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Dave Mandel/Sherdog.comWhen Jon Fitch isn't kicking people in the head, he's playing video games like "Skyrim."

Invest one hundred hours into a video game, and it's called passion.

Two hundred hours is what I call obsession.

So where does that leave UFC fighter Jon Fitch and his three hundred-plus hours of "Skyrim"?

"It's beyond addiction," Fitch tells me with a laugh when I ask him about his time playing the popular role-playing game. "I play so much, I even started a new Twitter account (FitchSkyrimTale) just so fans can follow along with my latest adventures and help me out when I get stuck."

Fitch, who cites "Skyrim's" Dark Brotherhood quest as his favorite, even admits to the game freaking him out when he plays in the dark.

"I turn the stereo up loud and the lights down low," he says. "My wife will be sitting there on her computer, then all of a sudden something will jump out at me in the game and I'll jump up because I get scared. This game is just so good."

And it's because of Fitch's love for video games, he also has a real appreciation for his character's appearance in THQ's "UFC Undisputed 3" (February 14; Xbox 360, PlayStation 3).

Says Fitch: "There are a lot of young kids who come through, and they always have the video games to sign. They know me from the game without ever having seen me fight in real life. Because of this game, you have these hardcore fans who love you because they like to play as you in the video game. It's awesome. They don't know anything about me in real life, they know nothing about me as a person, but they like to fight as me in the video game so they want my autograph. It's pretty cool. To them, I'm like a character in 'Street Fighter' or something."

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One of the most debated aspects of any sports game is the accuracy of each stadium. If any of the dimensions, wall sizes, or intricacies of any park are wrong, thousands of e-mails, tweets, and blog posts are sent out calling for the art designer's job.

But from what I can tell about the new Marlins Park in Sony's "MLB 12 The Show," it looks like the creators of the game really nailed every detail. From the MTV Cribs-like aquariums behind home plate to the giant fish used to celebrate home runs, this looks like a stadium not to be missed.

If only I could smash the aquarium glass in the game with a foul ball.

Tom Szczerbowski/US PresswireRajai Davis is as fast in "MLB 2K12" as he is in real life, and that's just the way he likes it.

When Blue Jays base thief Rajai Davis first launches into "MLB 2K12," first thing he wants to check is his game speed.

And why not? For a guy who has already swiped 177 bases in his short career, Davis wants to make sure he's as big of a headache for virtual catchers as he is in real life.

Look Rajai, no beard in "MLB 2K12."

"They got the right speed in there, because there are days when I'm flying," Davis tells me after checking out the game at 2K's hospitality suite during the recent Major League Baseball Players Trust golf tournament in San Diego. "On my best days, I'm really flying, especially when I'm all stretched out and feeling fresh, and they have me feeling fresh in the video game, that's for sure."

But when Davis took a look at his character in "Nicktoons MLB," all he could do was laugh. "They had me with some facial hair on there, I don't usually have any facial hair," he says. "Then I turn on the game and there I am with a beard. I guess they didn't get that memo that I shave."

Davis, who calls himself an old-school gamer, still loves playing games like "RBI Baseball" and refers to "Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball" on the Super Nintendo as his favorite game of all time.

Adds Davis: "A lot of clubhouses still have the old 'RBI' machines in them so you can play before a game. If only someone would hook up a Super Nintendo.

"I still remember when I got my Sega Genesis with 'Joe Montana Sports Talk Football.' My brother used to get me up at five in the morning just so we could play."

These days Davis says he can't get enough of another 2K Sports game, "NBA 2K12."

"The way they captured all of Michael Jordan's moves, his look, every shot is unbelievable," Davis says. "First time I saw the way they made Jordan, I knew that was the game for me. The baseball games are one thing, but the way they have Jordan in there, that game's on a whole different level."

When the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI and Eli Manning was named the game's MVP, all I could do was shake my head. EA Sports had done it again.

For the seventh time in the last nine seasons, EA Sports correctly predicted the Super Bowl winner utilizing the advanced Artificial Intelligence of their best-selling "Madden" video game, and they even managed to get some of the stats eerily similar to how the game played out for real Sunday night.

Here's a comparison of how EA saw the game compared to what happened in real life:

FINAL SCORE:

Harry How/Getty ImagesCan Tebowing help defeat the dreaded Madden Curse?

For the second straight season, the "Madden" cover (and curse) will be decided by fans.

Thanks to a partnership between ESPN and EA Sports, a partnership that saw nearly 13 million people vote for the cover just last year, fans once again will let their voices be heard on who they want to see grace the cover of EA's billion-dollar franchise.

Voting is set to kick off March 7, and this year, the field has been expanded to 64 players, as the first round will pit teammate against teammate to see who can win his way into the final field of 32.

Last season, Peyton Hillis pulled off the huge upset, collecting more votes than more established superstars such as Aaron Rodgers and Michael Vick to earn his spot on the cover. Unfortunately for Hillis, just like so many men who posed for the cover before him (Shaun Alexander, Daunte Culpepper, Vick), his production (and health) suffered almost immediately thanks to what gamers and sports fans alike refer to as the "Madden Curse."

Hillis himself even seemed to blame the game for his poor performance, saying late in the season: "Things didn't work in my favor this year. There's a few things that happened this year that made me believe in curses. Ain't no doubt about it."

Which makes the "Madden 13" vote even more interesting. Do you vote for your favorite player, or do you vote for a star on your least favorite team, hoping to knock a rival out of the playoffs before the season starts thanks to some video game voodoo?

Should make for some interesting debate, not to mention some surprising voting results. I'll once again be breaking down the winners and losers of every matchup throughout the contest, even spilling some of the voting numbers midvote to let you know when one of your favorite players is ready to advance to the next round or needs a rally in order to survive.

Then again, the way this curse bites (especially for a game with 13 on the cover), you might be better off voting for a rival.

Until then, check out SportsNation's official "Madden 13" voting page for more information.

Natalie Behring/AP Images for EA SPORTSDrew Brees is hoping to raise his hands in victory once again at this year's Madden Bowl.

Who is the best gamer in the NFL?

Ask around the league and you'll hear the names Maurice Jones Drew, Arian Foster, and Patrick Willis at the top of everybody's list.

But with Madden Bowl XVIII kicking off Thursday night in Indianapolis, this is not only every player's chance to prove their talent, but thanks to live coverage on ESPN3, it's ever gamer's chance to see if these guys really have the sort of stick skills they like to brag about online.

Top it off with a Microsoft "Game with Fame" event taking place right before the tournament (from 6:00pm to 7:00pm EST), where gamers have the opportunity to play "Madden NFL 12" against a real Pro Bowl player online, and you have all the makings of Video Game Party of the Year.

In order to play against the pros, simply send a friend request to NFLBaller2012, then on Thursday night, start playing Madden NFL 12 on the Xbox 360 at 5:30pm EST. If you're one of the lucky ones, you'll receive an invite from one of the NFL stars at the party, so make sure you have your headset if you want to talk trash. Just be ready for them to talk trash right back as these guys don't like to lose.

Then, after Game with Fame, the players will join forces into four groups playing under 3 vs. 3, Online Team Play rules. The teams that will compete include:

All-Madden Team: Arian Foster (RB, Houston Texans), Maurice Jones-Drew (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars), and Patrick Willis (LB, San Francisco 49ers)

Madden Legends Team: Barry Sanders (Pro Football Hall of Fame), Deion Sanders (Pro Football Hall of Fame) and Warren Sapp (DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Madden "Clutch" Team: Drew Brees (QB, New Orleans Saints), Jimmy Graham (TE, New Orleans Saints), and Tim Tebow (QB, Denver Broncos)

Rookie Team (2012 NFL Draft Eligible): Justin Blackmon (WR, Oklahoma State University), Robert Griffin III (QB, Baylor University), LaMichael James (RB, University of Oregon)

ESPN's coverage will be hosted by Trey Wingo, Michelle Beadle, and Cassidy Hubbarth, and begins at 9:00pm EST on both ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com) and on ESPN's Xbox Live channel.

Can anybody beat the "All-Madden" team? Tune in Thursday to find out.

You already know about "MLB 2K12's" million-dollar competition, the new features, and the fireball-throwing cover star, now it's finally time to take a look at the game in action.

This is the first trailer from the upcoming game, showing off what it's like for a young My Player mode rookie to step to the plate against Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander.

Welcome to the Majors, rook.

EA Sports has been on a roll of late predicting NFL winners.

Not only did they predict a Giants versus Patriots Super Bowl in the Conference Championship simulations just a couple of weeks ago, but they came within a few points of actually simulating the exact score of the New York/San Francisco game (sim: 23-19, real: 20-17).

Utilizing the "Madden" engine, EA Sports has also managed to correctly predict six of the last eight Super Bowl winners, including these impressive results:

With an awesome UFC light heavyweight battle taking place Saturday night between former champ "Suga" Rashad Evans and "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis, THQ has gone ahead and simulated the fight utilizing the Artificial Intelligence of the upcoming video game "UFC Undisputed 3."

Check out the video to watch the simulated fight and find out who THQ predicts will be the big winner this weekend.