NO HOLDS BARRED

Labels: Bellator Fighting Championships, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Eddie Goldman, Fight Nerd, grappling, Internet, Matthew Kaplowitz, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, podcast, Podomatic, radio, UFC

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with mixed martial arts fighter Joe Soto, who became the featherweight (145-pound) champion of the Bellator Fighting Championships by winning an eight-man tournament.

Although he is undefeated as a fighter, the 22-year-old Joe Soto was not the favorite heading into this tournament. That distinction went to the better-known Wilson Reis, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, who was also undefeated and had gained notoriety by winning the EliteXC bantamweight title in 2008.

When Joe Soto and Wilson Reis met in the featherweight semifinals on May 8, 2009, however, it was Soto who emerged victorious, winning a three-round unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 30-27. Soto then went on to dominate and defeat Yahir Reyes with a rear naked choke in the second round of their championship fight on June 5, 2009, and become the first Bellator featherweight champion.

We spoke with Joe Soto about his emergence as a new, young, rising star in mixed martial arts. We discussed his background as a wrestler at Iowa Central Community College, his transition from wrestling to mixed martial arts, his training and skills in both boxing and jiu-jitsu, his crucial victory over Wilson Reis, his plans for the future, 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.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

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.

Labels: Bellator Fighting Championships, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Iowa Central Community College, Joe Soto, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, UFC, Wilson Reis, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman focuses on the role of women in the combat sports, and in particular grappling and mixed martial arts.

Kathy Brothers was the first American woman to earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She has also been a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and a two-time Pan American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, as well as a World Free-Fighting champion and a World Pancration Council champion. She currently is a martial arts instructor in the Dallas, Texas, area.

After an absence of about eight years, Kathy Brothers will be returning to competition this coming Saturday, June 27, at the Grapplers Quest All-Star Pro tournament in Morristown, New Jersey. She also will be competing in a Grapplers Quest tournament the weekend of July 10-11 at the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In a lengthy interview, we spoke with Kathy Brothers about her return to competition. We discussed how and why she decided to begin training in the martial arts, her rich experience in grappling, her desire to fight at a high level in mixed martial arts, how she has overcome the opposition of some to women competing and training in combat sports, and much more.

Also, as bonus coverage, we play an excerpt from a media conference call with mixed martial arts stars Gina Carano and Cris "Cyborg" Santos, who fight each other August 15 in the main event of a Strikeforce card in San Jose, Calif., which will be telecast live in the U.S. on Showtime.

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.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

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.

Labels: BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Cris Cyborg Santos, Eddie Goldman, Gina Carano, Grapplers Quest, grappling, Kathy Brothers, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Strikeforce, UFC, wrestling

Labels: Bob Carson, Bronc, Carson's Corner, Eddie Goldman, Iran, Iran Election, Neda, rebellion, revolution, Rider University, WRRC

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent, Charles Farrell.

In a spirited and lengthy discussion, we review Wladimir Klitschko's predictable TKO victory over Ruslan Chagaev on Saturday, June 20, in Germany in a fight for several alphabet heavyweight belts. We critique this fight and the performance of both fighters, as well as the entire woeful heavyweight division.

We also discuss the disgraceful state of boxing journalism today, and why we do not take seriously what we read in The Ring magazine, including their recognition of Wladimir Klitschko as their "heavyweight champion of the world". And we lament the danger both to fighter safety and public health that this fight entailed, since Chagaev had tested positive for the hepatitis B antigen, and would not have been allowed to fight in many countries.

But we also explain why we do see hope for boxing in many other weight divisions, and especially outside the U.S.

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.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

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.

Labels: boxing, boxing media, Charles Farrell, Eddie Goldman, ESPN, Germany, heavyweight, hepatitis, journalism, No Holds Barred, Ruslan Chagaev, The Ring Magazine, Wladimir Klitschko

It may seem incredible that they even have to do this, but the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (AAPRP) issued a statement Thursday, June 18, calling for the June 20 heavyweight title boxing match between Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev to be postponed "due to medical safety issues".

The reason is clear and simple, as the May 30 WBA title fight between Ruslan Chagaev and Nikolai Valuev was cancelled because Chagaev had tested positive for the hepatitis B antigen. That fight was scheduled to take place in Helsinki, Finland, and most places around the world which host major boxing events do not permit fighters with this dangerous and infectious disease to compete.

The Klitschko-Chagaev fight, however, is scheduled to take place in Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, and the authorities in charge of this fight have far less comprehensive medical requirements for fighters than those in North America, the UK, and much of the rest of the world do.

The AAPRP statement refutes what they say has been some of the misinformation widely circulated in the media about the dangers of hepatitis B, and what is being proposed for the safety measures for this fight.

While this fight is being held in Germany, boxing is an international sport, and the fight will be telecast in the US on ESPN Classic. It is also for a series of heavyweight belts, including that of the American-based The Ring magazine, whose parent company, Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC, is a subsidiary of Golden Boy Enterprises, whose president is the famed boxer and now promoter, Oscar De La Hoya. So there is much interest in this fight in America, and especially in an organization like AAPRP.

We also discussed this issue at length on my podcast, No Holds Barred, with Dr. Joseph Estwanik, who serves on the AAPRP Board of Directors. You can play or download that edition of No Holds Barred here. You can also download that edition of No Holds Barred here.

The AAPRP web site is at http://aaprp.org. Here is the full text of their statement:

As it has been reported that Mr. Ruslan Chagaev has tested positive for the Hepatitis B Virus, the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (the “AAPRP”) is recommending that the proposed contest between Mr. Ruslan Chagaev and Mr. Vladimir Klitschko be postponed due to medical safety issues. The AAPRP also recommends that this fight not take place and suggests that Mr. Chagaev not be permitted to fight (anyone) until, and unless, he can demonstrate a "negative hepatitis status.

In several recent media accounts, it has been stated that Mr. Chagaev has a “low hepatitis B viral load” and therefore poses “no risk” of transmitting this dangerous virus. The AAPRP disagrees with this assertion. Although the risk of transmission of the Hepatitis B Virus may be minimal, the risk is not zero. Additionally, given the fact that Hepatitis B is a very virulent virus and easily transmitted, it is even more important to be prudent in order to not only protect Mr. Chagaev’s opponent, but also the referee, judges, sanctioning body officials, cornermen, ringside physicians and ringside observers who may be at risk of contracting this dangerous virus. As boxing is obviously considered a “blood sport”, it is very common for blood to splatter on the individuals immediately adjacent at ringside. The conjunctiva (eye) route of transfer for this virus is well documented....so any person seated at ringside, who is not immunized, may be at risk.

Furthermore, statistics suggest that if Mr. Chagaev were to share needles with another individual, the transmission rate of Hepatitis B could be as high as 30%. If blood from a cut on Mr. Chagaev were to come into direct contact with a cut on another fighter, the transmission rate could be as high as 10%. Should blood squirt from Mr. Chagaev and hit another individual in the eye (i.e. Judge, referee, cornerman or media) the transmission rate could be as high as 5%. Therefore, the risk is obviously greater than zero and could put others at ringside (beside his opponent) at risk for acquiring this virus.

Unless everyone at ringside (Judges, referees, ringside physicians, commission members, sanctioning body officials, trainers, cornermen, media reporters, ring girls, television technicians, spectators and of course the fighters opponent) has documented immunity to Hepatitis B (a three shot hepatitis immunity vaccination series given over a 6 month period with a subsequent documented blood test confirming immunity), protection against exposure to this dangerous virus cannot be guaranteed. Finally, if bleeding does occur, the individuals responsible for cleaning the ring as well as those handling the gloves must also be immune to minimize the risk as well.

The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians considers safety our number one priority and will work with local and international commissions to insure that all precautions are taken to protect all individuals involved in professional boxing.

For more information, please contact the AAPRP.

Labels: AAPRP, American Association Professional Ringside Physicians, boxing, Eddie Goldman, ESPN, hepatitis, Joseph Estwanik, media, No Holds Barred, Ruslan Chagaev, The Ring Magazine, Wladimir Klitschko

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with noted ringside physician Dr. Joseph Estwanik about the controversy involving the June 20 fight in Germany between Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev for several heavyweight boxing belts.

Chagaev had been scheduled to face Nikolai Valuev May 30 in Finland, but that fight was cancelled after a prefight blood test found Chagaev to be positive with the hepatitis B antigen. The next week, when David Haye pulled out of a scheduled June 20 fight with Wladimir Klitschko because of a training injury, Chagaev was chosen to replace Haye as Klitschko's opponent.

Yet, according to the standards of the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians, on whose Board of Directors Dr. Joseph Estwanik serves, "If a fighter is Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Positive (reactive), they have Hepatitis B and cannot fight as they are infectious." Nonetheless, the Klitschko-Chagaev fight is being permitted to proceed in Germany.

In our commentary on this fight, we discuss why it is yet another disgrace for boxing. We detail how and why most of the boxing media are once again failing to expose this disgrace and are actually trying to benefit from this fight, including The Ring, which has announced that they will recognize the Klitschko-Chagaev winner as their "heavyweight champion of the world". And we stress the need to support the independent boxing media.

In our lengthy discussion with Dr. Joseph Estwanik, the issues of what is hepatitis B and why fighters who have it should not be allowed to fight are examined in depth. This is the type of candid and thorough discussion with a leading and veteran ringside physician which you will not be able to find in almost all the other media covering boxing, but it is our pleasure and privilege to be able to present it to you right here on No Holds Barred.

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.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

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.

Labels: boxing, boxing media, Dr. Joseph Estwanik, Eddie Goldman, ESPN, Germany, heavyweight, hepatitis, No Holds Barred, Ruslan Chagaev, The Ring Magazine, Wladimir Klitschko

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting on some recent issues in mixed martial arts. We applaud the wise contract negotiations by Mirko Cro Cop with the UFC and Dream, and condemn the absurd fight between former top heavyweight boxer Ray Mercer and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, won by Mercer with a one-punch knockout.

This past Saturday, June 13, the ADCC East Coast Trials were held at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey. The winners of the five weight classes contested all earned berths in the 2009 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, which will be held September 26-27 in Barcelona, Spain.

Right after his match, we had a chance to speak with Chris Weidman of Serra Jiu-Jitsu, who defeated James Brasco (Pablo Popovitch) by anaconda choke in the middleweight finals. We spoke about this match, what it means for his career, his wrestling background, and his plans in both grappling and mixed martial arts.

At this event was the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, and mixed martial arts legend Renzo Gracie. As always, Renzo had some very poignant comments about the importance of what we had just witnessed.

We also spoke with our old colleague Luca Atalla of Gracie Magazine. Luca has covered all the ADCC world championships, so his comments about these East Coast Trials were particularly insightful.

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.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

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.

Labels: Abu Dhabi, ADCC, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Chris Weidman, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Luca Atalla, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Renzo Gracie, submission fighting, UFC, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman focuses on several issues involving the battle for mixed martial arts to become organized like a true sport.

After over a decade of opposing the sport, the New York State Legislature is now in the process of considering legislation to legalize mixed martial arts and place it under the regulation of the New York State Athletic Commission. While a bill to that effect was recently passed in a key Assembly committee, the exploding political crisis in the New York State Senate, which was actually closed down this week due to spiraling in-fighting among the politicians, has jeopardized the passage and enactment of that, and all, legislation.

To get some perspective on what would be required by the New York State Athletic Commission to regulate mixed martial arts, we spoke with its chairperson, Melvina Lathan.

We also outline some of the key ups and down in the checkered history of this commission, as well as explain why the failure of combat sports promoters, then and now, to work together to self-regulate their own events made intervention by the politicians inevitable.

This Friday night, June 12, the Bellator Fighting Championships has its eleventh show in its 12-week series, with this one being held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. It will be televised in the U.S. the following night, June 13, on the Spanish-language ESPN Deportes network.

The main event features the two finalists in the Bellator eight-man welterweight tournament, Lyman Good and Omar De La Cruz, fighting for the Bellator welterweight title. On the undercard, another member of the legendary Gracie family, Igor Gracie, takes on a fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Vagner Rocha.

We had a chance to speak with Igor Gracie Wednesday afternoon at the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York, where he is a lead instructor and also trains. We spoke about this upcoming fight as well as his plans to compete regularly in mixed martial arts.

In addition, we offer commentary on some of the positive and negative lessons of the first season of the Bellator Fighting Championships, as well as criticize those in the so-called mixed martial arts "media" who have either downplayed or plain ignored this important organization.

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.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

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.

Labels: Bellator Fighting Championships, BJJ, Eddie Goldman, Igor Gracie, Melvina Lathan, mixed martial arts, MMA, New York State Athletic Commission, No Holds Barred, Renzo Gracie, UFC, Vagner Rocha

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the fight between WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) and challenger Joshua Clottey (35-2, 21 KOs), which takes place Saturday, June13, at Madison Square Garden in New York. This fight will be telecast by HBO in the U.S.

We had a chance at the kickoff news conference for this fight to get comments from both Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey. We also discussed the stakes in this fight with television host Kristal Hart.

Also, we explain why, along with continuing all our other coverage, there will be expanded boxing coverage on No Holds Barred, and why Eddie Goldman has stopped producing and hosting SecondsOut Radio. We invite listeners of that show to come aboard No Holds Barred.

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.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

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.

Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, HBO, Joshua Clottey, Kristal Hart, Madison Square Garden, Miguel Cotto, MSG, New York, No Holds Barred, SecondsOut Radio

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins a series of shows which will focus on the health crisis, particularly in America. We offer some ideas about what people can do to live a healthier lifestyle while also fighting the profiteers who provide poor but increasingly expensive health care.

Key to a healthy lifestyle are diet and exercise.

For the issue of exercise, we spoke with Rolles Gracie, who is the lead instructor at the new Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Holmdel, New Jersey. This facility not only offers top-notch instruction in combat sports including jiu-jitsu, but also some general training facilities for everyone from beginners to world champions.

For the issue of diet, we spoke with Holt Richardson of the North American branch of the Japanese-based Ito En company, which manufactures and distributes green tea beverage products as well as numerous other beverages. We spoke with him at the Japan Day 2009 celebration in Central Park in New York on May 31, 2009. Japan, it should be noted, has, according to the United Nations, the longest life expectancy of any country in the world.

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.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

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.

Labels: BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, diabetes, Eddie Goldman, grappling, green tea, health care, Holt Richardson, Ito En, Japan, life expectancy, No Holds Barred, Renzo Gracie, Rolles Gracie, single-payer

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with our colleague Kid Peligro, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, a senior editor of the ADCC News, and a correspondent on our show.

Our main topic is the 2009 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, also known as the Mundials, which take place Thursday, June 4, through Sunday, June 7, at the Pyramid at California State University Long Beach.

We also discuss the recently completed West Coast Trials for the 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, and the East Coast Trials, which take place the weekend of June 13-14 at J. Collins Arena at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey. These Trials are qualifiers for 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, which takes place the weekend of September 26-27 in Barcelona, Spain.

In a lengthy interview, we discuss who will compete at these events and who are the favorites to win. We go through the history and significance of these events. We also analyze what they need to do in order to advance to the next level of popularity among the legions of grappling, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and combat sports aficionados around the world. And as always, we highlight the many benefits and positive values grappling and jiu-jitsu offer to both their competitors and fans.

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.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

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.

Labels: Abu Dhabi, ADCC, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Kid Peligro, Mundials, No Holds Barred, Submission Wrestling World Championship, UAE, World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the fourth and final show in our series reviewing the historic Art of War 12 mixed martial arts card, which we covered live from Beijing, China, Saturday, May 23, 2009.

For this show, we had the pleasure of having a lengthy discussion with Ricardo Liborio, the founder and head instructor of the American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, and the National Coach for USA Grappling, the grappling program of USA Wrestling. This chat took place on an airplane headed back from China to the U.S. following Art of War 12.

Liborio has been spending a lot of time on airplanes of late, arriving in China directly from the Netherlands, where he was part of a crowd of about 25,000 people who witnessed the May 16 It's Showtime kickboxing card. That card was headlined by a fight between two of the top heavyweights in K-1, Badr Hari and Semmy Schilt, with Hari scoring a stunning knockout of Schilt in just 45 seconds of the first round.

So on our trip back from China, we had a lot of time to discuss many topics. We spoke of the phenomenon of the It's Showtime card and kickboxing in Europe, and the potential of kickboxing around the world to grow as a sport. We analyzed the Art of War 12 card, and the potential of the Art of War Fighting Championship to grow and become one of the most popular mixed martial arts promotions in the world. We evaluated the top fighters in Art of War, including Wu Hao Tian and Rolles Gracie, and where they stand right now as fighters and what their potential is, 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.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

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