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Thursday, March 31, 2011

April 1 No Holds Barred: Eddie Goldman Retires from Radio to Become Country Music Superstar 


On this special April 1 edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman explains why he is retiring from radio and now becoming a country music superstar.
After fooling around for a bit on this April Fools' Day, we return to reality by previewing some of the best and real combat sports action taking place this weekend.
The start of the 2011 European M-1 Selection tournament takes place Friday, April 1, in Makhachkala, the capital of the Republic of Dagestan in Russia. It will be streamed for free and live on the M-1 Global web site and the M-1 Global Facebook fan page starting at 10:00 AM EDT / 7:00 AM PDT on Friday, April 1.
We also again preview the FightTime 4 main event which pits Jeff Monson against Tony Lopez for the ISKA heavyweight title, at the War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This card will be shown live as an Internet pay-per-view on GoFightLive.
On Saturday, April 2, among the many boxing cards taking place around the world will be the highly-anticipated rematch between WBO light flyweight champion Giovani Segura and the man from whom he won that title, the previously-unbeaten Ivan Calderon. The rematch takes place at the Auditorio del Estado in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. This fight will be shown live in the U.S. on pay-per-view.
We also discuss the defense of his European lightweight title by unbeaten John Murray against Spanish champion Karim El Ouazghari in London in the U.K. This fight will be shown in the U.K. on Sky Sports.
The Bellator Fighting Championships will have one of their strongest cards of the year this Saturday, April 2, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Headlining Bellator 39 will be their lightweight champion and one of the best mixed martial arts fighters in the world, Eddie Alvarez, who will defend his belt against Pat Curran, who earned the title shot by winning the Bellator lightweight tournament last year. In a welterweight tournament semifinal fight, former champion Lyman Good takes on unbeaten judo Olympian Rick Hawn. In a lightweight semifinal fight, submission artist Toby Imada takes on Patricky "Pitbull" Freire. And in a welterweight fight, Ben Saunders faces Matt Lee.
Bellator 39 will be shown live in the U.S. on MTV2.
And we comment on the Combate Extremo event also taking place Saturday, April 2, at the Arena Coliseo in Monterrey, Mexico, 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.
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.

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

No Holds Barred: Jeff Monson 


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with American Top Team mixed martial arts fighter and two-time ADCC world champion Jeff Monson.
His next fight is Friday, April 1, in the main event at Fight Time 4. His opponent will be former King of the Cage champion Tony Lopez in a fight to crown the first-ever ISKA heavyweight champion. This card will take place at the War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It will be available on Fox Sports Net and SunSports FightZone series in Florida, and will also be shown live as an Internet pay-per-view on GoFightLive.
We spoke with Jeff Monson by phone Tuesday afternoon about this fight and a number of important issues in mixed martial arts. He discussed his very active schedule of fights, even as he is now 40 years old. He is a world-class grappler, and we analyzed his continuing improvement as a striker through his training at American Top Team.
We also discussed the absence of health insurance in a sport where the aim is to hurt your opponent, a situation he called "unfathomable". And we examined the need for some type of union or association of fighters, something Jeff believes is "doable" if a proper structure is created and fighters fight in their own interests and stick together.
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.

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Saturday, March 26, 2011

No Holds Barred: Chris Thomas on State of Mixed Martial Arts 


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent Chris Thomas about the state of mixed martial arts.
On the top of the list of issues we discussed was the recent buyout by Zuffa, the parent company of UFC, of their main competitor, Strikeforce. We examined the issue of whether or not this might violate antitrust legislation in the U.S. We discussed the possible precedent set by the 1955 U.S. Supreme Court case, United States v. International Boxing Club of New York (IBC), in which the court said that the U.S. government could take the IBC to trial for having an effective monopoly on boxing, despite the antitrust exemption that the U.S. Congress had granted to baseball. The U.S. government prevailed, and later won its case against the IBC.
We also examined other issues relating to the state of MMA, including who benefits and who does not with this buyout, what other or aspiring major promoters might do to succeed under the present conditions, 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.
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.

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

No Holds Barred: Anthony Robles, Bubba Jenkins, Jon Reader, Jordan Burroughs, Kevin Jackson, Cael Sanderson 


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents interviews and commentary from the spectacular 2011 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships, held March 17-19 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
We have comments from the Outstanding Wrestler of this tournament, Anthony Robles, the 125-pound champion from Arizona State, who finished this season undefeated. Born without a right leg, his rise to the top in college wrestling is one of the most moving and important sports stories in the world. He said he now will focus on motivational speaking. We also have comments from Bubba Jenkins, the 157-pound champion, also from Arizona State, who won his finals match with a stunning pin of previously-unbeaten David Taylor, the freshman phenom from Penn State. Bubba Jenkins said that he now plans to fight professionally in mixed martial arts. We have comments from two of the wrestlers who also finished this season undefeated, 165-pound champion Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska and 174-pound champion Jon Reader of Iowa State. Both of these wrestlers plan to continue wrestling and will try to make the U.S. Olympic Team in freestyle wrestling. And we have comments from two coaches who were themselves Olympic gold medalists in freestyle wrestling, Kevin Jackson of Iowa State and Cael Sanderson of Penn State, which won the team title.
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.

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Monday, March 14, 2011

No Holds Barred: Rob Maysey of Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association on Zuffa-Strikeforce Deal 


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Rob Maysey of the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association (MMAFA).
The announcement Saturday, March 12, that Zuffa, the parent company of UFC, had purchased their strongest rival promotion, Strikeforce, has highlighted the absence of any type of fighter association in mixed martial arts. The MMAFA seeks to fill that role, and models itself on the Major League Baseball Players' Association and the Screen Actors Guild, in order to maximize the influence and earning capacity of its members in the sport of mixed martial arts.
We spoke late Sunday night with Rob Maysey about these major developments in mixed martial arts. We discussed what had actually happened with this purchase of Strikeforce by Zuffa, and how the previous co-owner of Strikeforce, Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, had decided to dump it. We discussed the role of Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker in these negotiations, what we expect Zuffa to do with Strikeforce, and what is next for other mixed martial arts organizations, including M-1 Global and Bellator. We also commented on what might happen with the American cable TV network Showtime, which still has a contract to telecast Strikeforce events, and the potential for another powerful rival mixed martial arts company to emerge under these conditions.
This new situation gives one promotional company, Zuffa, control of a very high percentage of top-ranked fighters in the world. We discussed the implications of the creation of this virtual monopoly both in terms of potential antitrust issues as well as the rights and compensation of fighters.
And we discussed the immediate need for fighters to utilize this present situation to organize themselves into their own association.
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.

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Sunday, March 13, 2011

SOME NO-HOLDS-BARRED ADVICE: RUN NO-HOLDS-BARRED FIGHTING LIKE A SPORT, NOT A SPECTACLE 

From March 9, 1997, for the long-defunct newsletter Vale Tudo News, of which I was editor, in a time long lost and a galaxy far, far away:

SOME NO-HOLDS-BARRED ADVICE: RUN NO-HOLDS-BARRED FIGHTING LIKE A SPORT, NOT A SPECTACLE
by Eddie Goldman

Just when we thought the biggest legal battles for no-holds-barred fighting (NHB) were behind us, that unaccountable merry band of men and women known as politicians pulled a double-cross that was remarkable even for people with as few scruples or principles as them. Barely four months after signing into law near-unanimously passed legislation legalizing NHB in New York, Governor Pataki signed yet a new law, also almost unanimously passed, repealing that one, and making NHB illegal in the State of New York. Now we can safely send the kiddies back into the streets to play.

But let's face the hard facts. Scoundrels and no-counts as the politicians may be, this fiasco could never have happened without a series of major miscalculations on the part of many of the people who run the NHB companies. Most importantly, the public seems to be tiring of the present direction of NHB. Despite the enormous free publicity UFC XII got in the mainstream media because of the legal and political controversy, despite coming off a good show in UUFC2, and despite having a marketable showdown between the old and new stars of UFC in Severn and Coleman, a gimmick that works in every other sport, the reported buy rate was between .4 and .5, or flat, about the same as the last two shows.

For those who support the sport of NHB and want to see it prosper, it's time some issues be addressed promptly and properly. NHB has surely reached a decisive crossroads, and it is unclear just how much time it has left to reverse its present slide.

The single biggest weakness of the NHB companies -- all of them -- has been their failure to run consistently and thoroughly their promotions and NHB as a sport. This is not just a case of too much hype in their advertising, which we pointed out in issue #9 of VTN. In fact, their promotional materials have improved since then. No, the problems appear deeper.

The major NHB companies need to field cards involving athletes and only athletes. They must be professionals with real, and verifiable credentials. There are still too many stiffs with 98-0 and 200-0 records being passed off on us, like we're too dumb to figure out we're being lied to by the promoters. There is only one athlete in the world, to my knowledge, that in any type of combat sport, has anything even approaching that kind of astronomical record. That distinction belongs to none other than the three-time Olympic gold medalist Alexandre Karelin, undefeated in international Greco-Roman wrestling competition in the last 10 years or so.

The major league NHB promotions should not be presenting the equivalent of minor league talent on their pay-per-views. Those fighters can and do appear on many of the smaller, regional shows. For example, on the February 28 I.F.C. show, several of the fighters were introduced as making their professional NHB debut, and that is the way it should be. But if the $19.95 and up pay-per-views remain populated by guys who look like they are amateurs and maybe won a few club or bar fights, why should anyone expect the buy rates to do anything other than nosedive? And what the hell are guys like this doing fighting for supposedly major championships? Let fighters like these first accomplish something somewhere else first. This is the kind of Don King crap that is killing boxing. Let's leave such tactics for promoters like him.

If NHB is ever to be accepted as a sport, and not a spectacle that resembles pro wrestling, there must be independently-verified steroid testing implemented immediately. One well-known NHB competitor told me recently that at a major NHB show held not long ago, EVERY fighter was on the juice. I have heard similar stories from other insiders. Whatever the actual numbers, it's obvious to the naked eye that this has been at least more or less the case. Get rid of steroids. Now. Completely.

Another disaster waiting to happen is the conflict of interest involving those who work in a promotion and have an interest in a particular fighter or group of fighters. Also, similarly, there are those who represent both fighters in the same fight, or more than one fighter in the same tournament.

The rule should be simple: one manager, one fighter per fight or tournament or weight class, alternates included.

No wonder that both insiders and fans alike have been openly speculating on whether or not some NHB fights have had pre-determined finishes. This alone could cause the death of NHB.

How on earth can you convince an ill-educated public, a dim-witted press, and a bunch of money-hungry politicians that NHB is a legitimate sport deserving of the same sanctioning and tolerance as other sports, when it is being run like this?

There are also many pro and cons on such issues as time limits, judges, and rounds. The fact is that people have limited time to view spectator sports, and that most people want to see a winner and a loser wherever possible. Remember ABC's "Wide World of Sports" classic opening line about "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat"? NHB must be run as a sport, and the appeal of sports is due in large part to the universal appeal that exciting drama holds for most people. Drama without conclusion and finality is incomplete and not satisfying. Without victory or defeat there is little thrill or agony, and, thus, little appeal.

These, I believe, are some of the reasons the buy rates for NHB have dropped, and remain at a record low point. Their marketing has been generally incapable of bringing in new fans, but they have been even more incapable of keeping the fans who had already shelled out some money to tune in. The problem, then, is in good part internal, and with the product that has been offered as of late.

It is thus unfortunate that some of the suits in the NHB world, in the wake of the New York fiasco, have begun a campaign of finger-pointing and painting rival promoters as "the enemy", "the bad guys", etc. The fact is, the New York legislation legalizing NHB was passed without public opinion first being changed. In fact, at the time it was passed, there were articles in the New York papers quoting New York legislators who were in general lamenting the fact that they were often voting on bills they had neither read nor understood, but just because their party leaders had instructed them to.

If half as much money that was spent on paying a lobbyist were spent on doing good public relations and familiarizing the public with the fighters, and showing that they were not a bunch of half-crazed, bloodthirsty killers, but a group of mainly disciplined and highly-skilled athletes, then maybe we all wouldn't be in this mess today.

But, it seems that the strategy of some of these suits was to keep the public in the dark as much as possible about the legal maneuverings going on in the inaccessible chambers of the State Capitol in Albany. So when the New York Times ran its now infamous front-page story on NHB coming to New York, this house of cards quickly collapsed. Had a serious attempt first been made to change public opinion, whatever political attacks were forthcoming would not have had such a devastating effect. This is also specifically why UFC expected to win its Federal Court case after the New York State Athletic Commission issued its ridiculous set of rules designed solely to sabotage UFC XII. They were telling everyone that it was a sure thing that they would win in court. Maybe they had read in a college textbook somewhere that courts and judges make decisions based on the merits of the facts, and what the law allows, and not how much raw power those on each side of the aisle bring with them. The courtroom is an octagon, too.

No, but the finger-pointing is intensifying, with everyone else to blame, including even the Mohawks who dared to run a NHB show in their own Nation that is partially inside New York's borders. It is easier to find enemies than to keep friends for some, and apparently not even yours truly is exempt from this exercise of "who lost New York?". You see, as I have written in these pages two months ago, and informed all of my various editors, producers, and publishers, I make a few bucks from working on the long-delayed Extreme Fighting page on the Penthouse web site. To some, but not the WBAI Program Director, or anyone else I must report to, this has become a problem. I'll just stand on my record of being one of the most vociferous defenders of NHB in the media, and that goes for all companies. Anyone that thinks that the mainstream media, that finances itself through advertising and investors, and that the journalism schools that fund themselves from grants from the many media giants, really separate fact from opinion, and really represent the unbiased search for truth, and not the interests of those who fund them, is naive at best. And anyone who thinks that a couple of bucks can get me to say or write something that I don't wholeheartedly believe, whether I may be right or wrong, just confesses that they are the ones whose butt is for sale. I'll just stand on what I have done in the light of day.

But make no mistake about it. The NHB press is partisan, as well. We support this sport and work to promote its health. We are not like most of the martial arts magazines. Those are mainly glossy-paged shoppers whose editorial content seems to be infomercials about the wonders available through the products and services of those who just happen to advertise on the adjoining pages. We, on the other hand, try to put the fans and fighters first. If we falter, you, the readers, should let us know.

It is to these ends that it has become time to raise these issues publicly. The very future of this sport of the future is at stake.

March 9, 1997

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

No Holds Barred: Neil Melanson on Catch Wrestling and Grappling 


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the head grappling coach at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas, Neil Melanson.
Neil had served for seven years in the U.S. Navy and for five years as a Special Agent in the Federal Air Marshal Service, doing counter-terrorism work. His quest to become a mixed martial arts fighter was cut short after he lost sight in one eye due to suffering from Behcet 's disease. Now he trains both professional and amateur fighters and gym students in various styles of grappling, for both grappling competitions and mixed martial arts.
He has also become one of the growing number of devotees of catch wrestling, also known as catch-as-catch-can wrestling. In this style of wrestling, you can win by submission or pin. A century ago, catch wrestling was one of the most popular professional sports in America and the world.
Neil has trained under the legendary Gene LeBell, and now helps train MMA legend Randy Couture, including in catch wrestling and how it applies to mixed martial arts.
In our recent phone interview, we discussed many of the prominent styles of grappling, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and catch wrestling. We compared the techniques and methods of these great grappling disciplines, and discussed how they applied to mixed martial arts.
We also examined the relatively small but blossoming movement to revive catch wrestling. Could the establishment of a new infrastructure of tournaments and training centers for catch wrestling resuscitate it as both a competitive and spectator sport sometime in the future? Many people would like that to occur, but there is a long, long way to go until anything close to that happens. We thus discussed some of the things that could be done to expand the reach of this sport, the rules for catch wrestling, 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.
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.

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Tuesday, March 08, 2011

No Holds Barred: Jens Andersen of Play the Game on World Sports Anti-Corruption Agency 


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Jens Sejer Andersen, the International Director of Play the Game.
Based in Denmark, Play the Game is an organization "aiming to strengthen the ethical foundation of sport and promote democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in sport." Particular attention has recently been given to the movement to establish an international agency to battle corruption in sport.
We spoke with Jens Andersen about the latest developments in this movement, including the establishment of a task force set up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to come up with recommendations to fight irregular and illegal sports betting as well as other forms of corruption. We analyzed the strong and weak points of the IOC plan, and discussed whether or not the legal gambling industry can be viewed as an ally in the battle against corruption in sport. And we discussed the important role which the fans can play in this fight, which ultimately involves determining if all the sports which the fans enjoy are what they appear to be and are on the level, or not.
Also, March 6, 2011, marks the fifth anniversary of this show, No Holds Barred, as a podcast. March 8 is also the fortieth anniversary of the first fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. We tie these two anniversaries together by noting the long fight Ali had for justice both inside and outside the ring, and the view held by one of the very few supporters Ali had in the media at that time, Howard Cosell, that "anybody who would call himself or herself a journalist has the duty to act as a watchdog, protecting the public interest against the increasingly arrogant and powerful sports Establishment."
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.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

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Sunday, March 06, 2011

No Holds Barred: Randall Yogachandra on Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship 3, Weekend Review 


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Randall Yogachandra, the CEO of I SEE Entertainment, which is the promoter and owner of the mixed martial arts promotion, the Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship (ADFC). We also briefly review the Strikeforce, Bellator, and HBO Boxing cards.
The ADFC will be having their third event Friday, March 11, at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. This will feature the finals of their open-weight tournament, with Marcos Oliveira taking on Shamil Abdurahimov.
In a lengthy discussion by Skype on Thursday, we spoke with Randall Yogachandra about this event, the concept behind the ADFC, and the importance of Abu Dhabi to the entire sporting world. They have big plans to expand throughout the Middle East and North Africa region, and work with other promotions all around the world, perhaps one day leading to the formation of an international federation for MMA.
We also open with a brief review and commentary on the main televised fights from this weekend. While Strikeforce certainly had an exciting show, the defeat of Dan Hornbuckle and Jim Wallhead in the quarterfinals of the Bellator welterweight tournament again showed that this might be the best tournament Bellator has ever held.
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.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

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Thursday, March 03, 2011

No Holds Barred: Jay Hieron of Bellator Fighting Championships 


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with one of the top welterweight mixed martial arts fighters in the world, Jay Hieron.
Fighting out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Jay Hieron has recently signed with the Bellator Fighting Championships and will make his debut with them this Saturday, March 5, at Bellator 35 from the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. He will face Anthony Lapsley in a quarterfinal fight in the Bellator season 4 welterweight tournament. This card will be televised live in the U.S. on MTV2 beginning at 9pm ET/PT (tape-delayed on West Coast), with a Spanish-language telecast airing on MTV Tr3s on Sunday, March 6, at 8pm ET/PT.
Although several of the promotions in which he has fought have had difficulties, Jay Hieron remains one of the most talented fighters in mixed martial arts. He was the reigning IFL welterweight champion when that promotion folded, and has an overall record of 19-4. He has won his last seven fights and not lost a fight since 2007. He went 2-0 in Strikeforce before parting ways with them, and now hopes to win the Bellator welterweight tournament, thus guaranteeing him a title shot, free of politics and the rest.
We spoke with Jay Hieron by phone Tuesday night about his upcoming fight, some of the lessons of his career in both wrestling and MMA, and his plans. Despite a layoff of over a year, he still considers himself a top ten fighter, and aims to prove it on March 5.
The Bellator welterweight tournament in packed with talent. The other quarterfinal fights on this card, which will also be televised, are Rick Hawn vs. Jim Wallhead, Chris Lozano vs. Lyman Good, and Brent Weedman vs. Dan Hornbuckle.
The return to action of Jay Hieron takes place on a very busy weekend for the combat sports, but make sure not to miss his fight and the intriguing Bellator welterweight tournament.
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.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

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Wednesday, March 02, 2011

No Holds Barred: Coach Kevin Jackson Previews 2011 NCAA Div. I and Big 12 Wrestling Championships 


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Kevin Jackson, the Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion freestyle wrestler, who is completing his second season as head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.
With their two national champions from last season having graduated and some other problems facing the team, the 2010-11 regular season has been somewhat of a disappointment for Iowa State. Nonetheless, as the postseason tournaments are about to start, they are ranked in team polls as high as number 11, and known as a team that historically peaks this time of year.
We thus spoke with Coach Jackson about the prospects for Iowa State at the 2011 Big 12 Wrestling Championships and the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
The 2011 Big 12 Wrestling Championships take place Saturday, March 5, at Hilton Coliseum of the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. This event will be streamed live on Big12Sports.com, with the finals also being streamed on the FSN web site. For more information, go to http://www.big12sports.com.
The 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will take place from Thursday, March 17, through Saturday, March 19, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ESPN in the U.S. will televise the finals live, and the ESPN networks and web sites will provide coverage of all six sessions of this tournament. For more information, go to http://www.ncaa.com/championships/wrestling/d1.
Iowa State has the number one ranked wrestler at 174 pounds, senior Jon Reader, who is undefeated this season. We discussed his chances for winning a national title in his final college season, as well as some of the other Iowa State wrestlers Coach Jackson expects to be in contention for Big 12 and national titles. We also discussed the situation involving 14-year-old female high school wrestler Cassy Herkelman, who had a male opponent in Iowa's recent high school state tournament forfeit to her rather than wrestling a girl.
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.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

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Tuesday, March 01, 2011

No Holds Barred: IOC President Jacques Rogge News Conference on Illegal Sport Betting 


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the audio from the news conference held Tuesday, March 1, 2011, by Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announcing the formation of a task force to address the issue of how "to fight irregular and illegal sport betting". This news conference was held at the headquarters of the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland.
We also comment on some of the problems with the plans for such a task force, including seeing the regulated gambling industry as an ally in the battle against corruption in sports, and how this would be a step backwards for many major professional sports. And we discuss how various forms of corruption have hurt the combat sports over the years, and the continuing need for the establishment of an independent world sports anti-corruption agency.
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.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

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