NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with MMA fighter Antonio McKee.

The 42-year-old McKee, whose only loss since 2003 was a highly controversial split decision in 2011 on a UFC show in Las Vegas, Nevada, will be returning to action New Year's Eve. He will face the submission master Shinya Aoki in a mixed martial arts fight on the Dream portion of the "GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo - New Year's Eve Special" event at Japan's Saitama Super Arena on Monday, December 31. Since McKee has a strong wrestling base, this fight with Aoki could see a lot of technical and entertaining grappling between two fighters with different styles.

"I think it's a great matchup," said Antonio McKee in this interview, which was recorded by phone Monday, December 17. "I think it's a dangerous matchup for Aoki, considering he's not a real threat on the feet, and we both kind of specialize on the ground. I'm more of the defense and he's more of an offense. So I think it's going to come down to conditioning and who has the heart to win. I really don't plan on it going to a decision."

We also discussed his support for the formation of a union for MMA fighters, the health problems which caused him to miss weight in his final fight in MFC, the need for fighters to be treated professionally, how long he plans to continue fighting, and much more.

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