GameSpot's Richard Wakeling gave the game a 7 out of 10 and stated: "EA Sports UFC 2 is a welcome improvement on its predecessor that shows this series is going in the right direction." Wakeling called the visuals "incredible", praised the "robust" fighting mechanics, and commended the improvements made to several of the gameplay systems, such as the grappling. Wakeling criticized the lack of proper tutorials, and disliked the career mode for having enough depth.
