NO HOLDS BARRED

On this special edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, the second this week, host Eddie Goldman speaks with a very busy Gary Abbott, Director of Communications and Special Projects for USA Wrestling.

Gary has just returned from the first World Grappling Championships, which were held September 9 in Antalya, Turkey, as part of the World Wrestling Games. This was the first time that FILA, the international wrestling federation and which is part of the International Olympic Committee, has sponsored a world championships in grappling.

At that event, grapplers from the US swept the gold medals in all nine weights in both the men's and women's divisions. Among those winning gold medals are several athletes who are prominent in the mixed martial arts, including Jeff Monson and Tara LaRosa.

Next up for the sport of wrestling are the 2007 World Championships of Wrestling. This event takes place September 17-23 at the Heydar Aliyev Sport and Exhibition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan. Competition will take place in men's and women's freestyle wrestling, and Greco-Roman wrestling. This year's world championships are a qualifying event for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

We spoke with Gary about the World Grappling Championships, what this event meant to the combat sports, and the performance of the American team. We next previewed the 2007 World Championships of Wrestling, discussing what to expect from the American wrestlers and pointing out whom to watch closely on the world level.

USA Wrestling's web site, TheMat.com, has a special section devoted to the 2007 World Championships of Wrestling.

The web site of the World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) will also provide live and on-demand video coverage of the 2007 World Championships of Wrestling.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here or here and just press the play button on the player.

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The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Art of War, the undisputed arena fighting championship, promoted by SUN Sports and Entertainment, producing world class mixed martial arts events. For more information, check out their web site, ArtOfWarLive.com.

IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch IFL Battleground on MyNetworkTV. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.

Gladiator Challenge, shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.