It is possible to knock out an opponent by driving down his/her consciousness while his/her physical wellness remains very high. Knocking out an opponent in danger requires the use of strong hits, Blazin' Moves, and environmental moves (Such as slamming an opponent into the wall, or achieving a double team move with a crowd member, or using a weapon). This indicates that the fighter is in danger of being knocked out. When a fighter's consciousness is lowered to a very low point, the entire health bar will turn red. However, whenever a fighter is not losing health, his consciousness meter will recover only to be limited by the amount of physical wellness. With every hit, a fighter's consciousness will fall quicker than his/her physical wellness. Underneath it is the fighter's physical wellness bar (Displayed as a semi transparent dark green). The first bar is a fighter's consciousness and ability to fight (Displayed as an opaque light green). Health is composed of two bars, one displayed on top of the other. Knock Out is achieved by a unique health bar used in the game. A character can be made to submit by putting them into submission holds until the health bar of a single body part is depleted. With the focus taken from mixed martial arts, the only way to win a fight is through Knock Out or Submission. A created character can learn every single Blazin' Move in the game, but can only have up to four usable at any one time. In this state, the fighter is said to be 'Blazin', and can pull off a Blazin' Move, a powerful and brutal attack personalized for each character. When the momentum meter is full, a fighter can activate it, which results in a Blazin' Taunt. A fighter with a good set of clothes, extensive tattoos, or laden with jewellery can often fill their momentum meter in just a few moves.

Created fighters can set their own charisma with a combination of clothes, tattoos, and jewelry the more expensive, the better.

The rate at which momentum is gained is effected by the fighter's Charisma, which is set for most fighters. Momentum is gained by successfully performing moves, countering, and taunting the opponent. Some spectators carry weapons, and will offer them to the fighters, or even attack a fighter if the guy next to them holds him. The crowd will shove a fighter back into combat if he is thrown into them or gets too close, and will sometimes hold a fighter, leaving them open to attack. Tossing the opponent against barriers gives fighters the opportunity to inflict massive damage to their opponent by tossing or slamming them into the wall headfirst, or using other features of the environment, such as slamming a door or gate in their face. The game emphasizes strikes more, as well as proper use of the arena's environment and the surrounding crowd. Fighters can choose three of five fighting styles. The gameplay is expanded from the original game, which was primarily a wrestling game.

Character codes for def jam fight ny