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Is the Gracie family becoming obsolete?

The Gracie family created the UFC and revolutionized how fighters train and popularized the once unknown realm of ground fighting. Back in 1993 a young Brazilian by the name of Royce Gracie shocked the martial arts world by proving Brazilian (Gracie) Jiu Jitsu’s effectiveness. Winning 3 Open Weight UFC tournaments Royce Gracie solidified the fact that anyone who was willing to step in the octagon had to know the grappling art pioneered by the Gracie family.

BJJ Gracie schools are spread all over the United States and around the world. Many successful fighters are currently based out of these school such as Jake Shields, the Diaz brothers, and Gilbert Melendez are from the Cesar Gracie’s camp. Since the days of Royce Gracie winning Open Weight Tournaments the Gracie family has concentrated more on their schools than fighting in MMA. Even though some did fight none has been successful as Royce. In the past, a fighter baring the surname of Gracie cause opponents to shiver in fear, but today they are just one of the many family members who are just trying to build a career with the name.

Rolles Gracie, a young and upcoming fighter, recently made his debut at UFC 109. Originally he was going to fight Mostapha Al Turk but due to an injury he had to pull out. UFC threw in a late replacement, Joey Beltran. The fight was suppose to be a cake walk for Rolles as his new opponent was relative unknown and considered less dangerous than Al Turk. Unfortunately, Rolles couldn’t put up any offense or defense and fell to the hands of Beltran. The loss was embarrassing which led to UFC booting him from the promotion. This is not the first time a debut by a Gracie ended in embarrassment. Cesar Gracie was knocked out by Frank Shamrock seconds into the first round at Strikeforce’s first MMA event.

Renzo Gracie has recently signed a multi-fight contract with UFC, and his first opponent is none other than Matt Hughes. Hughes, a few years ago, easily defeated Royce Gracie in UFC 60 putting an end to the Gracie dominance the name once held. Renzo on the UFC roster is nothing more than a stab to associate a Gracie name with the most successful MMA promotion in the world. Multi-fights don’t mean squat. Renzo will need to win impressively, and a bad loss can send him back to Strikeforce.

Ironically, the Gracie family who forced the MMA world to learn BJJ is now finding themselves that BJJ alone can not win fights. Many fighters today focus on the defense of BJJ, wrestling, and striking. Sure there are many world-class BJJ fighters who can fight, but those who rely solely on their world-class grappling skills are being beat by fighters with less grappling experience.  Being well-rounded is key in the sport. It’s not just being dominant in one particular art, but to mesh and utilize all the different skills to win. Now it’s the Gracie family that is forced to learn beyond their heritage grappling background.

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Windows 7, a success!

Windows 7 is one of the most successful products coming from the Redmond, Washington (that’s where Microsoft’s HQ is located). The company had it’s problems with Vista and it was the thorn in its side that they couldn’t shake off.  As an IT guy I get a lot of questions about tech stuff ranging from laptops to servers, cell phones to USB coffee warmers and the whole gamut of gadgetry under the sun. As successful as Windows 7 already is many of my friends and co-workers ask about it.

Let’s tackle some of these questions and I’ll (briefly) explain why.

“Isn’t Windows 7 just an updated version of Vista?”
Yes it is, but it’s more than just an updated version. The core code of Windows 7 is essentially Vista, but with the fat trimmed off it as well as adding valued features such as increased security, better GUI, and  multimedia functionalities. Windows 7 is more efficient and less of a resource hog compared to its predecessor, so upgrading to Windows 7 for some may make it seem like their computer has gotten a speed boost (I’m not talking about raw FPS gaming, but day to day usage). Since the core code of Windows 7 is Vista’s many if not all of the drivers from your existing devices on Vista will work on Windows 7. Continue reading “Windows 7, a success!”

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Dell Mini 5, iPad killer?

Engadget has some hands-on pictures HERE.

The device currently runs on Android 1.6, but they expect by the time its release (within a few months) it should be sporting the 2.1 OS.  The rumored price for this baby is $1,100. That’s pretty expensive if it aims to compete with the iPad or other tablets and netbooks on the market.

From the pictures alone, and it running the Android OS it’s already more interesting than the iPad. I’m sure it’ll support flash and is able to multi-task.

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UFC 109 Review

It’s been a while since I’ve done a UFC event review, so I’m doing one now since I was at the event and want to discuss about some of the fights.

Mark Coleman vs Randy Couture

Many fan will know that UFC’s fight cards have been lacking due to injuries. UFC 109 is one of those events that suffered from it. First let’s start off with the main event. Mark Coleman should consider retiring from MMA. Age has caught up with him and his ability to stay competitive have long left him since his PrideFC days. I’m not sure what the UFC brass was thinking when they decided to make this fight happen.

During the fight Mark Coleman looked horrible. He didn’t seem like he wanted to be there. His reaction to Couture’s punches were terribly slow. Coleman didn’t exude any inkling of his former self. Coleman’s glory days are behind him and any chance of him repeating any kind of success in an octagon have withered away. The same can not be said about Randy Couture. It is true that he gets better everytime he enters the octagon. It’s the experience that he has built, the strategies he has developed, and a great camp that he has created that enables him to excel where other athletes fail. Even with his recent wins and resurgence Couture can’t escape father time. You can see it in his fights that he is beginning to slow down. Strategy and experience can only get him so far. Even if his desire to compete is great his physical ability will be his Achilles heel. UFC is a marketing machine that will setup fights that fans want and create buzz for fights. With Couture v. Coleman bout it shows that not all fights are necessary . I hope UFC sees that Coleman is no long a threat in the division (or any) and concentrate on fights that matter and hopefully Couture doesn’t follow the same path.

Nate marquardt vs Chael Sonnen

Marquardt was a big favorite to win against Chael Sonnen. But that didn’t pan out like i had hoped. I’m not taking anything away from sonnen. Sonnen came in with an excellent game plan that stopped marquardt dead in his tracks. Marquardt has everything going for him. He has a great team, plenty of experience, and the skill to beat anyone in his division, yet he failed to get through Sonnen. I think Marquardt eyes was on rematching with Anderson Silva rather than concentrating on Sonnen. It’s easily to over look Sonnen’s ability since he’s not a flashy fighter with highlight reel potential. Sonnen’s style is ‘meat and potatoes’ where he utilizes his wrestling for control and solid ground and pound to crush his opponents. Now with a chance to get the title will his style be effective against the king of the division, Anderson silva?

Damien Maia vs Dan Miller

Dan Miller really impressed me. His ability to hold his own on the ground with Maia says a lot about his BJJ. Even though Miller loss it showed that he is a threat. If he works on his striking and polishes up his ground game he can makes some waves in the top 5 of the division, excluding Anderson Silva of course.

Melvin Guillard vs Ronys Torres

Melvin Guillard has all the physical attributes to be a devastating MMA fighter, but his lack of development to become more well rounded prevented him from escalating up the division. Watching him against Ronys Torres he showed poise and calmness something that was missing from his previous fights. Joining Greg Jackson’s camp have helped him. Let’s hope he continues to improve and move up the ladder.

Paulo Thiago vs Mike Swick

Paulo Thiago’s win against Koscheck didn’t impress me. His win against Volkmann didn’t impress me either, but his loss against Jon Fitch got me interested, and now his win against Swick did impress me. This fight showed that he has knock out power and quick submission skills. Putting Swick in that D’Arce choke immediately after dropping him show me that he’s a fast thinker and putting away Mike Swick says a lot which establishes him easily in the top 5 in my book.

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Google Buzz

As if we don’t have enough micro-blogging sites Google just released Buzz. Google touts it will add more to its location based tools such as Google Maps. Buzz can be linked to other Google sites and and non Google ones. Check it out at http://buzz.google.com

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UFC 109 Weigh Ins

In line at Mandalay Bay for the UFC weigh ins. We missed the autograph session. Koshcheck, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, Jose Aldo, and Renzo Gracie were here signing.

In line at Mandalay Bay

In front of the scale at the weigh ins

Vu and his cheezy smile

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Tech Tip: PHP on IIS 7

The following post is for anyone running Windows Server 2008 and wants to host dynamic webpages using PHP scripting.

A couple of years ago I wrote a step by step process of installing PHP on IIS 6 on a Windows Server 2003. I wrote it because many of the steps they had online were sometimes incorrect, had gaps, missed steps that were crucial in setting up PHP. With the release of Windows Server 2008 Microsoft also updated it’s Internet Information Services to version 7. IIS7 has lots of new features and one of the in nicest addition is its ability to easily install PHP, compared to installing it on Windows Server 2003.

I wrote the following steps a year ago for documentation purposes. It should be the same process for Windows Server 2008 R2. I didn’t add screenshots because I’m assuming you’re familiar with Windows Server 2008’s GUI.

-Add the IIS Web Server role.  Be sure CGI feature is installed.

-Download the PHP binary for Windows at http://windows.php.net/download/

-You will need to download and install Microsoft 2008 C++ Runtime (x86) if your OS is 64-bit

In this tuturial we’ll be using the zipped package rather than the installer.

-Unzip the contents to C:\php

-In C:\php directory rename one of the php.ini-xxxx to just php.ini

-In the php.ini file uncomment and set the vaule of the string to:
(To uncomment a line you just delete the semi-colon at the beginning of of line of code)

upload_tmp_dir = C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\uploads (you will need to manually create this ‘uploads’ folder)
date.timezone = america/tijuana     (be sure to select your correct time zone. You can look up your time zones here: http://us3.php.net/manual/en/timezones.php)

If you plan to use extensions you will need to uncomment the line corresponding to the extension you want to use.

-Open your IIS Manager

-Select your host and click on Handler Mappings

-Add module mapping

-Fill out the Module mapping info

Request path:   *.php
Module:   FastCGIModule
Executable:   C:\php\php-cgi.exe
Name:   php fastcgi

Make sure your php fastcgi is “enabled”

To test your php open up notepad and type in  <? php phpinfo(); ?>
Now save the file as info.php. Place the file in C:\inetpub\wwwroot\
Open up your browser and point it to your info.php file  (C:\inetpub\wwwroot\info.php
If all is successful you should see your PHP info and it’s configuration for your server.

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Avatar Passes Titanic Domestic Box Office Record

Source

James Cameron knows how to make movies that people want to watch. Either that or those 3D glasses were laced with crack. I thought the movie was good, but not good enough to shell out 16 bucks to see it again. It looks like 20th Century Fox is pushing for a sequel, and I’m not surprised. Who’s down to see Dances with Smurfs 2?

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MMA Education: I’m an MMA Fighter

There has been quite a few times where I’ve gone out and overhear guys telling girls ridiculous tales of grandeur about themselves. Yes, you know what I’m talking about. Guys who proclaim that they are Mixed Martial Arts fighters. It’s sickening and it’s an insult to real fighters everywhere.  It’s a pick-up line, it’s a way to make themselves sound cool, and some girls dig it. It’s easy to understand why they do it because most girls don’t know what the hell that is. For all they know an MMA fighter is someone who slays dragons and battle swamp beasts.  There’s nothing more hyper-masculine than being an MMA fighter, so of course posers throw that title around like it’s a hot Apple rumor.

99.99% percent of the time those guys who tell you they’re MMA fighters are lying through their teeth. Ladies, I urge you. The next time a guy approaches you and says, “Hi, I’m Eduardo, and I’m an MMA fighter.” Call Bullshit! Ask him what weight class he fights in, when was his last fight, when’s his next one, and who’s he fighting? If he takes more than three seconds to definitively answer one of those questions then he’s probably just a douche bag poser.

Just as equally bad as lying about being an MMA fighter is trying to dress and act like one. You’ve seen them all over town. The same muscle head guys who wear Baby Gap-sized Affliction and Tapout t-shirts. Real MMA fighters don’t wear Affliction or Tapout shirts. They just wear normal clothes like everyone else. They only wear that douche-y clothing during pre and post fight events because of sponsorship obligations. Curling 200 lbs and wearing the latest poop smeared apparel doesn’t make you look like an MMA fighter, it just makes you a douche with a gay shirt that watched one too many episodes of The Jersey Shore.

So how do you know if you’re an MMA fighter? You get paid, whether it’s through a fight promotion or a sponsor, for stepping in a cage or ring for a sanctioned fight, and all the money you make from fighting is more than 50% of your yearly salary then you can consider yourself an MMA fighter. Working at Orchard Supply and going to Bob’s Taekwondo Academy every Wednesday nights doesn’t make you an MMA fighter.  Neither does getting paid $50 to fight your friend’s drunk uncle at a BBQ.

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UFC 109

Two legends of MMA will be battling for the best old-guy-fighter moniker on Febuary 6th at UFC 109. Randy Couture, a 46-year old walking collie flower ear, is putting up his old-man status on the line against another aging pugilist brethren Mark Coleman. In the heydays of UFC Mark Coleman was a devastating beast. He’s considered the grandfather of ground and pound. His ability to take fighters down and turn them into a sack of mash potatoes showed that wrestling was as just as dangerous and necessary as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in mixed-martial arts. Standing in front of Coleman in the cage is the ‘Natural’. Randy Couture has been in crazy battles in the heavyweight and light heavyweight division winning titles in each of them during his career. What makes him such a dangerous fighter is that he is an analytical fighter that comes in with a great game plan that works.

This will be one of the few fights where I think Randy Couture is a favorite. Expect Couture to tire Coleman out by circling around the cage a couple of times and implement his dirty boxing. If history is any indication Mark Coleman should be gasping for air and his arms at his waist by the 3rd minute of the first round. Randy has one of the best cardio not for his age, but in the entire UFC roster. If Coleman is smart he would need to use his strength and wrestling to take down Couture and keep him on the ground as long as he can. And if the UFC is smart they should issue a stipulation for this match that the loser would retire and stays retired. Luckily for me I will be at this event in Las Vegas, thanks to my girlfriend getting me these tickets for my birthday. I should be at the weigh ins and autograph sessions and should be posting pictures on my blog when I can.

My Picks:

Randy Couture beats Mark Coleman
Nate Marquardt beats Chael Sonnen
Mike Swick beats Paulo Thiago
Demian Maia beats Dan Miller
Frank Trigg beats Matt Serra
Mac Danzig beats Justin Buchholz
Melvin Guillard beats Ronnys Torres
Rob Emerson beats Phillipe Nover
Brian Stann beats Phil Davis