User blog comment:So-Pro Warrior/Season 1-Battle 2:Battle of the Mental Soldiers: Matthew Baker vs. Alex Mason/@comment-5232784-20121129011525

Baker's long range capabilities with the BAR outclass that of the M16, which was itself at first a unpopular weapon as compared to the M14: the M16 originally did not have the stopping power of the former, and when you are facing troops that might be intentionally high on narcotics, in order to feel little to no pain when they attack, stopping power is a necessary requirement for survival. I know a guy who had to fight such jokers in Nam, and it was no fun when using the M16, at least initially. Although the M14 outclasses the M1 Garand, the BAR has a much longer range than either the M14 or M16, and the M16 has a jamming problem! Long range can decide this match.

The M60 Pig does not have the bullets or the range of the Browning machine gun, the latter a military work of art. Now we have a 2-1 range advantage in long range weapons. Hmmmm....

Although the Thompson and Grease Gun hit harder, the MP5 is a modern popular weapon, used by the SAS and other special forces units the world over. The MP5 and the Mac look lighter than the Thomspson, and more concielable. Im gonna state a tie in mid range weapons.

Not going to say much about the short range weapons, due to eniough being said about preformance, but I will say that the so-called curse of the particular Colt-45 may be a psychological weakness of Baker and his men; such a legendary jinx will always be on their mind. Meanwhile none of Mason's men will have the same edginess about Mason's pistol. Still, the colt is a better weapon.

Baker fought the Germans in conventional war circumstances: Mason fought Vietcong, Russian special forces/Spetznaz and the NVA in unconventional jungle warfare. The Russian Spetznaz are not up there with the Germans; they put the Weremacht to shame. Hitler would have wished to have had men like the Russian Special forces, perhaps the most skilled special forces group in the world when it comes to hand to hand combat/martial arts (they put the most emphasis on this form of combat when compared to other special forces worldwide). Baker's never, to my knowledge, come close to fighting monsters like that. And being able to defeat Spetznaz, a unit that beat the Green Berets in the Deadliest Warrior show, shows a lot of skill. I give this to Mason.

Skills and tactics; I think Mason has this in the bag. a lot had happened from WW2 to Vietnam: tactics, training, hand to hand combat techniques, military strategy, and so on. Baker will be fighting the war of yesteryear, while Mason will be fighting the war of tomorrow. One is trained for conventional warfare, the other for unconventional warfare. I think enough is said here; Mason wins.

My verdict? Mason wins, due to tactics, unconventional methods, and due to being able to defeat the Spetznaz, an enemy Baker has never had the terror of fighting, let alone defeating (which he probably wouldn't)

Mason wins