UFC 5 PS5 controls: the full map
Hooks are L1 plus Square or Triangle, body kicks are L2 plus X or Circle, block is R2 and takedown denial is L2 plus R2.
PlayStation 5 controls in UFC 5 are printed in three places in-game — the Training Manual, the pause-menu move list, and the button callouts during a fight — and they are identical in each. What follows is the full map from EA's PlayStation control page, reorganised into the four phases you actually play in, with the inputs written the way the game writes them.
The PS5 face buttons map to the same limbs as the Xbox layout: Square and Triangle are the lead and rear hands, X and Circle are the lead and rear legs.
How to read this page
Inputs are written left to right in press order. Hold means keep the button down through the animation; without it you get the light version of the same strike. Directional modifiers always refer to the left stick unless the input says right stick. Every entry below is from the official PlayStation controls page, so if the game and this table ever disagree, the game is right.
One thing the game does not say out loud: the whole table assumes orthodox stance. Switch stance with R3 and the lead and rear hands swap, but the button that throws the lead hand does not.
Stand-up: strikes and entries
| Action | PS5 input | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jab / straight | Square or Triangle | Hold L2 for the body version |
| Hook | L1 + Square / L1 + Triangle | Close range, heavy damage |
| Uppercut | R1 + Square / R1 + Triangle | Counters leaning and takedown entries |
| Overhand | L1 + Square (Hold) / L1 + Triangle (Hold) | Most damaging punch, most stamina |
| Head kick | L1 + X / L1 + Circle | High vulnerability if it misses |
| Body kick | L2 + X / L2 + Circle | Drains body health and Maximum Stamina |
| Wrestling single leg | L2 + Square + X | The basic takedown |
| Wrestling double leg | L2 + Triangle + Circle | Longer range, slower |
| Power single leg | L2 + Square + X (Hold) | Slower entry, better finish |
| Power double leg | L2 + Triangle + Circle (Hold) | Same trade-off |
| Single collar clinch | Square + X | Enters the clinch |
Stand-up: defence and movement
| Action | PS5 input |
|---|---|
| Defend takedown | L2 + R2 |
| Defend clinch | Move right stick up, down, left or right |
| Minor lunge | Flick left stick |
| Major lunge | L1 + left stick |
| Pivot lunge | L1 + right stick |
| Signature evade | L1 + flick left stick |
| Switch stance | Press R3 |
Clinch
| Action | PS5 input |
|---|---|
| Advance position | R1 + Square / R1 + Triangle |
| Trip or throw | R1 + X / R1 + Circle |
| Submission from clinch | L2 + R1 + Square / L2 + R1 + Triangle |
| Body knees | L2 + X / L2 + Circle |
| Head knees | L1 + X / L1 + Circle |
| Elbows | L1 + Square + X / L1 + Triangle + Circle |
| Single/double leg modifier | Left stick up, down or right |
| Defend takedown or throw | L2 + R2 |
| Defend submission | R2 |
| Defend leg modifier | Left stick left, up or down |
| Clinch escape | Left stick left |
Ground
| Action | PS5 input | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Get up | Left stick up | Grapple Assist default |
| Submission | Left stick left | Grapple Assist default |
| Ground and pound | Left stick right | Grapple Assist default |
| Defend transition | R2 + right stick / R2 + left stick | Match the direction |
| Transition (legacy HUD) | Right stick any direction | Only with Hybrid or Legacy HUD |
| Submission (legacy HUD) | L2 + right stick any direction | Same |
| Additional transitions (legacy) | L1 + right stick any direction | Same |
| Hooks from top | L1 + Square / L1 + Triangle | Ground and pound |
| Body straights | L2 + Square / L2 + Triangle | Drains stamina |
| Body hooks | L2 + L1 + Square / L2 + L1 + Triangle | Highest body damage |
| Elbows | L1 + Square / L1 + Triangle | Cuts, forces you to posture down |
| Head movement on ground | Right stick left or right | Evades straights |
| Post defence | L1 + right stick left or right | Stops hooks |
Two settings that change this table
The ground section above lists two control schemes at once because UFC 5 ships with a choice. Grapple Assist turns the ground game into goal selection: left stick up for the nearest get-up, left for the nearest submission, right for the nearest ground-and-pound position, and holding L1 takes the highest-level option available. Hybrid or Legacy grapple HUD hands you the raw directional transitions instead, and the inputs move to the right stick.
The in-game advice is to use Hybrid or Legacy for online play, because Grapple Assist's transitions are predictable to a trained opponent. On PS5 that means the right stick becomes your main ground control and the left-stick shortcuts stop applying.
Stick precision beats button speed
Three inputs use the right stick as an analogue control rather than a switch: head movement, lunges that combine with head movement, and clinch defence. Head movement is the one worth practising first — it avoids a strike without leaving range, which is the difference between countering a hook and walking into it.
Next: Beginner guide · Striking offense · Ground offense