MMA Monthly Matchups: April

By Dan D. Hallberg

It’s time to take a look at what smacks will be thrown down this month. There is a lot of bad blood between these competitors, so these fights are going to get nasty. Let’s take a look!

Judge Judy vs. Justice Clarence Thomas, USSC 139, 4/20/2011

Why hasn’t Clarence Thomas spoken in an oral argument for the past 5 years? Because he lets his fists do the talking! His opponent, meanwhile, prefers to pound her opponents with sassy banter until they are forced to give up. She might have problems trying to implement this strategy against Thomas, since he seems to be able to avoid being goaded into any shouting war thrown at him. Look for Thomas to sit, looking extremely bored for the majority of the fight as he waits for Judge Judy to tire out her voice out, then swoop in and win the majority decision.

Valparaiso School of Law vs. Temperate Climate Conditions, Strikefrost: NW Indiana, 4/20/2011

This fight may not be for the title, but it’s one the fans have been wanting to see. VUSL has been dominant as of late, knocking out Pelzer Hall, Tabor Hall, and the Library cold. But they may have finally met their match with moderate weather conditions coming on the horizon. That being said, VUSL has shown that it has the ability to triumph over adversary when it was majestically able to make it colder in the building then it was outside last month. Look for the Law School to struggle through the spring months, but then surge in the summer as the heat and humidity allow it to make its classrooms unlivable again.

Westlaw vs. Lexis Nexis, USC 97, 4/20/2011

Two veterans square off against each other in one of the evenest match ups this month. Both sides have similar tools and skills at their disposal so it is going to be hard to decide which side will come out on top. It all depends on whether West will be able to lock in its Keycite submission, or will Lexis be able to just Shepardize West the entire fight on the way to a decision. Reps from both camps have been trying to convince me that their fight is the best but it’s still too close to call. In the end I have to go with Lexis in this fight due to its experience in the field and because they’ve bribed me with copious amounts of rewards points.

Champion, Reading Assignments vs. General Law School Population, UFU 123, 4/20/2011

It’s the fight we’ve all been waiting for, as the longest reigning champion goes to work. Reading assignments have pretty much been beating everyone that they have faced, grinding out decisions against student after student until their will is broken. People who fight the champ just end up exhausted and heartbroken as the stare numbly off into space and try to collect themselves. I would like to say that the challenger is exciting and up to the task, but the student population has done nothing but dodge reading assignments their whole career. Look for this one to be long, painful, and never ending, with reading assignments always being too much for the general law school population.

MMA Monthly Matchups: March

By Dan D. Hallberg

Last month had its ups and downs but was generally pleasing. The Strikeforce heavyweight tournament is now a bit of a mess with two of the favorites unceremoniously knocked out of the bracket in the first round, but that’s what you get with tournaments sometimes. UFC and Strikeforce have a busy month in March, so lets take a look!

Dan Hardy (23-8) vs. Anthony Johnson (8-3), UFC Fight Night, 3/26/2011

This spot was reserved for Tito vs. ‘lil Nog, but since Tito is again hurt, this space goes to a more exciting fight with lesser names.  Hardy is coming off a rough knockout to fellow exciting striker Carlos Condit.  Johnson, who still has trouble making weight cuts, is coming off a loss to contender Josh Koscheck.  Both need to get some momentum if they want to stay relevant in the UFC’s crowded welterweight division.  With strikers like this we’re probably going to have a knockout, and the way I see it Rumble Johnson is going to continue having problems cutting the 55 lbs. he normally cuts to make weight.  Look for Dan Hardy to knock Johnson into the middleweight division.

Diego Sanchez (22-4) vs. Martin Kampmann (17-4), UFC: Live, 3/3/2011

Where to start with these two. Diego is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If there were a 163 pound division he’d be king, but as it stands he’s too big to make the cut effectively to 155 pounds and too small to stand up to the bigger 170 pound fighters. Martin Kampmann is a man on the cusp of becoming something special, but he’s had problems closing important fights. He had Jake Shields in his cross-hairs and just couldn’t finish; now Shields is getting his title shot while Kampmann is hoping to rebound. Since Kampmann has shown improved wrestling while still managing explosive striking, it’s hard to see him not just man handling Sanchez. Look for this one to be a short quick victory for Kampmann, and yet another trip to the drawing board for Sanchez.

Champion Rafael Cavalcante (10-2) vs. Dan Henderson (26-8), Strikeforce, 3/5/2011

The Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title is on the line, and Dan Henderson hopes to add some more gold to his already crowded trophy shelf. Cavalcante surprised everybody with the beat down he put on King Mo to win his title, but he has a very different challenge ahead of him with Henderson. King Mo made the mistake of standing and trading with Cavalcante when it was clear that Mo had the better wrestling. Henderson, a legend in the sport, won’t make that mistake, and even if he does stand with him, Hendo has such a good chin that it seems unlikely that the champ will be able to score a knockout. I think Henderson will most likely frustrate the young champ with his wrestling, before finally finding a home for his brick of a right hook; giving him yet another title.

Urijah Faber (24-4) vs. Eddie Wineland (18-6-1), UFC 128, 3/19/2011

Two WEC legends make their UFC debuts as the first WEC Bantamweight Champion, and Chesterton’s own, Eddie Wineland takes on the former WEC Featherweight Champ, Urijah Faber. Wineland has been on a streak lately, scoring impressive knockout victories. At the same time though, he has had several bumps in the road as a result of various injuries. Faber finds himself once again in the mix for a championship, having made a successful jump down to the bantamweight division. You never really know what to expect for a Urijah Faber fight. His style is so different from everyone out there that it’s hard to predict what will happen. That said, Faber has handled every striker he’s faced except for Jose Aldo and Mike Brown who were just too big for him. That won’t be a problem with Wineland, so look for Faber to win and get the next shot at Dominick Cruz.

Champion Mauricio Rua (19-4) vs. Jon Jones (12-1), UFC 128, 3/19/2011

UFC 126 really only had two exciting moments: one was Anderson Silva kicking Vitor Belfort in the face, and the other was Jon Jones getting the next light heavyweight title shot because his teammate Rashad Evans blew out his knee. The UFC had been bringing along Jones slowly, but after showing that he completely out-classed fellow up-and-comer Ryan Bader, the power that be decided to give the 23 year old Jonny Bones the shot. Meanwhile, Shogun Rua is coming off yet another knee surgery and hasn’t fought since winning the title in May of last year. Plus the sudden change in opponents after thinking he was going to be fighting Evans for the better part of a year might throw his strategy for a loop. While I think Shogun has the tools overcome these obstacles, it’s going to be tough to do against a young, hungry, well rounded challenger like Jones. Plus the young guns have been on a surge lately with Frankie Edgar and Cain Velasquez taking charge in their divisions. Because of this I have to go with Jones, probably by TKO after taking a few violent shots in the process.

The Docket

By Dan D. Hallberg

Guess what happy Docket readers? You have a guest writer this month! So sit back, relax, and read about some of the happens in the world of law.

Environmental Law

After 17 years of litigation spanning from the New York federal court to the Ecuadorian courts has led to an $8.6 billion judgment against Chevron Corp. for leaving a Rhode Island-sized hole of oil and sludge in the Amazon rainforest. The case was initially filed against Texaco in New York but later filed against Chevron in Ecuador following their purchase of Texaco three years later. Lawyers for Chevron have called the judgment unenforceable and illegitimate and plan to appeal. The $8.6 billion figure may seem high, but considering that the court-appointed expert appraised the damage at $27.3 billion, they may be getting off light. Still, it is unknown whether the plaintiffs will ever be able to collect any money from the oil giant. Only time will tell.

Supreme Court

February 22nd will mark the five year anniversary of the last time that Justice Clarence Thomas spoke during an oral argument.  There are several theories as to why the veteren jurist, now entering his tenth year on the highest court in the land, hasn’t spoken.  He’s written before that he’s self conscious about his voice.  He’s also said that he’d rather listen to the person arguing.  He’s even blamed it on the fact that the other people on the bench talk so much that he can’t get a word in edgewise.  For those curious, his last question came in a case about the death penalty in 2006.

Legal Ethics

If you’ve ever contested a traffic violation, then you’ll probably enjoy this story. Marion County Superior Traffic Judge William Young has been suspended for 30 days after the Indiana Supreme Court found that he had been giving out higher penalties for people that demanded trials to challenge their traffic violations and then lose. The specific incident which triggered the event came from a contested speeding ticket that went to trial before Judge Young. At the trial, Young was impatient, sarcastic, biased, and just generally mean. He sentenced the plaintiff to a year in jail and an additional year suspended license. Her case has since been remanded, and Young is looking at 30 days unpaid time plus court costs for his proceedings.

Immigration Law

Indiana has joined the long list of states looking to pass an Arizona-style anti-immigrant bill. The bill has failed the past several years due to a left-held legislature, but that is no longer the case and the bill is closer then ever to a spot on Governor Daniels’ desk. While the bill is popular with many of Indiana’s conservatives, Indiana’s Attorney General Greg Zoeller, a republican, has said he opposes the bill, believing that immigration should be handled by the federal government. Gov. Daniels has been quiet on the subject, but in the past has supported Indiana’s growing Hispanic population and speaks Spanish as a second language, so he may not get behind it. The bill is just getting out of committee, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Figure 8 Quenches Valpo’s Thirst for Craft Brewing

By Dan D. Hallberg

As you’re walking in there’s a smell of malt cooking in the air. It’s a comforting smell–one that makes you feel like something good is happening in the building. On one wall there is a large portrait of the proprietor in the middle of an ascent up a mountain; on the other wall there is a rare prototype Addams Family Gold pinball machine. There are a couple of tables and bar against the window with glasses full of pretzels to act as beer sponges, inviting you to sit down with someone and have a conversation. The back walls are covered in grain bags, and a shelf along the ceiling up front with bottles from many microbrews around the country. Then you see Lynne smile at you and ask what you’d like to try and you think, “Yeah, I can see myself drinking here.”

Not too long ago, Valparaiso was not blessed enough to have it’s own hometown microbrewery. That all changed on March 4th, 2010 when Figure 8 Brewing opened its doors for the first time. On that fateful day Tom and Lynne, the husband and wife super team that started Figure 8, introduced the world of Northwest Indiana to its very own unique beer.

You might be wondering how this whole thing got started. Well, Tom had been brewing his own beer as a hobby since his days at Purdue way back when. The couple had bounced around the country a bit with Tom doing work as an engineer on the east coast before moving back to Chicago to work on programming pinball machines for Williams Electronics (who also are responsible for making my favorite arcade game Joust, but that’s another column). After that he worked for Cisco Systems before settling down as a software consultant.

But Tom always had the entrepreneur bug in him. He considered a few business in line with his life’s passions such as a rock climbing wall. He also considered opening a micro distillery after visiting with his friend Heather who had just opened Syntax Spirits in Colorado, but after a trip to Backroads Brewery in LaPorte, he started to get the idea that he should go with what he knows and that making his own beer could be more than a hobby.

“I figured, I make beer, how hard could it be?” Tom said, and judging by Lynne’s hearty guffaw in response to that statement: pretty hard.

So, in May 2009 they got an empty space and started getting everything together to make their own beer. After extensive remodeling, the place was ready to churn out some delicious beer. Then of course, like they often do, lawyers got in the way. Since alcohol production for commercial use is highly regulated, there were all sorts of licensing and tax issues to get handled. But once those roadblocks were taken care of, Figure 8 was ready to roll out its first run of brews in February 2010: First Ascent, Camp 4, Bourbon Rye Knot, and the popular Ro Shampo.

When the doors opened people were lined up out the door ready to see what the new place had to offer. Since then, the brewery has continued its upward climb. They were present at the Valpo Brewfest where they won the Hoosier Beer award for their Snake Pro Double IPA, and also will be making appearances at other brew festivals around Indiana including the Brewers of Indiana Winterfest at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on January 29th and the Winter Warmer at Lafyette on February 12th. They also will be entering their Snake Pro Double IPA in the Brew Bracket on April 17th to try and win the coveted title of Indiana’s best IPA.

Figure 8 is also popping up all over various Valparaiso businesses. Industrial Revolution Cafe, Kelsey’s, and Pikk’s Tavern all have varying Figure 8 beers on tap. Also, the addition of a bottling line has made it possible to find Figure 8 brews in various liquor stores around various liquor stores, coffee houses, and specialty stores around the city. The first run of 22 oz. bottles include the brewery’s most popular beer, Ro Shampo, along with their First Ascent Honey Lager, Where Lizards Dare Single IPA, and Snake Pro Double IPA; all with cool labels designed by an artist friend from Tom’s pinball days.

And of course you can always get Figure 8 by the pint, in six 5 oz. samplers, or in a 64 oz. growler at their tasting room on Lincolnway. Plus, thanks to a new law that took effect in July, you can even carry out your favorite Figure 8 brews on Sunday! Other information and updates about the brews, the hours, and where you can find these great beers can be found at figure8brewing.com. So whether you’re like Tom, who likes the unique taste of the Where Lizards Dare IPA; like Lynne who likes the silky, delicious, full bodied Black Corridor Imperial Stout; or me who just likes to try them all; stop on by and share a drink and have some conversation, they’ll always be glad you came in.

Forum Flashback

By Dan D. Hallberg

It’s time again to take you back. Back to the time when a red-capped Italian plumber housed within a gray box ruled the world. Super Mario Bros on the Nintendo Entertainment System is one of the greatest, most influential video games of all time. It launched Nintendo into the spotlight and reignited America’s interest in video games following the video game crash of 1983.

It’s the game that launched the character into the main stream. Mario has since appeared in over 200 video games and is more recognizable to American children than Mickey Mouse. Many of us have played it over the years; traversing the challenges of the eight castles to finally find our Princess at the end. It’s a game that defines classic.

But you already know that, and here at the Flashback I like to try and talk about things less people know about. 1985’s Super Mario Bros was a great success. Of course, Nintendo and Mario’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, wanted to capitalize so they put together Super Mario Bros 2 in Japan in 1986. It looked pretty much just like Super Mario Bros but was en-ragingly difficult.

Nintendo of America played the game and was worried that it was entirely too hard for American gamers. So instead of releasing the Japanese game, they took another game, also designed by Miyamoto and tweaked it. As a result Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic! because Super Mario Bros 2 in America in 1988. Basically they took the four characters from the Doki Doki game and replaced them with Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad. Most people who played the U.S. Super Mario Bros 2 were extremely confused as to why the game play was so drastically different. Many gamers disliked the game and didn’t give it a fair shake simply because it wasn’t like the other Mario game out.

Eventually in 1990 Super Mario Bros 3 was released and the series returned to its roots; taking the original game play and adding all sorts of elements with improved graphics. Later on, the Japanese Super Mario Bros 2 was released in America in the Super Nintendo’s Super Mario All-Stars as The Lost Levels, and on Game Boy Color as Super Mario for Super Players on Super Mario Bros Deluxe. This has left Super Mario Bros 2 as kind of the black sheep of the Mario family, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad game.

Mario 2 starts off like no other Mario game right at the beginning by offering you a choice of four different characters, each with different skills. I like Luigi because he jumps the highest, and it takes him less time than the Princess to pick up items. Your primary attack in this game is picking up vegetables and hurling them at your enemies. You can also pick up your enemies and throw them at your enemies. It’s all kind of trippy, but they last game had you jumping on turtles so it’s not that big of a stretch.

The mechanics are way different then Mario 1. You can’t kill things by jumping on them and you have hit points rather then mushrooms to determine how many times you can touch an enemy before you die. Plus you face a boss at the end of every level and not just at the end of a castle. That being said, it’s an extremely fun game, and pretty challenging. Plus it’s nice to have the freedom to play as someone other than Mario. Plus it’s a victory for woman’s rights as Princess Toadstool is probably the most powerful character in the game.

If you didn’t like Mario 2 when you were a kid then I recommend going back and giving it another shot. It’s a lot of fun, and you can get it on Wii’s Virtual Console, or if you have a Game Boy Advanced, Nintendo DS, or DS lite you can get Super Mario Advanced, which is just Super Mario Bros 2 on the go. As long as you’re not thinking Mario, you’ll have a good time.

And to everyone out there that criticizes the game, just think of all the good that came from it. Without Mario 2 Luigi’s size and abilities wouldn’t have been established, many recurring enemies like Shy Guys wouldn’t be in later games, and Peach might not have appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It may not have been originally meant to be a Mario game, but it is still an important addition to the series that should be played and cherished well into the future.

MMA Monthly Matchups: February

By Dan D. Hallberg

Well January and December certainly turned out to be interesting months. We had two extremely entertaining lightweight title fights. One ended in an upset and the MMA highlight of the year, and the other ended in the first title fight draw in UFC history. Can February match the action? Let’s find out!

Fedor Emelianenko (32-2) vs. Antonio Silva (15-2), Strikeforce, 2/12/2011

It’s the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, with the winner getting a shot at the Heavyweight title. At the same time, Strikeforce champion Allister Overeem will be in the tournament, but his belt won’t be on the line unless he’s in the finals, or if he loses before that, against the winner of the Grand Prix. Mostly, I think this is stupid, since Strikeforce already had contenders lined up to fight Overeem without the tournament but whatever. Fedor’s trying to get back to his winning ways after his stunning upset loss last year, but his management keeping him out of the fight game so long is going to hurt him against Silva who has kept comparatively busy. I don’t think it will make him lose per se, but it may mean that he’ll take more damage then necessary en route to a late fight TKO victory for the Last Emperor.

B.J. Penn (16-7-1) vs. Jon Fitch (23-3), UFC 127, 2/27/2011

Why is a fight with major title implications this far down on the list? Because Jon Fitch, the human sleeping pill, is involved. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great fighter, but he’s stuck between a rock an a hard place. He’s good enough a wrestler to beat anybody in the welterweight division, except the champ. So he’s pretty much stuck fighting top guys until the UFC is forced to give him another shot. Meanwhile B.J. is looking to show that he can be a force at 170 lbs., where he has a dramatic speed advantage while retaining knockout power. The problem is that even though he has some of the best take down defense in the world, he’ll still eventually tire and give up take downs to Fitch. So unless he scores an early knockout, look for Fitch to grind out a very forgettable decision.

Carlos Condit (26-5) vs. Chris Lytle (30-17-5), UFC 127, 2/27/2011

So why is a fight with only minor title implications higher on the list then the last fight? Because these two guys are thrilling fighters with all around skills who put on exciting, yet still technical, performances. Lytle comes out fast so the best strategy is just to make sure and survive that initial storm and then just look for openings the rest of the round while he’s catching his breath a little. I don’t see Condit doing that though, since he has tight boxing technique, I see him going blow for blow with Lytle to start and get the knockout then. But that’s me. However it goes, it will be exciting, and probably fight and or knockout of the night.

Ryan Bader (12-0) vs. Jon Jones (12-1), UFC 126, 2/5/2011

Two of UFC’s brightest young stars go toe to toe in this light heavyweight match up. I’m kind of surprised this match is happening now, since it will stall one of these guys on their way to the title; but I guess when you have a division as stacked as the light heavyweight division is you can afford to do it. Both fighters are for all intents and purposes undefeated, with Jones’ sole loss coming as a result of a DQ due to strikes that most MMA fans don’t think should be illegal. Both are great wrestlers with solid striking, even though their striking styles are extremely different, with Bader using a more traditional boxing style and Jones using an eccentric crazy style that you can only get away with when you have a strong wrestling base like he does. Just for fun, I’m going with crazy on this one, with Jones scoring a TKO at some point in this contest.

Champion Anderson Silva (31-4) vs. Vitor Belfort (19-8), UFC 126, 2/5/2011

The best fighter in MMA squares off against a man hoping to join the ranks of Couture, Henderson, and Penn as the only fighters to win top world titles in two weight classes. This fight, on paper, looks like the last real challenge out there for Anderson outside of Chael Sonnen, who is currently suspended and convicted of money laundering. Belfort has solid jiu-jitsu and the fastest hands in MMA, and can take a punch decently. However, he hasn’t fought as often, nor the same level of competition as Silva. Plus it’s just not smart to bet against Anderson Silva ever. So I’m picking Anderson by TKO sometime before the championship rounds.

(If this is too long, cut the first fight from the article to make space)

Coming out of the (Jesus) Closet

by Rebecca Holm Krawczykowski 2L

When people hear the word “atheist” they think of militant, card-carrying members of the I Hate God Party who occupy all of their free time lying, cheating and stealing for fun because, after all, “atheists believe in nothing.” That is a perception not based in reality.

I do not believe in God, therefore I am labeled an atheist. I try to avoid using the “A” word because whenever I tell someone that I am an atheist, it offends them. When I say, “I don’t believe in God,” believers seem to hear, “You are stupid for believing in God.” I do not think people are stupid for believing in God. Nor do I think that my beliefs are any better than anyone else’s.

I was raised in a Catholic family. We went to church every Sunday and on every Holy Day of Obligation. To illustrate the hardcore nature of my family’s religious tendencies: we were not allowed to open presents on Christmas morning until after we came home from church. I went to religious education through the eighth grade, and I was one of the few people in my Confirmation class that actually took it seriously. I contemplated becoming a nun. I even went to a Catholic college because I thought it would strengthen my faith. It did not.

In my adulthood, I came to the realization that I cannot believe in God, no matter how hard I try. I cannot come out to my family because it would devastate them, and there is never a good opportunity. The only time I am ever in church with my family is for a wedding or a funeral, and neither occasion is appropriate for me to make my stand and not accept Communion. I hosted Thanksgiving this year, so I was in the awkward position of leading a prayer before dinner. I deferred to the family nun, bowed my head, and remained silent and respectful. It bothers me that I cannot be myself, even in my own house. My cousin is an atheist. Here is how he came out to his parents: “Mom and Dad, I’m getting divorced…and also I’m an atheist.” Yeah. Not good.

I cannot believe anything in this world unless it seems rational to me, i.e. based in fact and science. I do not have the faith that it takes to believe that someone can be born of a virgin or can come back from the dead. I will never, ever believe that people and dinosaurs lived together 6,000 years ago, because there is contrary proof . I believe that when I die, roll credits, because it is The End. It takes a special kind of person to have faith in something that cannot be seen, and yet amazingly the vast majority of people in this country have that faith. Either I am a total failure, or people are not being honest, or perhaps most people do not question why they believe what their parents believe.

I am not an evil person with no conscience. For the person in my class who “doesn’t know where [Atheists] would get a conscience,” consider this: religion does not provide people with a conscience, it provides people with rules to follow. Those are two completely different concepts. Either you are born with a conscience, or you are John Wayne Gacy. The simple point is that atheists cast aside the constrictive framework provided to them by religion, and they instead choose to exercise the freedom to live a life of integrity and decency, where decisions are based upon fact instead of faith.

All religions have their extremists, and they are the exception, not the rule. It is the same for atheists. Some atheists will do whatever it takes to stand up for what they believe in (or what they do not believe in, as it were.) We all know about the extreme atheists who file lawsuits to completely remove God from society. I am not saying that is wrong per se, but as a moderate atheist, I am more of a live and let live kind of person. I am not offended with “In God We Trust” on our money or “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. I take no offense to a “bless you” after I sneeze. (Yes, one time I actually got a “Bless you…oh…sorry, I forgot.”)

I am aware that I am the minority in a world of believers, and that I have to live in their world. That being said, believers should not rush to judgment concerning those who do not believe. Atheists are not worshipers of Satan…there is another group for that…they are called Satan Worshipers. Atheists believe in a lot of things…just not in God. And on that point, I think we should simply agree to disagree.

MMA Monthly Matchups: December Edition

It’s an exciting time to be an MMA fan people. The UFC and the WEC have finally merged. Now you can see the best fighters at featherweight and bantamweight alongside some of the top UFC stars. This also means that a couple of the fights at the last WEC event this month will have UFC title implications. On top of that, it’s also another all championship fight month…if you include the New Years Eve UFC show; which I am. So, lets get started!

5. Champion Ben Henderson (12-1) vs. Anthony Pettis (11-1), WEC 53, 12/16/2010

It’s the last WEC Lightweight championship match ever, and the winner gets a title unification match with the winner of fight number three on this list. Ben Henderson was considered an underdog by many, including yours truly, in his past three championship bouts, but has emphatically proved us wrong in each fight. He is a wrestler that has truly evolved to pick up other aspects of the MMA game to become a great all around fighter. Pettis is just like Henderson but in reverse. He was a proficient striker who has learned to wrestle through his time in the cage. So it becomes a question of who has evolved their game most effectively to help them succeed in MMA? I have to go with Henderson, who also possesses a unique ability to escape chokes that will serve him well in this fight.

4. Champion Dominick Cruz (16-1) vs. Scottie Jorgensen (11-3), WEC 53, 12/16/2010

Though this fight is technically a WEC title defense for Dominick Cruz, it is in reality to decide the inaugural UFC Bantamweight champion. Cruz has looked good both in his title win, and his first defense against Joseph Benavidez. He’s a quick fighter with good movement that’s hard to keep down. Scott Jorgensen is perhaps more famous in the UFC for his skin colors (he has vitiligo, the same disease Michael Jackson had), then his controlling wrestling technique. The problem is that Cruz has showed markedly improved wrestling since his loss to Urijah Faber three years ago, to the point that he out-wrestled Faber’s teammate, Benavidez, twice. Though Jorgensen is bigger then Benevidez, I still see him running into the same problems. So, look for Cruz to frustrate Jorgensen for five rounds on his way to becoming the first UFC Bantamweight champion.

3. Champion Frankie Edgar (14-1) vs. Gray Maynard (10-0), UFC 125, 1/1/2011

Now we get to see just how good Frankie Edgar has gotten. So far his career has been built on the fact that he gets better every single fight. Just look at his last two run-ins with B.J. Penn. The first fight was close; many even argued that Penn won, but in the second fight he dominated Penn. Two years ago he lost his first and only fight to Gray Maynard, so for Edgar’s sake I hope he has improved. On the other hand, in many ways Maynard is still the Gray Maynard he’s always been. A hulking, smothering wrestler with just enough boxing to set up his takedowns. I think it’s his inability to evolve that will cost him this fight. Frankie proved in his fight with Sean Sherk that he’s improved his takedown defense enough to keep the fight on it’s feet where he can circle and out box Maynard for at least 5 rounds if necessary. I’m going with the champ on this one.

2. Champion Jose Aldo (18-1) vs. Josh Grispi (14-1), UFC 125, 1/1/2011

There are lots of guys that hit hard in MMA. Just watch any of the UFC Ulimate Knockouts and you’ll see that. Then there is UFC Featherweight champion, Jose Aldo. When he hits someone, it’s like a little piece of their will power dies. You see the look on their face and you can just tell the aren’t the same. Nobody in MMA looks more mortified then somebody who has just been hit by Aldo. If I had a choice between getting hit by a car going 30 mph and spending five minutes in a cage with Aldo, I’d seriously consider the car. So really all I have to say to is…good luck Josh, glad I’m not you.

1. Champion Georges St. Pierre (20-2) vs. Josh Koscheck (15-4), UFC 124, 12/11/2010

Josh Koscheck is a piece of crap. No denying it. Anybody who has watched him in either season of The Ultimate Fighter he’s been on or just his general demeanor before or after fights you’ll be able to see that. He’s an immature bully meat-head who deserves to be beaten. Lucky for us, GSP exists. He’s the picture of professionalism in MMA. He’s always polite, wears a suit to official events, and doesn’t talk trash. He just goes in, beats people, and goes home. Hopefully that’s what will happen here. In their first fight, GSP thoroughly out-wrestled the former NCAA Division 1 national champion. Since then he’s only gotten better. Koscheck has improved as well, however he has mostly improved his striking, and even though it’s good, it’s still not as good as GSP’s. Look for this fight to go similarly to the last fight, with GSP controlling most of the fight, and if we’ve been good boys and girls, GSP might just knock Koscheck out for us for Christmas.

MMA Monthly Matchups: November

By Dan D. Hallberg

Welcome one and all to another installment of face-smashing Forum excitement!    Last month I was an unprecedented 5 for 5 in my picks.  What does that mean for this month’s picks?  Probably nothing…Anyways, 4 of our competitors this month lost title bouts their last fight, so let’s see if they can come back strong and take a victory!

5. Matt Hughes (45-7) vs. B.J. Penn (15-7-1), UFC 123 11/20/2010

Two UFC greats meet for a third time to decide who the better of the two is.  Hughes has been on a bit of a streak since his losses after dropping the title to Georges St. Pierre.  Meanwhile B.J. has dropped two straight fights and his championship to a younger, faster, and harder worker in Frankie Edgar.  The question here really is going to be B.J.’s motivation.  If he cares enough to put the effort in then he can beat almost anybody, and certainly can beat someone he’s defeated before.  Sadly though, I don’t really see what B.J.’s motivation for this fight would be, and have to pick Hughes since he’ll put in a workman’s performance regardless.

4. Joseph Benavidez (12-2) vs. Wagnney Fabiano (14-2), WEC 52 11/11/2010

Benavidez just came off a hard fought, but tough loss to bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and is looking back into the title picture.  Fabiano has won two straight since his drop down from featherweight and is also looking to get into the title mix.  Hard to say with this one, they both have the ability to choke the other out, but Benavidez is by far the superior wrestler.  It seems likely that he’ll also be able to fight off Fabiano’s submission attempts.  Chances are Benavidez by decision, unless somebody does something risky and gets choked out.

3. George Sotiropoulos (13-2) vs. Joe Lauzon (19-5), UFC 123 11/20/2010

Again, these are two men looking to get into the title picture.  The lightweight scene could use some new faces and one of these guys would be in line to fight for the title by getting past the other.  Again this fight is a tough one to call for similar reasons to the fight above.  It’s pretty much the same fight but the guys are just 10 lbs heavier.  And since I chose the better wrestler in that fight, I will in this on.  So Sotiropoulos by decision, and a move to bigger and better things for the Aussie.

2. Urijah Faber (23-4) vs. Takeya Mitzugaki (13-4-2), WEC 52 11/11/2010

Given Faber’s surfer good looks, long blonde hair, and chin that looks like Gaston’s from Beauty and the Beast, it should be really easy to hate him.  But it’s impossible not to respect a man who takes the beatings he has and still come out round after round for more.  I’ve seen him break his hands in the first and second rounds respectively before and still continuing all the way to the fifth.  That takes guts, and he’s taking those guts down a division where his lack of reach will be less of a problem.  He doesn’t have an easy task with former title contender Mitzugaki.  However, I can’t really see what Mitzugaki brings to the table that could challenge Faber.  I’m going with TKO for Faber in the second.

1. Rampage Jackson (31-7) vs. Lyoto Machida (16-1), UFC 123 11/20/2010

Two former champs are going to war and it should be…probably a little boring.  That’s the problem with Machida fights, but none-the-less it is an interesting matchup.  Not to mention, nobody is sure how Machida will react to his loss to Shogun.  That being said he’s had no problems with boxers/wrestlers in the past and I really don’t see how he would have problem with Rampage.  So,  I’m going with Machida, by TKO in the third when Rampage tries to make something happen.

Forum Flashback: November

By Dan D. Hallberg

This month, your host on the flashback express sends you back down video game memory lane.  It’s June 1986 and Americans are already about a year into their love affair with the Nintendo Entertainment System.  However, this month offered a small distraction as a young up-and-coming video game company was entering the ring.

The Sega Master System came on the scene quietly, and then continued quietly until finally it was replaced by its bigger, badder, radder, brother: Genesis.  But as far as machines went during the 8-bit era, it was actually (with the exception of sound quality) technically superior to the NES with brighter colors and better looking gameplay.  If video game success were based completely on the power of the machine then the Master System would’ve been King of the 80’s.

Games were the system’s problem.  While some games came out on both the NES and the Master System, for the most part NES had the better 3rd party support and therefore had more games.  About 800 Nintendo games were released in North America alone, as opposed to 318 games total released for the Master System in all markets.  Additionally, the console-specific games for the NES were significantly better than those for the Master System, and it wasn’t until our favorite blue hedgehog came along that Sega had something to compete with Mario.  It didn’t matter that side-by-side, Nintendo’s version of Paperboy looked worse than Sega’s– you were going to have much more fun with many more games if you got the NES, unless you were in Europe or Brazil at least, because there the Master System dominated NES.

So the Master System met its demise, but its hardware lived on for a little while.  If you were one of the 10 people that owned a Sega Game Gear, then you owned a Master System.  The hardware is exactly the same, and you can even buy an adapter to play all those Master System games you collected on the go.  You could load up on AA batteries and go to town!

And now to completely change the subject, let’s talk about an 80’s pop-culture icon.  In 1986, Michael Jackson was beginning to transform into the weirdo that we all knew and loved in the 90’s.  His skin was starting to change color and he was getting skinnier.  Soon the Bad album came out and the pseudo-music video film tie-in, Moonwalker.  With Michael Jackson’s release came lucrative tie-ins, and Michael turned to Sega to make his film into a video game.  So,  in 1990, Sega released Moonwalker for both the Master System and the Genesis.  These games are now rare, hard to find, and expensive.  However, if you camp the UK eBay for a while and wait until you find some Scottish guy who had a copy of the Master System version in their basement and didn’t know it was valuable, then you can get it for decently cheap.

The game play is simple.  All you do is walk around kicking people and finding kids in doors, car trunks, and behind windows.  Sometimes you find an item that lets you throw your hat, boomerang-style, at the bad guys.  All the while, 8-bit renditions of the Michael Jackson songs play in the background.  It’s pretty mind-numbing and not too difficult.  That is, until you get to the last two levels.  For the second to last level you turn into a Michael Jackson robot that has to kill 50 henchmen within a certain time limit.  No, I’m not on drugs.  That’s what you do, and it’s hard, because they’re shooting at you too, and you can’t get hit.  And once you get through that, you have to do a weird flight sim level as a Michael Jackson plane (still not on drugs) and not get hit by missiles and still shoot down the turrets.  It’s one of the hardest things I’ve succeeded at in video games.

So, if you’re a Michael Jackson fan and have some time and money to waste tracking down all the gear necessary to play it, give Moonwalker a try.  Then, while you’re at it, pick up some of the really great Master System titles and give them a go.  It’s at least a good way to put off doing outlining.