best levels. In doing this you must be sure to put every stat at 70. Your stats will not decrease past 70. This is essential to making a 100 overall CAF.
After getting all your stats and attributes to their base at 70, you have a couple options.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A STRIKER OR SUBMISSION FIGHTER:
The key to getting your stats to where you want them if you're a striker/submission fighter is to level the opposite stats to 90. If you want high striking, you would want to level up submissions via the Sub Spar. If you want to have high subs you would level up strikes via the Stand Up Spar. This may sound counter-intuitive but once you level up the opposite stats you can begin leveling the stats you really want. This prevents you from having a deficit in either area, but still being more proficient in the area you want to be.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A CLINCH OR GROUND FIGHTER:
This takes a little less planning. Here you will just need to make sure you keep a balance of all your stats, whilst maintaining both your ground grapple offenses and defenses. This can be tricky, but it is not impossible. Take a look at what increases what and how much it does and use your best judgement.
(For both of the above: Note that you should keep your strength low until the end of your career where you can do the Tire Flip Drill to boost your strength. It only lowers footwork, which is just fine at the 70 cap.)
HOW TO COMPLETE THE MINIGAMES:
In order to make a 100 overall CAF you must 4 star every minigame you do. It's a tedious process, but it becomes less of a hassle with practice. Here are some tips for the most important and difficult minigames.
DEFENSE DRILL: Block all the shots until your bar fills up to the red, then catch the kick.
STAND UP SPAR: Get at mid-range and throw a jab, followed by a leg kick. Repeat this action while blocking your face. You should be able to rack up points very quickly.
CLINCH SPAR: Initiate the clinch and go from double underhooks to back control, then back to double unders repeatedly.
GROUND AND POUND SPAR: Get to side control and repeatedly go from side control to north/south over and over. If they try and block your transition (you will see your character break out of side control by putting his arm on your partner's face), throw body punches from north/south until they put you back into side control. Repeat when necessary. If they go into sprawl, transition from sprawl into back side control repeatedly.
GROUND TOP SPAR: Spam the side control to north/south transitions. Continue even if they try and block your transition to north/south. You gain points for just being on top.
GROUND BOTTOM SPAR: Spam transitions until you can stand up.
TAKEDOWN SPAR: Counter takedowns are key to getting points. You need some timing.
SUBMISSION SPAR: When you initiate the submission make sure to place your bar on the back end of theirs. This gives you enough time to switch direction if they do.
USELESS MINIGAMES: Takedown Defense Drill, Cage Control Drill
MANAGING YOUR CREDITS:
Another key to making a 100 CAF are your credits. Make sure you buy the first two sparring partner upgrades first. Then buy the first upgrades for strength, speed, and cardio. Depending on your stat setup is what you should buy next. Use good judgement. Never buy footwork upgrades until you have everything else.
You also need to graduate to the UFC by your 10th fight. Always take the best cred opportunity that you know you can win, but never take fill-in fights as they only give you 1 action. You should have the UFC title by your 22nd fight. You must win all your fights.
WINNING YOUR FIGHTS:
There are several ways to win fights on EXPERT.
JAB-LEG KICK/JAB-BODY KICK: A good way to win a fight is to repeatedly toss out your jab at mid-range and immediately follow it up with a body or leg kick. You'll eventually TKO them.
SLAMS: You will occasionally run into a computer fighter that will shoot for a takedown from up/down if you are close enough. If they shoot for the takedown, intercept knee them. If you bait them into doing this twice, you will rock them. I usually slam the computer and then stand up. This does not always work and some fighters lack the AI to do this.
SUBMISSIONS: You can sub the computer with 70 sub offense. If you use the jab-body kick combo until they find themselves gassed, you can slam them and instantly go for a submission. It takes practice to get down how to do it right, but it is highly successful.
SIMMING YOUR FIGHTS:
There are a couple points in career where you can simulate your fights. The first is at the beginning in the WFA. You should be able to sim all these fights regardless of your stats.
Towards the end of your career when you hit the 90 overall point you can start simming your UFC/PRIDE matches.
Make sure to put your AI Style on MMA.
CAREER TRICKS:
If you lose a fight, once you get to the screen where it shows both your fighters and the fight bonuses you can hit start and go to "Career Top Menu". This will take you back to before you lost the fight. This works great for simulating your matches. It also works if you fail a training minigame or a move training. I recommend overwriting your save after each action for maxmum efficiency. If you go to "Schedule Fight" and the only options are fill-in fights, go to the career menu and retry. You will get a new batch of available fights.
For training minigames and learning moves, if you reach the yellow bar before time is up you can hit start and go to "End Sparring". This will get you all the points and save you some time.
Now you have no excuse not to have a 95 overall CAF. Go forth and die, peasants.
BEGINNING STEPS:
Make sure you get 4 stars on all the pre-career mini-games to get your 5 point bonus on all your skills.
Play career on EXPERT mode only. Anything less will net you less points in the training minigames and take away more from other areas. Do not play on ULTIMATE unless you want bragging rights/want to kill yourself.
Play on SIMULATION mode. You do more damage and submissions are easier to get. Training games are unaffected by your stamina setting. You have nigh-infinite stamina in your training games.
YOUR FIRST 15 FIGHTS:
When you first begin find whichever camp you want to be your main camp after 15 fights by the amount of moves you want that are in said camp. For your first 15 fights pick every move you want from any camp that will not be your main one. If a move you want requires a stat cap, raise your stats accordingly and get it. Obviously you will need to prioritize your moves. If you have all the moves you want, begin working on your stats.
AFTER YOU PICK YOUR CAMP:
After picking your camp you should immediately start working on your stats. You have all the time in the world to pick your moves after you get your stats to their best levels. In doing this you must be sure to put every stat at 70. Your stats will not decrease past 70. This is essential to making a 100 overall CAF.
After getting all your stats and attributes to their base at 70, you have a couple options.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A STRIKER OR SUBMISSION FIGHTER:
The key to getting your stats to where you want them if you're a striker/submission fighter is to level the opposite stats to 90. If you want high striking, you would want to level up submissions via the Sub Spar. If you want to have high subs you would level up strikes via the Stand Up Spar. This may sound counter-intuitive but once you level up the opposite stats you can begin leveling the stats you really want. This prevents you from having a deficit in either area, but still being more proficient in the area you want to be.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A CLINCH OR GROUND FIGHTER:
This takes a little less planning. Here you will just need to make sure you keep a balance of all your stats, whilst maintaining both your ground grapple offenses and defenses. This can be tricky, but it is not impossible. Take a look at what increases what and how much it does and use your best judgement.
(For both of the above: Note that you should keep your strength low until the end of your career where you can do the Tire Flip Drill to boost your strength. It only lowers footwork, which is just fine at the 70 cap.)
HOW TO COMPLETE THE MINIGAMES:
In order to make a 100 overall CAF you must 4 star every minigame you do. It's a tedious process, but it becomes less of a hassle with practice. Here are some tips for the most important and difficult minigames.
DEFENSE DRILL: Block all the shots until your bar fills up to the red, then catch the kick.
STAND UP SPAR: Get at mid-range and throw a jab, followed by a leg kick. Repeat this action while blocking your face. You should be able to rack up points very quickly.
CLINCH SPAR: Initiate the clinch and go from double underhooks to back control, then back to double unders repeatedly.
GROUND AND POUND SPAR: Get to side control and repeatedly go from side control to north/south over and over. If they try and block your transition (you will see your character break out of side control by putting his arm on your partner's face), throw body punches from north/south until they put you back into side control. Repeat when necessary. If they go into sprawl, transition from sprawl into back side control repeatedly.
GROUND TOP SPAR: Spam the side control to north/south transitions. Continue even if they try and block your transition to north/south. You gain points for just being on top.
GROUND BOTTOM SPAR: Spam transitions until you can stand up.
TAKEDOWN SPAR: Counter takedowns are key to getting points. You need some timing.
SUBMISSION SPAR: When you initiate the submission make sure to place your bar on the back end of theirs. This gives you enough time to switch direction if they do.
USELESS MINIGAMES: Takedown Defense Drill, Cage Control Drill
MANAGING YOUR CREDITS:
Another key to making a 100 CAF are your credits. Make sure you buy the first two sparring partner upgrades first. Then buy the first upgrades for strength, speed, and cardio. Depending on your stat setup is what you should buy next. Use good judgement. Never buy footwork upgrades until you have everything else.
You also need to graduate to the UFC by your 10th fight. Always take the best cred opportunity that you know you can win, but never take fill-in fights as they only give you 1 action. You should have the UFC title by your 22nd fight. You must win all your fights.
WINNING YOUR FIGHTS:
There are several ways to win fights on EXPERT.
JAB-LEG KICK/JAB-BODY KICK: A good way to win a fight is to repeatedly toss out your jab at mid-range and immediately follow it up with a body or leg kick. You'll eventually TKO them.
SLAMS: You will occasionally run into a computer fighter that will shoot for a takedown from up/down if you are close enough. If they shoot for the takedown, intercept knee them. If you bait them into doing this twice, you will rock them. I usually slam the computer and then stand up. This does not always work and some fighters lack the AI to do this.
SUBMISSIONS: You can sub the computer with 70 sub offense. If you use the jab-body kick combo until they find themselves gassed, you can slam them and instantly go for a submission. It takes practice to get down how to do it right, but it is highly successful.
SIMMING YOUR FIGHTS:
There are a couple points in career where you can simulate your fights. The first is at the beginning in the WFA. You should be able to sim all these fights regardless of your stats.
Towards the end of your career when you hit the 90 overall point you can start simming your UFC/PRIDE matches.
Make sure to put your AI Style on MMA.
CAREER TRICKS:
If you lose a fight, once you get to the screen where it shows both your fighters and the fight bonuses you can hit start and go to "Career Top Menu". This will take you back to before you lost the fight. This works great for simulating your matches. It also works if you fail a training minigame or a move training. I recommend overwriting your save after each action for maxmum efficiency. If you go to "Schedule Fight" and the only options are fill-in fights, go to the career menu and retry. You will get a new batch of available fights.
For training minigames and learning moves, if you reach the yellow bar before time is up you can hit start and go to "End Sparring". This will get you all the points and save you some time.
Now you have no excuse not to have a 95 overall CAF. Go forth and die, peasants.
