Tuesday, July 30, 2013
No Holds Barred: Ahati Kilindi Iyi and the African Fighting Sciences
Although as a youth he had a background in both wrestling and amateur boxing - his father was a boxer - Kilindi Iyi soon became attracted to the martial arts. This coincided with the rise of the Black Power movement, and growing up in the oft-rebellious Detroit area, he began to study the origins of the martial arts. He learned that the best evidence we have today shows that the martial arts originated in Africa, so he began to devote himself not only to preserving that history, but also spreading interest in what he calls the African fighting sciences.
"No one actually knows where martial arts started. It could have been St. Louis, Missouri, for all we know. But as far as the recorded evidence that we have today, because somebody may come along tomorrow and find out some other recorded evidence, the oldest fighting systems that we have come from the African continent," he said in this interview, which was recorded by phone Monday.
Since "the oldest records of human beings are located, in bone and in stone," in Africa, he concluded that we can then glean that "the oldest systems that we have record of now are the African fighting sciences."
He also understood that the martial arts require "well-rounded" training, in striking, grappling, and weapons. He has traveled to Africa many times, and studied everything from Senegalese wrestling and the numerous styles of wrestling in Africa, to the warrior societies such as of the Maasai in Tanzania, and just about everything in-between.
As for MMA, he coached Tai Bowden at UFC 9 in May 1996 in Detroit, well before the current rules were in place. He said that many of the elite fighters from the traditional martial arts did not participate in those early UFCs. We discussed the experience of those early UFCs, and also MMA today.
For Kilindi Iyi, however, the main thing about martial arts is not who wins or loses a fight. Key for the practitioners are "the reasons why you fight, and the reasons why you don't fight." Martial arts to him aim to teach people "how you live your life," and not simply fighting techniques.
We also discussed how the martial arts have actually been hurt by getting included in the Olympics or trying to get included; the long decline of Detroit and the roots of its present declaration of financial bankruptcy; how many martial arts today are still racially segregated; what we should and should not conclude about the life of Bruce Lee; sometimes-forgotten Jeet Kune Do fighters such as Carlton James and Larry Hartsell; why young people seeking training in martial arts should choose a school which emphasizes character and etiquette rather than choosing mainly on style; and much more.
In addition, we also discussed the Warrior Retreat, which will be held August 30-September 1 in Williamstown, New Jersey, where he will be one of the many instructors.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: Africa, African, Ahati Kilindi Iyi, boxing, Detroit, Eddie Goldman, fighting sciences, grappling, martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, UFC, wrestling
Sunday, July 28, 2013
No Holds Barred: Is Catch Wrestling the Sleeping Giant of Combat Sports?
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: boxing, catch wrestling, concussions, corruption, CTE, Eddie Goldman, grappling, MMA, No Holds Barred, sleeping giant, UFC
Thursday, July 25, 2013
No Holds Barred: Oso Tayari Casel on Champion Spirit Masters Martial Arts Conference
He is the main organizer of the Champion Spirit Masters Martial Arts Conference.
This event will take place August 17 and 18 at his academy, the Tayari Casel Martial Arts Academy, in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Open to all styles of martial arts and people of all ages and all levels of experience, the Champion Spirit Masters Martial Arts Conference will be offering classes in martial arts that include: Kupigana Ngumi, Kung Fu, Ninjutsu, Sanuces Ryu, Capoeira, Escrima, Tai Chi, as well as Yoga, Drumming and Dance. The theme of the event is: "Healing, History, Traditions, Principles, Courtesy, Respect" and "Honor our Ancestors and Founders". Numerous veteran martial artists will be at this event to share their wisdom and experience.
We spoke with Oso Tayari Casel by phone Wednesday.
"Here in beautiful downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, we are very pleased to host the Champion Spirit Masters Martial Arts Conference and Showcase," he said. He expects it both to be "really exciting" and "going into just so many different aspects of the martial arts."
He added, "I am pleased and very humbled and honored that so many of the Grand Masters are coming here to share their knowledge, their experience, and of course their techniques and wisdom that they've garnered over the years."
We discussed the details of this event, and also how the martial arts, as did human life and civilization, originated in Africa, and the implications of that knowledge. We contrasted the culture in the martial arts to that in professional combat sports, including both boxing and MMA. We discussed the myth of America being a "post-racial society" and how this is reflected in the martial arts and combat sports. We also discussed the planned TV series called "Warrior Island", some of the problems with the governance of martial arts, and much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: Champion Spirit Masters Martial Arts Conference, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Oso Tayari Casel
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
No Holds Barred: Emile Griffith, 1938-2013
Upon hearing of his passing, our correspondent Charles Farrell wrote of Emile Griffith that he was a "spectacularly good fighter. His fights with Luis Rodriguez are works of art. Those two were as close to being equals as any two fighters I've ever seen." Those fights can now be seen on YouTube.
Back in October 2008, there was a media event in Manhattan for the publication of the book "Nine ... Ten ... And Out! The Two Worlds of Emile Griffith". This book was written by Ron Ross and published by boxing promoter Lou DiBella. We spoke with both of them at that event, and are reposting these interviews, which originally appeared on the now-defunct SecondsOut Radio, in their entirety.
This is what we wrote at the time about these interviews:
We spoke at length with the author of this book, Ron Ross, and its publisher, boxing promoter Lou DiBella, about the significance of this story about Emile Griffith, who had a Hall of Fame career in the 1960's and '70's as a welterweight and middleweight champion of the world many times over.
But this book, and our discussion, also delved into that second, less public world lived in by Emile Griffith, that of a gay man. In our conversations, we all emphasized the importance of promoting tolerance, even in this brutal world of boxing.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Emile Griffith, gay, homosexuality, LGBT, Lou DiBella, No Holds Barred, Ron Ross, tolerance
Sunday, July 21, 2013
No Holds Barred: John Perretti On Why He Has Moved On
Despite having come up with the term "mixed martial arts" and being a pioneer and one of the founders of modern MMA, John Perretti is no longer involved in the sport. Nor does he even watch it, either on TV or live, although he does sometimes keep up with other combat sports like boxing, kickboxing, sumo, and wrestling.
"It just didn't interest me," he said in our interview, recorded by Skype this past week on Tuesday. "The whole thing just had devolved into something I had no interest in."
We discussed his disillusionment with a sport in which he had such a key role in creating. He explained how he finds most MMA in the USA "abysmal" and "unwatchable"; how his relationship with the sport has ended similarly to how personal or romantic relationships end; how he "quit" and was never fired from his position as UFC matchmaker; why he considers MMA "not creative anymore"; and the dangers of head trauma and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in MMA and other sports.
When we discussed grappling, he said he wished he had started his groundbreaking professional grappling show, The Contenders, before he had started Extreme Fighting. The Contenders had just one event, in October 1997, after Extreme Fighting, which ran from 1995 to 1997, had gone out of business. What would combat sports history have been like if he had done that?
Besides training his sons in weightlifting - they are both at the top of their weight classes in their age groups in the USA - he plans to open a gym next year in Japan when he relocates there full-time.
And we also asked a broader question from all this: If MMA founders like John, Rorion Gracie, Bob Meyrowitz, Donald Zuckerman, and others are all no longer involved in the sport and have moved on, what does this say about the long-term viability of MMA?
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: Battlecade Extreme Fighting, boxing, concussions, Contenders, CTE, Eddie Goldman, grappling, history, John Perretti, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, sumo, UFC, wrestling
Friday, July 19, 2013
No Holds Barred: Garry Davis, Gillian Silver, and Mickey Hall of Brazen Martial Arts
Garry Davis is the owner and head instructor at Brazen Martial Arts, which is located in East Windsor in central New Jersey. Mickey Hall is a coach at Brazen Martial Arts and also owns Fist-ta-Cuff Fitness. Gillian Silver fights out of Brazen Martial Arts and is also the women's flyweight champion of the Professional Grappling League and a graduate student at Rutgers University.
Brazen Martial Arts is one of the new breed of schools which offers a wide variety of instruction and training for both adults and children, in Jeet Kune Do, various styles of submission grappling including catch-as-catch-can wrestling, cardio/conditioning, kickboxing, and MMA. Besides just offering this training, they promote, according to their web site, the "values of martial arts -- respect, discipline, honor, loyalty, family, and courage."
We spoke with Garry Davis, Gillian Silver, and Mickey Hall by phone Wednesday afternoon.
"I started off in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background many, many, many years ago. I liked how quick it was. I learned a lot from it. I went on to studying a couple of different grappling arts," explained Garry Davis.
"But once I was introduced to catch wrestling, the concept of attacking and wanting to finish to me was super important, whether it was tournament, street, whatever it may be."
He liked the concept in catch wrestling that you "get in there, be the dominant person, and finish, as opposed to playing around."
He added, "I liked the fact that when you're on top, it's non-stop grind. It's not about being on the bottom and trying to be slick. It's about getting on top and controlling and taking care of business. That's what attracted it to me."
We discussed the training at Brazen Martial Arts and the many competitions they enter, either as athletes or coaches. Gillian Silver in particular talked about competing in the Professional Grappling League, which started running events in 2012, also has an amateur division, and is planning its fifth pro show in the coming months.
Much of our discussion focused on the great potential for growth for catch wrestling, both for participants and for spectators. They are all active in training in catch wrestling, and are preparing for the First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament on Saturday, August 31, in Philadelphia, in which Gillian Silver is planning to compete.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: Brazen Martial Arts, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Garry Davis, Gillian Silver, grappling, Mickey Hall, MMA, No Holds Barred, submission
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
No Holds Barred: Carlos Newton
The first Canadian to hold a UFC title, he has fought all around the world and in most major promotions, starting at age 19 in Battlecade Extreme Fighting and going to UFC, Pride, Shooto, Heros, IFL, and others. He also is known as one of the most skilled grapplers ever to have competed in MMA.
Based in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada, area, he currently is an instructor at Revolution Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness and at Warrior Mixed Martial Arts in Newmarket. Although he has not fought in MMA for several years, he now hopes to return to action.
We spoke with Carlos Newton by phone Tuesday.
Asked where he might make his return fight, he minced no words.
"Oh, where I might fight for me is not a question," he said.
"My next fight will be for myself. I will be my own promoter. That's just the way it's going to be."
Although there is no imminent date set for this venture, his plan is to start by running a small show, in a hall with 500 seats. "You don't need a promoter to do that."
This was in line with a major theme of our discussion, that anti-competitive practices in MMA are stifling the marketplace and hurting the interests and livelihoods of most MMA fighters.
We thus compared the structure of boxing to that in MMA. Even with all the well-documented flaws and problems in the sport and business of boxing, boxers overall do better financially than MMA fighters, and also have more rights.
While boxers "have caviar," he said, "we're going to McDonald's."
Some prominent boxers like Floyd Mayweather and the now-retired Oscar De La Hoya have formed their own promotional companies. You generally do not see that in MMA, which is one of the many reasons Carlos prefers the structure in boxing to that in MMA.
We also discussed why he wants to return to fighting, some possible solutions to the problems facing MMA fighters, how the de-emphasis on grappling in MMA has been detrimental to it, and much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: anti-competitive practices, Battlecade Extreme Fighting, boxing, Carlos Newton, Eddie Goldman, grappling, MMA, No Holds Barred, UFC
Monday, July 15, 2013
No Holds Barred: On Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman, MMA, and Gangster Rap
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: combat sports, Eddie Goldman, gangster rap, George Zimmerman, Malcolm X, martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, racism, Trayvon Martin, UFC, white supremacy
Saturday, July 13, 2013
No Holds Barred: Carlos Carvalho on ADCC and Grappling Everywhere, and Strikes in Brazil
Carlos is in New York to compete at the New York Summer International Open IBJJF Championship this Saturday, July 13. Returning recently to competition after taking a break, Carlos had a very successful trip to Rome, Italy, winning gold at the Rome International Open IBJJF Championship on June 29 in the black belt male senior heavyweight division, and also winning gold at the European Open No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2013 on June 30, also in the black belt male senior heavyweight division. He hopes to return home to Columbus, Ohio, with another medal from New York.
We spoke with him Friday at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York.
Besides discussing his own return to the mat, we focused on the seemingly unstoppable growth of grappling virtually everywhere in the world. He noted the great improvement in the level of competition he had seen in Europe, and how he expects this trend to continue.
In the USA, the ADCC Federation has a busy schedule of events coming up, with the next tournament set for Saturday, August 3, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Mountain Pointe High School. More ADCC tournaments are planned for the USA this year in the Denver, Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, and Miami areas. The 2013 ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships will take place October 19-20 in Beijing, China.
"There's a lot of tournaments that are trying to figure out a formula to make this sport interesting to be watched by the general public," he said. "In some different rules in some organizations, the fights take too long. In some other ones, it takes too short. In some other ones, it's not fair this. In some other ones, it's not fair there."
He sees the ADCC rules, where the first half of the match is submission-only and the second half has points, as the best.
"In particular, the rules of ADCC are the most fair and the most active set of rules for the grappling that we have today."
We also discussed a program which is being organized with UAE Jiu Jitsu to bring both black belt and brown belt instructors to the United Arab Emirates to provide instruction in jiu-jitsu.
Besides discussing grappling, we also continued our examination of the mass protests in Brazil against the out-of-control public spending for the FIFA World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, while the basic needs of the bulk of the people are not being met. After nationwide mass demonstrations erupted in June all over Brazil, on Thursday, July 11, there was a ''National Day of Strikes, Stoppages and Protests'' led by labor unions. Tens of thousands of workers marched in the streets and held a one-day strike in dozens of cities to demand workers' rights, better working conditions, and more investment in many areas such as public health, education, and transportation. We discussed the importance of these ongoing struggles by the people of Brazil, some of the lessons which the combat sports can teach those involved in these struggles, and more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: ADCC, America, BJJ, Brazil, Carlos Carvalho, Eddie Goldman, grappling, IBJJF, jiu-jitsu, No Holds Barred, North, protests, strikes, USA, World Submission Fighting Championships
Thursday, July 11, 2013
No Holds Barred: Kye Allums of GO! Athletes on the Fight for Fallon Fox
GO! Athletes is an organization of current and former LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) athletes and their allies fighting to educate people about the need to accept all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Kye is an advocate, public speaker, artist, and athlete. Kye is a recent graduate of The George Washington University where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. While attending GW, Kye came out as the first transgender basketball player to play openly on a Division 1 women's basketball team. Since then he has been devoted to making a difference in the world by fighting transgender ignorance with education through his Transition Tour.
GO! Athletes has been organizing a campaign to support Fallon Fox, the first openly transsexual MMA fighter, and her right to fight other women. They are using the Twitter hashtag #Fight4Fallon.
We spoke with Kye Allums by phone Wednesday about this campaign and the activities of GO! Athletes.
"The #Fight4Fallon came from all of us just being fed up with all of these ignorant comments and uneducated people essentially just saying a lot negative things without having an abundance of positive comments to follow through," he said. "The #Fight4Fallon campaign was to just get people who are supporters of Fallon to start showcasing that, to actually start vocalizing that, seeing these negative comments and not doing anything about it, to combat the negativity."
He continued, "The hope of this is to really show that Fallon has the support of a network and there are people who have her back." But he added, despite the support for her, "That part of the discussion was not being shown and the negative views and comments were overshadowing any of the positive and supportive people that were around the country."
We also discussed how he had first met Fallon Fox even before she had publicly come out, why the assertions that she has an "unfair advantage" over other women fighters are baseless, combat sports athletes and GO! Athletes, and a lot more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: defend, Eddie Goldman, Fallon Fox, GO Athletes, Kye Allums, LGBT, MMA, No Holds Barred, support
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
No Holds Barred: Andrew Smith and Chrissy Linzy of US Grappling on Grapplemania XVI
The next event for US Grappling takes place Saturday, July 20, at the Kerr Vance Academy in Henderson, North Carolina, called Grapplemania XVI.
US Grappling is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling tournament circuit which describes itself as "run by grapplers, for grapplers". They are mainly based in the eastern half of the USA. US Grappling runs tournaments with both gi and no-gi divisions, and tournaments with a point system as well tournaments which are submission-only.
Their next submission-only event will take place Saturday, December 7, 2013, in Richmond, Virginia.
We spoke with Andrew Smith and Chrissy Linzy by phone Tuesday about their vision of grappling and their events.
"We've been around for about seven years now. We've run 100 events now. We actually just had our 100th event in Richmond, Virginia, which is kind of our home base, to a degree," said Andrew Smith in this interview.
"We want to do a different sort of grappling tournament that's just 100 percent catered towards the competitors' experience, from start to finish."
About one-quarter of their events have been submission-only, with no points or time limits. They started these in 2008, and have found that the average submission-only match length has been about eight minutes.
When they decided to start submission-only tournaments, "I think it was more a, 'Could we do it? Would it work? What would happen?'" said Chrissy Linzy.
They had some data on other submission-only matches, also with similar average lengths, so were not shocked by the results. "We've really found that to be true over the years," she added.
We also discussed Grapplemania XVI, one of their biggest events, which has a point system. And we discussed exactly how they have run their events so that they are competitor-friendly, the future of submission-only events and overcoming the resistance to them by some, how they encourage the use of video and social media at their events, and much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: Andrew Smith, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Chrissy Linzy, Eddie Goldman, Grapplemania XVI, No Holds Barred, only, submission, US Grappling
Sunday, July 07, 2013
No Holds Barred: On the Rise and Decline and Rise of Grappling
While there has been a de-emphasis on grappling and submissions in MMA, particularly in North America, the number of events and people training in the numerous styles of grappling around the world has continued to grow. That phenomenon is discussed, for both gi and no-gi grappling, catch wrestling, submission-only grappling, and many more styles. Also discussed are more factors which give grappling an advantage over other combat sports, especially that it has no striking, and thus much less head trauma and brain injury.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: ADCC, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, catch, Eddie Goldman, gi, grappling, judo, MMA, No Holds Barred, no-gi, sambo, submission, wrestling
Thursday, July 04, 2013
No Holds Barred: On the Campaign to Defend Fallon Fox
This is being primarily organized by GO! Athletes, an organization of current and former LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) athletes and their allies fighting to educate people about the need to accept all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The issue of Fallon Fox, the first openly transsexual MMA fighter, and her right to fight other women, has uncovered a mountain of hate, prejudice, ignorance, and misinformation in the MMA and combat sports world. This campaign aims "to build her an army of supporters to combat the negative punches being thrown at our hero", Fallon Fox.
Analyzed are the historical importance of Fallon Fox being the first openly transgender MMA fighter, the unprecedented nature of the organization of a grassroots campaign to support her, comparisons and the differences with the grassroots support organized in the 1960s to support Muhammad Ali when he was unjustly stripped of his world heavyweight boxing title, the mostly negative reaction to Fallon Fox in MMA officialdom and their tools in the "media", and much more.
This show also opens with a brief commentary on the rebirth of catch wrestling, where you can only win by pin or submission, and the importance of the First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, which takes place Saturday, August 31, in Philadelphia.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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 First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.
Labels: defend, Eddie Goldman, Fallon Fox, GO Athletes, LGBT, MMA, No Holds Barred, support
Monday, July 01, 2013
No Holds Barred: Fallon Fox in New York
She was in New York Sunday, June 30, to participate in the annual Heritage of Pride March, which aims to oppose discrimination against the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. Fallon, of course, is the first openly transsexual MMA fighter, and marched with the contingent from GLAAD.
Her next fight will be in the finals of the Championship Fighting Alliance women's 145-pound tournament, where she will face Ashlee Evans-Smith.
We spoke with Fallon Fox Sunday shortly after we both left the Pride March, at a restaurant in New York.
"Wow, this was an amazing event," she said. While she has participated in Pride marches in Chicago a few times and recently in Portland, Oregon, she noted that this was "by far the biggest" she had seen.
"It was insane, it was crazy. A lot of people out just celebrating diversity."
Besides discussing the significance of this event, we of course discussed both her last fight and her upcoming fight in CFA. In her last match, on May 24 at CFA 11 in the tournament semifinals, she won by a third-round submission over Allanna Jones, using a catch wrestling hold known as a "Dragon Sleeper". We discussed what she knows of her next opponent, Ashlee Evans-Smith. While no date has yet been announced for that fight, it is expected to take place relatively soon. And we discussed her growing acceptance in the MMA world.
Before the interview, there is a commentary on the 2013 New York Pride March and its importance. Some photos from the march can be seen here.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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/.
Labels: CFA, Eddie Goldman, Fallon Fox, LGBT, MMA, New York Pride March, No Holds Barred
Photos from Meeting Fallon Fox at 2013 New York Pride March
Here are a few of the photos taken by Fallon Fox and myself at the New York Pride March on Sunday, June 30, 2013.
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Thanks to one of the marchers for taking this photo of Fallon Fox and myself.
This was part of the colorful scene as the march crossed 7th Avenue along Christopher Street.
Some of the pride-ful items on sale at the march.
After we left the march, I gave Fallon a ride in my own private car! The uptown local, of course, was on the downtown express track. Welcome to New York!
At Penn Station stop, next to Madison Square Garden, where Fallon wants to fight one day!
We grabbed some food afterwards, and Fallon took this shot of me. Notice all the veggies I'm inhaling, especially broccoli.
Fallon at the mic after our interview, which will be up soon. She may be planning a postfight career!
Labels: Eddie Goldman, Fallon Fox, LGBT, MMA, New York Pride March, No Holds Barred
