NO HOLDS BARRED

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Konrad Pi, the co-founder of the Art of War Fighting Championship and president of the Adoria Entertainment Group in Beijing, China.

The next show for the Art of War Fighting Championship, scheduled for May 23 at the National Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Beijing, will feature a full card of mixed martial arts fights, headlined by a main event with rising Chinese star Wu Hao Tian facing the up-and-coming Japanese fighter, Yutaka Kobayashi. Also fighting on this card will be Rolles Gracie Jr. of Brazil, as well as Malik Mawlayi of Sweden taking on Fransino Tirta of Indonesia, and many other fighters from Asia and around the world.

This event will also be an international "coming out party for the Art of War Fighting Championship," said Mr. Pi in our lengthy interview. According to the Art of War, this show is being held "under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates." There is expected to be in attendance "a delegation of over 300 students, athletes, press representatives and martial arts fans from the United Arab Emirates."

In addition, there will be a reunion of the first family of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the Gracies, who are also of course mixed martial arts pioneers. So far listed as confirmed to attend are Rickson Gracie, Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, and Royler Gracie. Other notables scheduled to attend this event are Demian Maia, Fabricio Werdum, Ricardo Liborio, Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, Bas Rutten, Josh Barnett, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Tim Sylvia, Jeremy Horn, referees Yuji Shimada and Big John McCarthy, Stephen Quadros, Michael Buffer, Todd Hester, Luca Atalla, and yours truly, Eddie Goldman.

The organizers of the Art of War Fighting Championship hope to use this event to begin to establish their promotion as not only the leading mixed martial arts company in China, the most populous country in the world, but also as one of the top world-class mixed martial arts events in the world. Accomplishing that, they are well aware, will take time, but this event is a major early step along that path.

In a lengthy interview with Konrad Pi, we discussed this May 23 event, the overall plans for the Art of War Fighting Championship, the top fighters on this card, and the rules of this event, which are similar to the old Pride rules. We also discussed the role of martial arts in Chinese history and culture, the importance of both grappling and striking to the Art of War Fighting Championship, the growth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in China, cultural differences and perceptions between many people in China and the West which cause them to look at many aspects of the combat sports in differing ways, the relationship of the Art of War Fighting Championship organization to the government of the People's Republic of China, prefight medical testing required by the Art of War Fighting Championship, and more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: Abu Dhabi, Andy Pi, Art of War Fighting Championship, Beijing, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, China, Eddie Goldman, Gracie, Konrad Pi, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Pride, Sheikh Mohammed, UFC

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with two rookie skaters for the Gotham Girls Roller Derby, Anaïs Ninja of the Queens of Pain and Rat-A-Tat Kat of the Bronx Gridlock.

The intraleague season opener for the Gotham Girls Roller Derby was held Saturday, April 25, at the Hunter College Sportsplex in Manhattan, New York, between the Bronx Gridlock and the Queens of Pain. Da Bronx avenged their only loss of the 2008 season, which was to Queens in the 2008 league championship bout, by outscoring Queens by a comfortable margin, 121-78. These are two of the best individual teams in the U.S., as the Gotham Girls Roller Derby won the 2008 Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) national championship, and the Queens and Bronx teams were the best in the best league.

The halftime entertainment included an electrifying performance by world champion trick roper, performer, and singer Chris McDaniel, which drew a loud and enthusiastic reaction from this largely New York crowd.

Right after this game, we spoke with Anaïs Ninja and Rat-A-Tat Kat about their first official league games, why they have become derby girls, what the appeal of this sport is to them, and much more. Anaïs Ninja also told us about her transition from martial arts and boxing to roller derby.

Roller derby is considered by many to be the fastest-growing sport in America, so make sure to keep up with what is going on in this fun, sexy, and exciting sport. The next Gotham Girls Roller Derby game is Saturday, May 16, between the Brooklyn Bombshells and the Manhattan Mayhem, also at Hunter College in New York.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: Anais Ninja, Bronx Gridlock, Chris McDaniel, Eddie Goldman, Gotham Girls Roller Derby, No Holds Barred, Queens of Pain, Rat-A-Tat Kat, roller derby, WFTDA, Women's Flat Track Derby Association

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman focuses on the top fighters in boxing in the UK today. We compare where the careers of Joe Calzaghe, Junior Witter, Amir Khan, Ricky Hatton, David Haye, and Carl Froch were one year ago with where they are today. And we comment on the thrilling come-from-behind 12th-round TKO victory Carl Froch scored over Jermain Taylor this past Saturday night, April 25.

Ricky Hatton, of course, will be facing Manny Pacquiao, regarded by most as the current pound-for-pound king, this coming Saturday night, May 2, in Las Vegas. This fight will take place at 140 pounds, where Hatton is presently regarded as the best fighter in the world. We spoke with a confident Ricky Hatton on a media conference call this past week to get his take on this fight.

David Haye, the former cruiserweight champion who relinquished his belts in that division to move up to heavyweight, will get his wish for a crack at a heavyweight title when he faces the top fighter in that weight class, Wladimir Klitschko, June 20 in Germany. David Haye was in New York this past week for a news conference, and we caught up with him there for some very poignant comments.

It is free to listen to or download SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Labels: Amir Khan, boxing, British boxing, Carl Froch, David Haye, Eddie Goldman, Jermain Taylor, Joe Calzaghe, Junior Witter, Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton, SecondsOut Radio, Wladimir Klitschko

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our newest correspondent, Bob Carson, about the present state of mixed martial arts. Bob is also the host of the Carson's Corner podcast.

We had an animated and lengthy discussion about the degeneration of mixed martial arts in the era of Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC. We discussed the recent controversy stemming from the Anderson Silva- Thales Leites fight at UFC 97, which many fans booed. We explained how the Zuffa bosses prefer their fights to be brawls, and how this is related to the overall decline of technique in UFC, as well as its positioning by Zuffa as a vulgar spectacle similar to the fake pro "wrestling" but with real fights. We confirmed the importance of supporting the efforts of the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association, and also opposing and exposing those Zuffa shills and wannabe shills in what laughingly calls itself the mixed martial arts media. We discussed the prospects for several other mixed martial arts promotions around the world, and why fans of combat sports should watch the many great fights taking place in the king of combat sports, boxing. You will not want to miss this discussion.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: Anderson Silva, Bob Carson, boxing, Carson's Corner, Eddie Goldman, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, UFC

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Carlos Santos, the head coach of the Emirates Jiu-Jitsu Team.

The latest project of Carlos is the inaugural World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup, which takes place May 1 and 2 in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

In our interview with Carlos Santos, we discuss the birth of the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup, the role played by Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi in supporting this event and jiu-jitsu, the rules of the competition, the prospects for the expansion of professional jiu-jitsu, the development of the International Professional Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IPJJF), why jiu-jitsu can have a fan base as a spectator sport, and more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: Abu Dhabi, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Santos, Eddie Goldman, grappling, IPJJF, No Holds Barred, Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE, United Arab Emirates, World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our newest correspondent, Ian Carpenter.

The main subject of our discussion is the short video which has just been released called "One World Champion". This video was produced by Ian and Eddie, and focuses on the present absurd situation where there are four heavyweight boxing champions of the world. We discuss this video, the need for just one recognized heavyweight boxing champion of the world, the importance to all the combat sports of the martial art of boxing, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: boxing, David Haye, Eddie Goldman, Ian Carpenter, No Holds Barred, One World Champion, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins by reviewing the two major title fights held Sunday morning, April 19, at the famed Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City in the Philippines.

On that card, Nonito Donaire (21-1, 14 KOs) successfully defended his IBF flyweight title by dominating previously-unbeaten Raul Martinez (24-1, 14 KOs), knocking him down four times, and scoring a fourth-round TKO. The co-feature saw an aggressive Brian Viloria (25-2, 15 KOs) upset Ulises Solis (28-2, 20 KOs) with an 11th-round knockout to capture the IBF light flyweight title. This was the best a rejuvenated Viloria had looked in a long time, and this spirited fight, in which Solis came back in the middle rounds, could earn a Fight of the Year nomination.

One fighter who is trying hard to gain recognition is 26-year old heavyweight Tor Hamer (5-0, 4 KOs). His next fight will be against an opponent to be named on the Andre Berto-Juan Urango undercard May 30 at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. We had a chance at a news conference this past week at the new Yankee Stadium to speak with Tor Hamer and his trainer, Shawn Raysor, about his career, why American heavyweights are no longer at the top of that division, why so many American heavyweights seem out of shape, and more.

This coming Saturday, April 25, the unbeaten WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (24-0, 19 KOs) of Nottingham, England, travels to America to defend his title against the former middleweight champion, Jermain Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs), of Little Rock, Arkansas. This fight will take place at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. It will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime.

We had a chance on a recent media conference call to speak with both Carl Froch and Jermain Taylor about this fight.

It is free to listen to or download SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Labels: boxing, Brian Viloria, Carl Froch, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, Nonito Donaire, SecondsOut Radio, Shawn Raysor heavyweights, Tor Hamer

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins by briefly commenting on the breaking news about the defamation suit filed by attorney Rob Maysey, who is the founder of the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association, against CraveOnline, the parent company of the Sherdog.com web site. We expect to have more on this story shortly.

In a follow-up to our last show, we have a new interview with Dr. Margaret Goodman, a neurologist and former chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, who is now also the medical correspondent for No Holds Barred. We discuss two major controversies in mixed martial arts and boxing: the seven-pound weight discrepancy between Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos and Hitomi Akano in their April 11 Strikeforce mixed martial arts fight in San Jose, Calif., and the ongoing scandal involving the hand wraps trainer Javier Capetillo attempted to place on Antonio Margarito for his Jan. 24 boxing match with Shane Mosley, which have since been found to have contained the ingredients used to make plaster of Paris. Dr. Goodman tells it like it is on these important issues.

Next, we go into the No Holds Barred e-mailbag to hear what the listeners of this show think about the issues that have been raised here. Particularly addressed is the recent video blog rant by BLAF aka UFC president Dana White, which was filled with misogynistic, homophobic, and other anti-social and negative epithets.

As expected, we received numerous intelligent, witty, and socially conscious comments, and you can hear those here as well.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: Antonio Margarito, BLAF, boxing, Cristiane Santos, Cyborg, Dana White, Eddie Goldman, Hitomi Akano, Javier Capetillo, Margaret Goodman, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Strikeforce, UFC

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Dr. Margaret Goodman, a neurologist and former chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Dr. Goodman is now also the medical correspondent for No Holds Barred, and we are very proud to be associated with her.

This lengthy interview, conducted March 12, first was posted on SecondsOut Radio in two parts. Here we have it in its entirety.

The topics include why certain substances such as steroids and marijuana are dangerous to the health of fighters and are thus banned in the combat sports. We also discuss many other issues related to the health and safety of fighters, especially what can be done to improve the health and safety measures in the combat sports, and what role a national boxing commission in the U.S. should play.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: BJJ, boxing, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Margaret Goodman, marijuana, mixed martial arts, MMA, Nevada State Athletic Commission, No Holds Barred, SecondsOut Radio, steroids, Strikeforce, UFC

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman discusses the fourth-round knockout victory by heavyweight Chris Arreola (27-0, 24 KOs) over the veteran former title challenger, Jameel McCline (39-10-3, 23 KOs), Saturday, April 11, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

We examine Arreola's career, the potential for him to get a title shot against WBC champion Vitali Klitschko, how he might fare, how he has strong support from the boxing establishment, but also how he may be blowing the opportunity of a lifetime by not training properly and continuing to come into the ring carrying too much weight.

In addition, we critique some of the historical analysis in the HBO documentary on the Ali-Frazier 3 "Thrilla in Manila" fight.

It is free to listen to or download SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Labels: boxing, Chris Arreola, Eddie Goldman, HBO, heavyweights, Jameel McCline, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, SecondsOut Radio, Thrilla in Manila

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins by discussing the theme of the 2007 article "Can There Be Decency and Tolerance in Mixed Martial Arts?" in light of the recent scandal involving the homophobic, misogynistic, and feeble-minded remarks of "U"FC president Dana White in a video blog. Our conclusion is that in virtually any other sport or even area of society, White would have been fired on the spot. We therefore must call for him to be immediately fired. We also criticize those journalists, including some who have come under White's fire, who are still incredibly arguing that he has "done a tremendous amount of good" and even "great things" for mixed martial arts, even though he led the "U"FC down the path of imitating the dangerous and disgraceful spectacle of the fake pro "wrestling".

Next we get the comments of a real mixed martial arts legend, Frank Shamrock, who fights Saturday, April 11, against Nick Diaz in the main event of a Strikeforce mixed martial arts card at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. This card will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime. We spoke with Frank on a media conference call this past week.

In our main interview, we speak with our colleague Kid Peligro about the 2009 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which was held March 27-29 in Carson, California. Kid is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, a senior contributing editor at the ADCC News, and a correspondent on this show.

In a lengthy interview, we discuss the rising star of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Antonio Braga Neto, who won both the super heavyweight and absolute black belt divisions, as well as the rest of the results at this tournament. And we discuss what is the latest in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and grappling, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: ADCC News, Antonio Braga Neto, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Dana White, Eddie Goldman, Frank Shamrock, Gracie, grappling, Kid Peligro, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Strikeforce, UFC

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins by critiquing the major fights of this past weekend, and explaining what they really meant. Plus, we focus upon how the promoters and television networks did or did not bother to adjust to the continuing economic crisis.

We discuss the Randall Bailey-Frankie Figueroa 140-pound title eliminator in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, Friday, April 3, on ESPN2, won by Bailey with a stunning one-punch, fourth-round knockout; the Alexander Povetkin-Jason Estrada heavyweight fight in Düsseldorf, Germany, Sat., April 4, on ARD, won by Povetkin by a lackluster decision; the Timothy Bradley-Kendall Holt 140-pound WBC/WBO title unification fight in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Sat., April 4, on Showtime, won by Bradley by unanimous decision; and the lightweight pay-per-view fights from Austin, Texas, USA, Sat., April 4, including Edwin Valero stopping Antonio Pitalua in two rounds to win the vacant WBC belt, Michael Katsidis defeating Jesus Chavez when Chavez did not answer the bell after the seventh round, and Vicente Escobedo winning an entertaining ten-round decision over Carlos Hernandez.

This coming Saturday, April 11, two of the most-avoided fighters in boxing will face each other. Paul Williams, this time fighting as a middleweight, will take on the veteran Winky Wright in the main event of a card which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, and telecast live in the USA on HBO. The co-feature will be a 12-round heavyweight fight between contender Chris Arreola and the veteran former title challenger, Jameel McCline. We had a chance to speak with Paul Williams, Winky Wright, and Chris Arreola on recent media conference calls.

It is free to listen to or download SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Labels: boxing, Carlos Hernandez, Chris Arreola, Eddie Goldman, Edwin Valero, Frankie Figueroa, Kendall Holt, Paul Williams, Randall Bailey, SecondsOut Radio, Timothy Bradley, Vicente Escobedo, Winky Wright

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Ted Rybka, Director of Sports Media of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). After UFC president Dana White issued a video blog with a rant including homophobic and sexist slurs, and after GLAAD received numerous complaints about this, Ted contacted UFC and White. An apology by White has since been posted on YouTube.

In our interview with Ted, we spoke about why such slurs can be so harmful to the very well-being of people perceived as being gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. We discussed White's apology, and what further contact GLAAD will have with UFC. We also discussed the efforts of GLAAD to educate both the media and the people about homophobia and sports.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: bisexual, boxing, Dana White, Eddie Goldman, gay, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, GLAAD, lesbian, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Ted Rybka, transgender, UFC, wrestling

[The following article was written on April 27, 2007, for a mixed martial arts magazine. It was not printed by it (you know who you are), since they said they did not want something so “negative”. Now that the controversy over the continued bigotry, homophobia, and intolerance promoted by the president of the so-called “Ultimate” Fighting Championship has finally become a major issue, you, too, share blame for not allowing someone like myself a platform to speak out against this idiocy. – Eddie Goldman]

Can There Be Decency and Tolerance in Mixed Martial Arts?
by Eddie Goldman

When Esera Tuaolo, an NFL defensive tackle for five teams in nine seasons who retired after the 1999 season, publicly stated in 2002 that he was gay, the league had a decision to make: Embrace him, ignore him, or condemn him.

Their answer, at least officially, and despite muted grumbling from some quarters, was seen at the 2006 rookie symposium. There Tuaolo spoke to the rookies as part of a panel discussing the issue of diversity in the NFL. ESPN.com quoted NFL vice president of player and employee development Mike Haynes as saying that when he took that job, “one of the things I wanted to really stress was tolerance.”

In February of this year, former NBA center John Amaechi, who played five seasons with Orlando, Utah, and Cleveland, and retired in 2003, also announced that he is gay. NBA commissioner David Stern told The Associated Press, “We have a very diverse league. The question at the NBA is always, ‘Have you got game?’ That’s it, end of inquiry.”

In 2005, the acclaimed documentary “Ring Of Fire,” focusing on former welterweight and middleweight boxing champion Emile Griffith, was shown on the USA Network, and re-released in 2007 on the MSG Network. Besides recounting the third, tragic fight between Griffith and Benny “Kid” Paret in 1962, which led to Paret’s death, one prominent theme was Griffith’s sexuality. Many boxing insiders have long believed that Griffith is gay, and the documentary recounts how in 1992, upon leaving a gay bar in Manhattan, Griffith was attacked by a gang of thugs who beat him so badly that he almost died while in the hospital.

Today, Griffith, now 69, is a regular at ringside at New York boxing events and the annual International Boxing Hall of Fame festivities in Canastota, New York, and is always introduced and greeted by a hearty round of cheers.

Contrast these attempts at decency and tolerance, as belated and limited as they are, in these other sports with the milieu and, if we must use the word, culture in MMA.

Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White was a guest on shock jock Scott Ferrall’s show on Sirius Satellite Radio. The discussion turned to White’s rival, then-Pride USA executive Jerry Millen.

With a live audience cheering him on, White called Millen a “fuckin’ homo” and asked Ferrall, “What fuckin’ gay bar did you two meet in?” More of the same followed.

Shortly after radio host Don Imus was fired by CBS radio and MSNBC cable for his racist and sexist comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team, a post, purportedly from a fighter, appeared on a popular online MMA message board repeating Imus’s precise words to describe a forthcoming opponent who is African-American, like most of the Rutgers women’s team. While Internet message boards in general are too often receptacles of what is not even fit for sewers, the implication here was that what is considered disgusting, despicable, and inhuman by almost everyone else is just fine in MMA.

Countless other examples of such negative behavior and attitudes can be cited, especially on the UFC’s heavily-edited “reality” series on Spike TV. This program first became a hit by being placed directly after the highly-rated Monday night show of the W“W”E, thus appealing to those who crave sociopathic spectacles but also wanted to see some real fights. On the UFC show they got both, beginning with one fighter pissing in another’s bed.

There are many reasons people are attracted to MMA. Mostly it reflects just who they are before they discovered this genre. If they were amoral punks or even criminal elements who simply liked to see others get hurt and reveled in naked violence and the spilling of blood, that was what they sought here. If they were greedy, cold manipulators who wanted to have fighters smash each other’s bodies while they received the greatest financial rewards, this was for them. If they were sports fans, athletes, or even suits who were disgruntled with the endless scandals, corruption, and mediocrity in so many mainstream sports, here was an edgy place to go. If they were combat sports or martial arts aficionados who loved both competition and the demonstration of world-class techniques, that was here, too. If they were from the world of amateur wrestling and yearned for a real, professional league, this was the closest thing to it, especially with the success in MMA of so many top wrestlers. And, of course, there are numerous others, including that loud band of fans of the staged pro “wrestling” who want MMA to sink to the depths of this “sports entertainment” while still running shoots.

The outcome of the battle between these types of groups will determine whether MMA can, like so many other sports, begin to embrace decency and tolerance. It is a more complex version of the battle in the mid-1990s over whether it should be a sport or a spectacle.

These days the battle lines are about positioning the sport more along the lines of, as our friends in Brazil call it, arte suave, or the soft art, or something vulgar, crude, ugly, nasty, and, thus, socially dysfunctional.

This is entirely different from the issue of financial and TV ratings’ success. Jerry Springer, Vince McMahon, ad nauseam have become quite wealthy peddling garbage. The question is whether MMA will play a socially positive or negative role.

Decency and tolerance are not incompatible with fighting sports. Instruction in most martial arts and combat sports emphasizes values like respect, honor, dedication, hard work, modesty, honesty, cooperation, and discipline. It is mostly on the professional level, where the exploiters abound, that the culture of greed, selfishness, disrespect, dishonesty, arrogance, and parasitism often flourishes.

So can there be decency and tolerance in MMA? One would think that with the current alignment of forces, they are the underdogs. But who would have thought back when Emile Griffith was in his prime as a fighter, that with his sexuality more or less common knowledge, he would now be feted as a legend?

This battle over decency and tolerance is still raging. What will YOU do about it?

Labels: Dana White, decency, Eddie Goldman, homophobia, mixed martial arts, MMA, sexism, tolerance, UFC

Eddie Goldman of No Holds Barred and SecondsOut Radio was joined by Scoop Malinowski, author of Heavyweight Armageddon: The Tyson-Lewis Championship Battle, Sean Sullivan, editor of Boxing Digest, and boxing aficionado Glenn Leslie as guests on the nationally-syndicated "Joey Reynolds Show" late Monday night/early Tuesday morning, March 30/31. Eddie Goldman is also the boxing correspondent for the "Joey Reynolds Show".

What ensued was a lively and poignant discussion about a sport which all of us love, boxing, but which is enormously troubled today. We talked about numerous topics including the state of the heavyweight division, which recent fights and fighters have been the most noteworthy, the confusing existence of more than one champion in each weight class, the role of women's boxing, the role of the media, and much more, including the topic of Scoop Malinowski's book, the 2002 heavyweight title fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson.

You can play or download this here.

The "Joey Reynolds Show" is a national radio broadcast in New York on WOR 710 AM and on 100 other stations via the WOR Network. The show airs live beginning at midnight ET and runs to 5 AM ET. For more information on the "Joey Reynolds Show", go here.

For more information on show producer Myra Chanin, go to http://motherwonderful.com/.

Labels: boxing, Boxing Digest, Eddie Goldman, Glenn Leslie, Joey Reynolds, Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Scoop Malinowski, Sean Sullivan, WOR

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with the legendary mixed martial arts fighter, Frank Shamrock.

The next fight for Frank is on Saturday, April 11, against Nick Diaz in the main event of a Strikeforce mixed martial arts card at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. This card will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime. This fight will be at a catch-weight of179 pounds.

In another lengthy interview, we discuss what to expect in this fight with Nick Diaz, the role and level of striking in mixed martial arts today, why Frank desires to move on from MMA to professional boxing, the possibility of a long-awaited rematch with Tito Ortiz, his experiences in Pancrase, the appeal of the art of that style, the EliteXC debacle, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Frank Shamrock, mixed martial arts, MMA, Nick Diaz, No Holds Barred, Pancrase, Strikeforce, Tito Ortiz, UFC