NO HOLDS BARRED

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, the second this week, host Eddie Goldman speaks with some of the most important people in mixed martial arts and boxing.

We begin by previewing the middleweight world championship fight between the undefeated, legitimate champion, Jermain Taylor (27-0-1, 17 KOs), and the undefeated top challenger, Kelly Pavlik (31-0, 28 KOs). They will fight this Saturday, September 29, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and live in the US on HBO.

We spoke with both Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik at the final prefight news conference Wednesday in New York. We also spoke with the undefeated 24-year-old rising star Andre Berto (19-0, 16 KOs), who faces veteran David Estrada (21-3, 12 KOs) in a 12-round welterweight fight in the co-feature.

We next go to a lengthy discussion with mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Renzo Gracie. The team in the International Fight League (IFL) he coaches, the New York Pitbulls, just completed an undefeated season and captured the 2007 world team championships September 20. We discuss this event with Renzo as well as his plans for the Pitbulls, how he sees the IFL developing, and whether he wants to fight in mixed martial arts again.

We also had a chance to speak with Kurt Otto, the co-founder and commissioner of the IFL. This week it was announced that MyNetworkTV will present a live broadcast of the IFL World Grand Prix semi-finals from the Sears Centre, near Chicago, on Saturday, November 3, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. This is the first time a mixed martial arts fight will be carried live in prime time on American broadcast television. We spoke with Kurt Otto about this new development and about what else we can expect from the IFL in the coming months and in the 2008 season.

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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.

Labels: Andre Berto, boxing, Eddie Goldman, IFL, International Fight League, Jermain Taylor, jiu-jitsu, Kelly Pavlik, Kurt Otto, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Renzo Gracie, UFC, ultimate fighting