BYU’s “honor code” tough to live by.

By Ada Vasquez

BYU's honor code does not allow for its students to have pre-marital sexual relations.

If you follow college basketball then you probably already heard the news that Brigham Young University sophomore forward Brandon Davies has been dismissed from the basketball team for violating the school’s honor code.

BYU’s code, if any of my fine readers are wondering, states that all students should: be honest, live a chaste and virtuous life, obey the law and all campus policies, use clean language, respect others, abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee and substance abuse, participate regularly in church services, observe the Dress and Grooming Standard, encourage others in their commitment to comply with the Honor Code.

Davies was leading the No. 3 Cougers (27-3) in rebounding and averaging double digits in scoring. This is a kid who was one of senior guard Jimmer Freddete’s favorite targets down low. He was a key figure in disrupting then No. 4 San Diego States bigs during their 80-67 upset – if we can call it that.

Reports have surfaced that Davies admitted to having sex with his girlfriend, which by the schools code is a violation and warranted dismissal from the team.

I respect the school’s code, but do I agree with it? Not necessarily. In my own youth and college years I would have found it impossible to live by this code. Again, I’m not bashing it, just saying I really enjoyed my time in college and couldn’t see myself living by this.

During my time scouting potential college destinations, should I have came across such a code of honor, I would have been shocked first an foremost, and simply dropped them from consideration. What do most of us go to college for? Most people I know targeted designated party schools, places where they were sure they’d be able to let loose, skip a class here and there due to hangovers, and marvel at coeds.

I truly feel for Davies, but the guy had to know about the code. There’s no way you go to a school and simply don’t make yourself aware of the rules, especially at a private and religious one like BYU. If anything be as discrete as possible, man. We all love and want sex. We’re human beings, its part of nature.

Humans have sex, plain and simple.

On one end I applaud the school for living by its code through and through. Now of days rules are broken left and right and players, coaches, and administrators simply get a slap on the wrist and go about their business. So for BYU, who was considered a possible Final Four team before Davies dismissal, to make such a drastic decision shows the integrity they carry.

No one is above their code of honor. It doesn’t matter if you’re a star athlete or a regular student.

To understand how valuable Davies was to this team and to Freddete, the Cougars were upset by un-ranked New Mexico 82-64, their only bad loss this season.

So who’s at fault here? Davies for having sex? Or the school for living by an honor code that in todays day and age may be impossible for anyone, especially 18-22 year olds to live by? This is a university that bans the consumption of tea and coffee. Let’s realize that these are college students, with college courses, and college midterms and finals. I don’t know how many of my own classmates, including myself didn’t pull all-nighters studying for exams, and thanks to coffee, Red Bull, Monster, or 5-Hour Energy were up the next morning for an 8 a.m. class.

Yeah, most of you know exactly what I’m talking about. Making it through without those things would have been difficult.

With all that said, I respect BYU for honor their own code, but give the guy a break. He didn’t commit a criminal act, nor did he put anyone in harms way. Maybe BYU needs to review their honor code and ask themselves how realistic they are to keep, for everyone. Or maybe they shouldn’t.

One thing is certain, however, the BYU Cougars dream season might be about to crumble. I’m hoping it doesn’t, because “Cinderella’s” are a joy come March Madness.

Trial run: OxyElite Pro

By Adan Vasquez

OxyElite Pro, could it be the sniper I've been seeking to take out hard to reach fat?

Over the past several months I have literally transformed my body from a complete out of shape 26-year old who hated looking at himself in the mirror, to one that constantly is being told by his girlfriend how conceited he is for how much he flexes and stares at his developing abdominals.

Yes it’s true that I constantly marvel at my own physical progress, but you would too if you made such a huge transformation from an unattractive 188-pound, 5-foot, 8-inch male into a lean 150-pounder who constantly draws looks left and right. I made the last part up, but hopefully you catch my drift.

Despite the leaps and bounds I have made, I still search for perfection. My body looks good I would say, but I still carry around enough unwanted weight around the always elusive love-handles and abdominal area. Someone recently told me I almost got that D’Angelo waistline going on now, but I don’t settle for almost.

I’m currently on a 13-week workout program that is a hybrid of P90X and Insanity, which may be the perfect time to add a little twist to my quest.

Enter OxyElite Pro, a supplement somewhat in the form of Hydroxycut, but supposedly better. It’s said that it acts as a sniper against lovehandle and abdominal fat, so why not give a try, right?

Over the next few days I will track my progress with the sample I have and let everyone know whether it is worth the buy for the 90-capsule supplement.

NCAA clears Cam Newton

The NCAA recently ruled that Auburn University quarterback Cam Newton is eligible to play this season, although they found his father, Cecil Newton, broke rules by shopping his son to schools during his recuritment.

Wait, so he was ruled ineligble at one point? That’s news to just about everyone who read today’s headline that Newton had been cleared.

The Associated Press reported that Auburn ruled the senior quarterback ineligible on Monday and requested he be reinstated. Usually the NCAA takes its sweet time to rule on situations such as this one, but only a day later, the Heisman hopeful was good to go.

So let’s get this straight, Cecil Newton allegedly demanded anywhere up to two-hundred-thousand dollars from universities in order to receive a commitment from his son. But the NCAA says that because Newton “didn’t know” that his father was trying to obtain a pay-for-play agreement he’s in the clear.

That makes no sense. The NCAA clearly states that soliciting money by any student-athlete or anyone representing a student athlete is a direct violation of rules, but because the kid claims he didn’t know he’s fine.

I wonder if the fact that he’s the Heisman front-runner and that No. 1 Auburn Tigers are a win away from playing for a national title had any effect on the ruling.

I find it hard to believe it didn’t. I also find it hard to believe that he didn’t know about it, or quite possibly was involved more than it has been led to believe.

If there’s smoke there’s probably fire. It is absolutely absurd that a parent, someone who obviously involved himself heavily in the recruitment of his son, can just go out and field offers for a student-athlete and not affect his ameture status. If the Newton family was seeking a pay-for-play plan, then Newton should have entered his name into the 2010 NFL Draft, because soliciting money is something for the pros.

Going back to January, Newton had been rumored to be leaning towards committing to the Missippi State Bulldogs, but announced for Auburn. Reports indicated that he chose the Tigers because his father wanted him to stay closer to home.

Let’s make it clear that Cecil Newton denied ever trying to obtain money for his son’s services, yet the NCAA obviously found evidence that he did infact seek payment, but they couldn’t find a connection to Newton. So father lies, and no connection between son to father asking for money found.

Really? So the direct connection of father and son is invisible?

If you remember this past summer, the NCAA raided the Alabama, North Carolina, and Florida football programs when it found out student-athletes may have received improper benefits. In each of those investigations, the process did not take just two days to close the book and rule on their findings. North Carolina lost almost their entire defense at one point this season, and waited months to recieve word on the status of those involved.

The University of Southern California waited four years after the Reggie Bush fiasco.

But Newton was able to cut to the front of the line and be ruled ineligible Monday, then ruled eligible Wednesday. This is quite possibly one of the most amazing stories I have ever read.

Mississippi State said they didn’t land Newton because the money was too much. So we’re believe that he chose Auburn because it would simply be more fun? Hard to believe after all the allegations that have surfaced.

Before todays ruling, many Heisman voters raised concerns about voting for Newton, fearing he could later be stripped like Bush was earlier this year. It’s clear that this guy is hands down the best player in college football this year. Does he deserve to win the trophy based solely on how he has performed on the gridiron? Absolutely. Quite honestly, it’s a joke that they will even invite anyone else to the ceremony, because neither LaMichael James (No. 2 Oregon), Andrew Luck (No. 4 Stanford), or Kellen Moore (No. 11 Boise State) are going to win it. No disrespect to any of them, because they have all had great years, but Newton’s play on the field has been on another level.

But the standards of winning the most coveted individual award go beyond how a student-athlete performs on the field. He must pocess, among other things, a high level of integrity, both on and off the field. His time at Florida proved he isn’t exactly a model citizen. He may have cleaned up his act on that part, but the recent finding of rules broke by his father raise eyebrows.

How much did Cam Newton know? If he knew money was being sought then he doesn’t deserve the trophy. It’s hard to believe he had no knowledge of what his father was doing.

Maybe it’s time to paying college athletes to avoid these types of headaches.

Q&A: Phillie Mills on his new album, The Hangover.

The Coachella Valley’s Phillie Mills recently finished work on his second album, titled The Hangover, a followup to his 2007 Speak of the Devil.

After debuting the album live for locals Thursday night at Downtown Palm Springs’ Space 120, I had a chance to sit down with the artist Friday afternoon at El Palmar in Cathedral City to talk about the album, and the work that went into it.

Adan Vasquez: So tell me about the album. Why The Hangover?

Phillie Mills: The reason why I named it The Hangover was because, let’s say for instance, we’re all together and we drink to get rid of the pains we’re going through in life. I wanted to make an album describing the day after the party, because whatever problems you were trying to suppress come back. It’s like coming back to reality and it hurts even more, on top of the [hangover you wake up with].

AV: How much work did you put into this album?

PM: I’ve been working on it and slowly building it for over a year. I got the concept down after about four months of recording and coming up with different ideas. I mainly worked with DJ Base on the album, who produced about 90 percent of the album. Me and [DJ Base] just put in work, pulled all nighters, and just having drinks and talking about music and thinking about new ways to do it.

AV: What was it like working with DJ Base on The Hangover in comparison with Jack Patron and Dumguy, who both played a big role in Speak of the Devil?

PM: With Base, the reason I like working with him is that he’ll come up with a beat and know who to give it to. Like he has an idea for it already. We’ll brain storm put ideas together. With [Jack] Patron and Dumguy I would usually get a CD with beats and come up with my own thing. With DJ Base I give him my input, tell him what I like and what I don’t. He takes it, and its good constructive criticism back and forth.

Like with [the song] “Run,” I’ll present him with things, like a Yeah Yeah Yeahs track, and tell him what I want to do with it. We edited it and it came out good.

AV: Outside of DJ Base, who all did you feature on this album, whether it was producing or rapping?

PM: I have all the Undiscovered Poets on it. I got Buck Ruggah, Mith, Stay Quiet, and Swerve, who is on the intro playing guitar. I have a couple tracks [Produced] from Dumguy, and one from Mith. Plus one from the homeboy Jonathan.

AV: Can you say whether this album has a particular sound to it?

PM: The sound to me, I don’t know, really. I know I have a lot of dark [things to say], but I try to keep it well rounded. I have some emotional songs, then I there are some that are hard, and [there are also those] that are for girls.

AV: What’s the difference between Phillie Mills now and three years ago?

PM: Over the last years I’ve showed people how I’ve matured. I have to let [my emotions] out, because I don’t talk to anyone about it. Music lets me talk about it.

I just want to show everyone that you can be a dope lyricist and still make emotional, heart wrenching music at the same time. Showing them, like, how as a fighter you have to be well rounded. Now I have my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, my wrestling, and my striking is there and I’m ready. I consider myself [UFC Middleweight Champion] Anderson Silva.

I don’t like to stick to one style.

AV: How does this album differ from “Speak of the Devil?”

PM: It differs, but it almost feels like an extension. People tell me I’ve gotten more mature. I’ve learned over the years how to make better music. I learned what an album should have, and what it shouldn’t. You can’t have an album sounding one way all the time. You have to mix it up.

For this one, I put my money on it. I love it. Speak of the Devil, I like it, but it sounds horrible to me [now]. I tell myself I did something pretty good [with The Hangover].

AV: How have you tried to mix it up as an artist?

PM: In the future I want to do more live [instruments], like a band. Everything. I want to give a whole actual show. I want to be on that rockstar thing. There’s a couple songs on here that you could tell that you can see my influence with rock n roll. I [eventually] want that stadium sound. I want that epic music. You have to evolve or you just die off.

AV: How much of an impact did Rock ‘n’ Roll play on this album?

PM: It had a lot of influence. At one point I wasn’t even listening to Hip Hop. I wasn’t finding any inspiration there. Rap was dull, so I started listening to other things. The Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I started listening to La Roux, and Santigold too. The only rappers I would really listen to was Jay-Z or Joe Budden. Other than that they wouldn’t get my attention.

AV: How are you planning to officially release the album?

PM: I’m still on limbo if I’m going to let it be downloaded for free or sell it. I want to sell it. I think personally I deserve some dollars for it. I put in the work, and I’m going to continue to [promote] through Facebook, YouTube. [I need to] continue to put my name out there.

Everyone has had a hangover, so everyone should be able to relate. And if they haven’t, then they can kick it with me and I’ll make sure they get one.

AV: What do you think the benefits of a free download would be?

PM: More people would be able to get their hands on it. Some people say no good music comes out, or they don’t want to support it when it comes out. I hope people will want it. I got bills [to pay] too, so a little help would, help. I put in enough hard work, I deserve a couple dollars.

AV: Now that it is done, what has been your biggest surprise to this point?

PM (laughing): How good it sounds.

No ego or anything, but just how good it came out and how much support I received while I was making it. A lot of people were waiting for this. I didn’t know that many people cared. Now that its done I feel happy.

AV: What do you want people to take from this album?

PM: I want them to take a piece of me and just know how one person that maybe shouldn’t really have anything going for him, because of my past, have what I have. Everyone goes through [hard times], and I want them to take a little piece of my story. Hopefully I can sit down with people, have a drink with them, and just talk about certain songs and things they may not be able to talk about. I’m a good listener.

Carolina memories.

Every since I can remember I’ve been in love with North Carolina Tar Heels basketball. I grew up a Michael Jordan fan, as almost everyone in the 1990′s was, and remember watching footage of his college years, rocking that trademark Carolina (powder) blue, and beating Georgetown University with a clutch go-ahead jumper in the 1982 NCAA Championship game.

Growing up though, I didn’t follow that much college hoops, until in eighth grade I can remember vividly tuning into ESPN to watch North Carolina take on a scrappy Princeton team. This was a Tar Heel squad which boasted Ed Cota, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Ademola Okulaja, Makhtar Ndiaye, Shammond Williams, and Brendan Haywood. Although a low scoring encounter, I still witnessed a superior athletic team do things I wasn’t sure I’d seen before.

It was until I watched my first North Carolina-Duke game, however, that I became fully in love with college hoops. I remmeber this game like it was yesterday. It was played at the Dean E. Smith Center, and Carter, Jamison, and company put on a show. I remember looking in awe and how effortlessly Carter dunked over anyone the Blue Devils threw in the paint, and Jamison just schooled everyone with his quick catch, turn and shoot moves inside the paint.

I felt heartbreak at seasons end as I witnessed my team go down to the Utah Utes, a team I might hold a grudge against forever unfortunately. But this is a program I will always hold dear to my heart.

I remember the 2000-01 season, which started out great thanks, but was floundering down the stretch. I remember a Thursday night game against Wake Forest that season in which the Joseph Forte and Ed Cota led Tar Heels were down, but a thunderous alley-oop from Ronald Curry to current Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers, now known simply as the “Curry to Peppers” play, took me off the couch and into the air in hysterical joy – you would have never thought I was battling a nasty flu bug.

I remember watching Rashad McCants sink a game winning three against the University of Connecticut in 2004, a team which ended up winning the title that year.

I remember making a trip up to San Francisco in November 2004 to see preason No. 1 North Carolina take on Santa Clara at the Oakland Sports Arena.

Turn a Buck into (chump) change.

There’s ntohing quite like being able to just sit down in a relaxing environment and just write. I haven’t been doing much of it lately, and I don’t really know why, but whenever I do, I can’t get enough of it.

I’m sitting here at Borders in Rancho Mirage. It’s a perfect place to zone out and do your thing. People are walking by in bunches, but it still remains relatively quiet.

So what’s been going on with me lately? Well, I’m on my fourth week of Shaun T’s Insanity workout. The day I started I weighed 170-pounds. I weighed myself Saturday and I tipped the scale at 159-pounds. It’s really been jaw dropping how much weight I have lost in under a month since starting this new program.

But what has made the drop in weight more surprising is that I still eat a lot, like five to six times a day. Granted they aren’t big meals, and fast-food remains a no-no. I stick to a high protein diet – chicken, salmon, protein shakes, asparagus, and green beans. I suppose I could mix in a bit of healthy carbs, but there’s no rush since I never feel down on energy.

Going back to my weight, I haven’t been this light since I was 19-years old, at best. That’s when I got my first desk job and fell victim to laziness and comfort. I also used to eat like an animal and would get very sleepy around 2 p.m.

I feel great physically, better than I have since high school. Actually, better than high school. I’m eager to get back onto the basketball court soon and play some pick up to see just how far I’ve come in the past four months. I know my endurance and cardio should be better than ever, but I want to demolish my childhood balling-mate, Nick Sambrano, so bad that it convinces him he needs to get serious about getting back in shape, himself.

I’m not saying I’ll be grabbing rim anytime soon, although I haven’t tried yet, but I am saying that Sambrano won’t be finding any easy lay-ups with my hovering around in block city.

I’m sure I’ll notice the improvements. After all, I’ve seen them drastically on the diamond every Thursday for softball. Strengthening my core has given me more pop, so now I’m constantly burning right fielders for doubles and triples. Running from first to third is effortless now as well.

So a warning to you, Sambrano, and anyone you may decided to put in my way I’m going to be hawk all over that court.

Although I have lost a lot of weight, I’m not exactly eager to continue to simply drop it. I’m not a UFC fighter, so dropping all the way down to the 145-pound (featherweight) is not something I’m looking for. I do, however, want to lean everything out. I want to be fit to the point where when I do start lifting weights again, I won’t be building under any fat or loose skin.

Come to think of it,  I don’t really want to gain that much size in muscle really. I love to mountain bike, play hoops, and swing a bat, thing’s I don’t really need to be big for.

Naturally, I know my body type isn’t meant to support all sorts of weight. Ideally, I’m looking to drop an addition five (to 155), and then regain any weight in muscle up to 170-pounds. That I am comfortable with.

170-pound Adan Vasquez, looking to swat Sambrano’s shots left and right. That’s right, you heard it here first.

Thanks Pumba…

You know that feeling you get when you know you’re about to do something awesome? Well how about having that taken away without you having a say?

Thank Pumba. Way to go.

Last night was softball night for us at Big League Dreams in Cathedral City, California. It was an unusual game to begin with, one that ended in a 29-29 tie. But it shouldn’t have ended that way.

We were up 22-19, with a minute left to go on the scoreboard, and two outs. All we needed was a basehit to end it. Except Panch popped up, and in the following top half of the inning, we surrendered 10 runs. Yikes!

But yours truly led off the bottom half of the final inning with a triple. That momentum carried us, as we were down 29-28, with two outs, and needing a basehit to tie. We got it, thanks to Panch (you get a pass), who drove in a run to make it 29 all.

I was feeling it. I knew I was about to drive in Hot Dog from third to complete a big comeback in dramatic walkoff fashion. Afterall, I’d had that feeling before a couple of times and delivered. This was to be no different.

But as Hot Dog rounded second from first enroute to third, Pumba, who shall never be allowed to coach thirdbase again from now on, decided, “let’s send the runner to end it right now.”

The problem was that by the time Hot Dog was tagging third, the shortstop already had the ball. The play at the plate wasn’t even close. The catcher caught the ball and tagged Hot Dog out about six-feet short of home.

So much for my feeling, which turned into frustration and disbelief.

Sure a tie is better than a loss. But we should have taken that one. Come to think of it, neh, it ended the way it should have. They had a lot of errors in the outfield, and so did we. But the worst error of all: Prince Daniel’s blooper on a pop-up to second. Ouch. Glad I wasn’t that guy – not this week at least.

Hey, it was a game. Although it left a lot to be desired, we still held in there in a wild and crazy game where Hot Dog, Javier, Miguel, and Prince each won co-blooper of the night.

Note: I won the award last week. See guys, I dish it out evenly.

Hey Prince, stop hanging your damn head.

At least Alan “Pops” Lozano saw it. That made my night. Shout out to the old Homewreckers softball team, “nobody does it better.”

Random rumor: Bullet Dodgers coming back in January for Sunday league, looking for blood.

Who Cares? Blog.

After splitting our double header last week, Who Cares? returns tonight looking to move above .500 for the first time in two seasons.

It won’t be a given that we’ll win though. We looked good in our second frame last week, as everyone hit and produced runs en-route to a solid win. But the game before, which was back early on, was downright embarrassing. For me at least.

Two errors in right field cost us big time. Although the first, a line drive fly ball, had some strange zip on it, curving away from me last second, the last one was brutal. I don’t know how I let that ground ball go right through my legs. It was frustrating, especially with Javier and Miguel let me hear it right after.

I’ll give Javier a pass; the guy makes plays out there despite the married “pansa” he carries – I kid, I kid. But Miguel gets no pass as he’s usually on the same boat with me. Except I don’t stop 7-feet from the wall or the foul line on a catchable ball – again, I kid.

No, in all honesty we didn’t even deserve to win that game. Other team simply was better that night. But next time, oh it’s on.

Tonight we should see continued success at the plate. Everyone has been hitting. Yours truly had back to back games with triples, and Javier even got in with an inside the parker. Danny stopped trying to be Pumba, and Tony has been Tony with a double here, a triple there. Tony “Dub-Trips” perhaps? We’ll see.

I like that Eddie finally hit a shot to right after trying to the whole season, and Joel had powerful at bats last week in the first game, then was Mr. Pop-up second game. Hey you’re alright, buddy.

Matt’s been Matt, but I feel he misses having Joe with him on the team. I’m with you man, you’re not complete without him.

Now Rob. Oh our pitcher Rob. He’s been consistently effective both on the mound and at the plate.

Do I expect a win tomorrow? Always. But we need to be consistent.

Game prediction: Puma does something funny – like stepping out of the box to swing at a ball well out of reach, resulting in an automatic out.

Loving Cliff

I started P90X back in the final days of July, and two weeks ago began the Insanity workout. My overall fitness has improved by leaps and bounds. But it has been my changed nutrition lifestyle that has my goals within reach, while also landing me a new love.

I could sit hear and write about everything that I eat, like the different combinations of chicken and salmon I eat (Cerveza-marinated chicken is superb), but that would be boring.

Instead I’ve decided to write about my newfound love for Cliff’s Builders protein bars.

I’ve tried the Power protein bars, and all the other weird ones. They were all as effective for what they served: a good source of protein as a snack. But they lacked a genuine taste of what I consider greatness. Or just flat out delicious.

If you’ve ever had one of these Builders protein bars, whether it’s chocolate, peanut butter, or mint chocolate, you know what I’m talking about.

“Oh my God,” my buddy Tony said when taking his first bite. “It’s like eating a brownie. Not at all like a typical protein bar tastes like.”

Yeah, it’s that good. So good that I have to have one every day at 10:00 a.m. as a snack, otherwise I get cranky.

I need it everyday. I can’t live without it. It’s love I tell you.

I’ve heard they have a new oatmeal one out. I’ll be sure to try it, even though my heart is currently locked in to it’s chocolate version.

With more than 20 grams of protein per bar, I need it to satisfy my nutritional needs, but regardless, I think I’ll be eating them well after I’m over this insane workout quest of mine.

Note: I don’t see myself stopping, because I love feeling great.

UFC-WEC merger Blog

Jose Aldo enters the UFC as its first Featherweight Champion.

UFC President Dana White announced today that the UFC and WEC will merge in 2011, and as a big time fight fan this is some of the most exciting news I’ve heard in a long time.

Jose Aldo, now the UFC Featherweight Champion, will defend his title and make his Octagon debut at UFC 125: Resolution against an unknown opponent.

Both WEC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson and Bantamweight Champion Dominic Cruz will defend their titles at WEC 53, which will mark the final show for the promotion before its transition to the UFC.

For Cruz, who faces Scott Jorgensen, a win would allow him to transition over as the reigning UFC Bantamweight champion, while Henderson will defend his belt against Anthony Pettis to earn a shot at the UFC Lightweight title in a unification bout.

Aldo is the clearly the big name guy coming over, as he’ll showcase his deadly striking game under the UFC banner and be exposed to bigger audiences. Plus it would make a potential move to 155-pounds easier for him as well. The guy is a force, regardless of weight class. Seeing him do what he does best – knock people out – inside the Octagon will be exciting.

While it will be great to see Aldo in the UFC, it will be equally as exciting seeing the bantamweight division grow on a larger scale. With Cruz or Jorgensen set to enter the UFC as champion, there will be plenty of guys to throw at them once there. Big name fighters like former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber, Joseph Benavides, Brian Bowles, and Miguel Torres will be sure to make an immediately splash with their high octane pace.

Also exciting about the merger is the likelyhood of The Ultimate Figher show now including the incoming weight divisions.

Seeing Aldo, Cruz, Faber, and Torres as opposing coaches would be great television, and would help build their names and image to audiences the way it did for fighters like Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Forrest Griffin, and Diego Sanchez.

Everything about the acquisition is great. I love the merger.

Maybe we’ll even see an infusion of more Asian, and British fighters with it as well.

Either way, everything looks good right now for the UFC and its continued growth around the globe. When White gave a 10-year timetable for the promotion taking over and becoming one of the premeier attractions worldwide, he may have been right.

For now, UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo defending his title on January 1st, 2011 is what I’m waiting for.

I can already hear the crowd chanting: “Aldo! Aldo! Aldo!”