Wednesday, September 28, 2011
No Holds Barred: Marcus Holt and Steven Nightingale of Reps MMA on Truth about U.K. Kids Cage Fighting Story
Based in Preston, Lancashire, in the U.K., they were involved in organizing a mixed martial arts show, called Reps Retribution, on September 10 at the Greenlands Labour Club. Before the show, there was an exhibition grappling match in the event's cage between two young boys, both of whose parents were in attendance. There was no striking of any kind permitted in this exhibition, and no score was even kept in it.
After a video of their grappling match appeared online, some major mainstream media outlets in the U.K., including the BBC and Sky News, circulated hysterical reports that eight-year-old boys had been involved in "cage fighting", making it seem that they had a full-blown mixed martial arts fight. Much of the American mainstream media, including CBS News, MSNBC, the New York Daily News, and many others copied this story, inaccuracies and all.
While the mainstream media on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were wringing their hands and condemning this as "barbaric", they were entirely incapable of understanding and reporting the truth about this grappling exhibition. This, of course, is not the first time and certainly not the last time that they have tried to spread lies, smears, and distortions about the combat sports.
Thus, to get at the truth, we spoke with Marcus Holt and Steven Nightingale of Reps MMA about what really happened at this event, their plans for running more MMA and grappling events, the state of British wrestling, 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.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
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:
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: Eddie Goldman, Kids Cage Fighting, Marcus Holt, No Holds Barred, Steven Nightingale
Sunday, September 25, 2011
No Holds Barred: Ward-Froch, Hershman on Strikeforce, Mayweather-Ortiz Replay, Dream 17, Kids Cage Fighting, New Olympic Boxing Scandal
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.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
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:
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: boxing, corruption, Eddie Goldman, Froch, Mayweather, MMA, No Holds Barred, Ortiz, Ward
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
No Holds Barred: On Pacquiao, Overeem, Governance, and Corruption in Combat Sports
We discuss the dispute between boxer Manny Pacquiao and his promoter, Top Rank, and the business and accounting company VisionQwest; the dispute involving K-1 and former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem, his management company Golden Glory, and UFC; the sanctioning of disgraced boxer Antonio Margarito by New York; problems in the new MMA organizations in Asia; controversies at the world wrestling championships; 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.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
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:
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Game, Margarito, MMA, No Holds Barred, Overeem, Pacquiao, Play
Sunday, September 18, 2011
No Holds Barred: Bloodstain Lane on Mayweather-Ortiz Controversy
Late in the fourth round of that fight, which was telecast on HBO pay-per-view, referee Joe Cortez stopped the action to deduct a point from Ortiz for a blatant head butt. When they restarted, Ortiz chose to hug Mayweather and apologize. Mayweather hugged him back, but then Ortiz stood with his hands down. Mayweather next quickly landed a left hook and a solid right which dropped Ortiz. Referee Cortez, who was looking outside the ring and talking with someone when Mayweather threw that first punch, then counted during the knockdown, and subsequently counted Ortiz out, thus indicating that the punches were indeed legal. Mayweather was declared the winner by knockout at 2:59 of round four.
Many people, however, believe that Mayweather should not have attacked Ortiz, even though the fight had resumed. In any case, this has become one of the biggest controversies in the history of boxing.
We discussed this controversy with Bloodstain Lane and replied to the critics of Mayweather. The old boxing maxim of "Protect yourself at all times" was invoked. We also discussed the comments of Larry Merchant of HBO towards Mayweather after the fight, and that the HBO announcers did not criticize the referee. And we commented on the reluctance of the Manny Pacquiao camp to comply with Mayweather's stipulation that such a fight would only take place if Pacquiao agreed to undergo random and unannounced blood and urine drug testing. In addition, we commented on what appeared to be an early stoppage in the Canelo Alvarez-Alfonso Gomez fight on that telecast. In that bout, Alvarez was declared the winner by knockout in the sixth round, even though Gomez, while hurt, had not been knocked down in that round.
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.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
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:
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: Bloodstain Lane, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Floyd Mayweather, No Holds Barred, Victor Ortiz
Friday, September 16, 2011
No Holds Barred: Big John McCarthy
Big John is on a book-signing tour for his new autobiography, written with Loretta Hunt, called Let’s Get It On!
This book is a welcome, revealing, and entertaining addition to the library of anyone who is seriously interested in the real history and development of mixed martial arts and combat sports.
We spoke with Big John while he was in New York about his autobiography. We discussed some of what is covered in the book, including how he met Rorion Gracie and got involved with the creation of UFC, the problems today with officiating in MMA, what can be done to improve the refereeing and health and safety measures around the world, what his activities are now, and much more. He also called for an independent sanctioning body to control the belts in MMA.
"No promoter should be in charge of belts," he said during this interview. "It should be sanctioning bodies as what legally can have control of belts. Because when you have a promoter that has control of their belt, you really don't have the ability to put sometimes the best fighters together. You don't have that."
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.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
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:
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: Big John McCarthy, Eddie Goldman, MMA, No Holds Barred, referee, Strikeforce, UFC
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
No Holds Barred: King Mo Lawal
"King" Mo was victorious in his most recent fight, a first-round knockout over jiu-jitsu and grappling world champion Roger Gracie on the September 10 Strikeforce show in Cincinnati, in a light heavyweight bout.
In another candid interview, we spoke with "King" Mo by phone Tuesday night about this fight, which was his first in over a year because of a knee injury and subsequent surgery. He explained his strategy in this fight and why he, a world-class wrestler facing a world-class grappler, wanted it to stay standing. We discussed the interaction of grappling and striking in mixed martial arts, and the aesthetics of watching mixed-style fights vs. those with pure styles. We discussed his uncertain future in Strikeforce after this victory, and the poor attendance and TV ratings for what turned out to be an entertaining card. We also discussed the knockout victory on this same show by his longtime friend, teammate, and training partner, heavyweight Daniel Cormier, who stopped Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in the first round. Both "King" Mo and Daniel Cormier were also champions in the now-defunct Real Pro Wrestling organization, and we discussed what led to its demise. We also discussed how he might do in a fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, the recent controversies at the 2011 World Wrestling Championships, the upcoming Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz and "Canelo" Alvarez-Alfonso Gomez fights, 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.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
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:
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, King Mo Lawal, MMA, No Holds Barred, Strikeforce, wrestling
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
No Holds Barred: Victor Ortiz, Canelo Alvarez, and Alfonso Gomez
The 24-year-old Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) will be making the first defense of his WBC welterweight belt against the contorversial but unbeaten 34-year-old Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) in Las Vegas this coming Saturday, September 17. The 21-year-old phenom Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (37-0-1, 27 KOs), will be defending his WBC super welterweight belt against the 30-year-old Alfonso Gomez (23-4-2, 12 KOs), who is on a five-fight winning streak. Alvarez and Gomez will fight that same night in Los Angeles, with both fights being featured on HBO pay-per-view in the U.S.
We spoke with Victor Ortiz, Canelo Alvarez, and Alfonso Gomez on prefight media conference calls to preview their fights.
In addition, we open by contrasting how two of the ancient combat sports, boxing and wrestling, are presently handling their televising of their world championship events.
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.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
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:
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: boxing, Canelo, Eddie Goldman, Floyd Mayweather, Gomez, No Holds Barred, Victor Ortiz