Exactly my thoughts which is why I didn't buy into the hype at all. I've come to value the dev team and the commitment they show, but I have too much experience with EA over the years to believe anything they say or ever think they have the customer's best interest in mind.
When the mode was shown I said that it looked like every other UFC/Fight Night/Undisputed career mode with social media thrown on top of it, which didn't seem like it would be interactive or would effect gameplay at all, which it seems to be.