NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the ex-pugilist, lifelong martial artist, former UFC and Battlecade Extreme Fighting matchmaker, TV commentator, and our senior correspondent, John Perretti.

Following up on our previous episode of No Holds Barred with Stephan Kesting of Grapplearts, on MMA, brain damage, concussions, and CTE, we continued to explore these issues. We began with the ethical considerations about participating in and supporting combat sports with striking, where head injuries and brain trauma are necessary results of way those sports are conducted.

We spoke with John Perretti by phone Monday.

"I can keep it short and simple: If you get hit, you get hurt," he said. "And that's not a belief. That's not something that is just beloved of me. That's a fact."

He stated, as he has said before, that he is no longer interested in watching fighters "getting battered," even though he was one of the founders of modern MMA, came up with the basic framework of rounds, gloves, and weight classes used today, and even was using the term "mixed martial arts" as far back as the 1970s.

While he does watch some boxing and other dangerous sports like American football at times, he has lost interest in MMA.

"I just do not care to watch that anymore," he said. MMA, he added, with the growing emphasis on striking both standing and on the ground, has become "a lot more dangerous than it was" when many of us had argued that MMA was safer than boxing. And the main appeal of MMA these days, especially in the U.S., he said, is to those who are "attracted to the violence." It is turning more into a cult or even a "religion," he added.

In fact, partially due to his influence, his two teenage sons, Lucca and Enzo Perretti, no longer train in martial arts or play football, but instead focus on Olympic weightlifting. Both are among the top-ranked weightlifters in the U.S. in their age groups and weight classes.

Although weightlifting is widely practiced and respected, the Olympic weightlifting program is far from reaching its potential as a popular sport.

"Olympic weightlifting is really something that has been neglected," he said. While other sports are plagued with injuries about which we are understanding more and more each day, he said that according to medical studies, Olympic weightlifting has "the lowest injury rate of any sport in the United States of America."

Besides discussing the future of Olympic weightlifting in the U.S. and what it needs to do to popularize itself (hint: look at wrestling's continued failures), we discussed the potential for various styles of grappling and wrestling to grow, what the future holds for combat sports where there is head trauma, why he does not like to watch martial arts films, the great dangers to kids training in MMA, and much, 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.

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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: Battlecade Extreme Fighting, boxing, concussions, CTE, Eddie Goldman, ethics, grappling, injuries, John Perretti, kickboxing, MMA, No Holds Barred, UFC, weightlifting, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, lifelong martial artist, writer, and producer of grappling and jiu-jitsu instructional videos, Stephan Kesting of Grapplearts.

He has also trained MMA fighters, so a recent article he wrote concerning that sport has garnered much attention: "Does MMA Make You Stupid?"

This lengthy article details the dangers of head trauma and brain damage, including the development of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and various forms of dementia, from combat sports and training where there is striking to the head. This important article has received a mostly positive response, and is being widely discussed.

We spoke with Stephan Kesting by phone Saturday about these issues and the future of the combat sports.

In this interview, he outlined questions that aspiring and current MMA fighters must consider: "Am I willing to essentially have Alzheimer's symptoms at age 40 if I do this fight, if I start fighting, and I start sparring hard with kickboxers and boxers and putting in the hundreds and hundreds of rounds in the ring that I need to develop those striking skills? Am I willing to pay that price?"

We discussed how MMA has evolved to emphasize striking more and more over grappling, the resulting short-term and long-term dangers to the fighters from this change, the need for fighters to make informed decisions about these risks, how this may affect the future of the various styles of grappling and wrestling as well as all the combat sports, how doping complicates the problems of head and brain injuries, and much, 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.

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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: BJJ, boxing, brain damage, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, concussions, CTE, dementia, Eddie Goldman, Grapplearts, grappling, head injuries, kickboxing, MMA, No Holds Barred, Stephan Kesting, stupid, wrestling

(Sumo photos by Raul Ramirez)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Dr. Raul Ramirez.

He was in attendance at the 13th annual US Sumo Open, held Sunday, September 15, in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. We discussed that event and the appeal and popularity of sumo.

On November 9, he will also be competing in the second annual international catch wrestling tournament in Wigan, England, the home of catch wrestling, and hosted by the historic Snake Pit Wigan.

We spoke with him by phone Wednesday about these events, and the next steps in the revival of catch wrestling.

"I think what we need to do is put on some good shows," he said about what is needed for catch wrestling. The people running the Snake Pit Wigan tournament "have a good idea with regards to having some invitational events at first," he said. Only competitors who are doing high level catch wrestling are selected, "so that all the people in attendance can see the excitement of catch wrestling." Thus, the spectators "can see what it is and they can know that it is different from other grappling styles."

We also discussed the need for proper marketing and promotion of catch wrestling, using media to its fullest, good organization and quality governance, learning the lessons from the corruption that destroyed catch wrestling as a real sport last century, 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.

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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: Billy Robinson, catch, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Los Angeles. catch-as-catch-can, No Holds Barred, Raul Ramirez, Roy Wood, Snake Pit Wigan, sumo, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the world's top-ranked MMA fighter in the women's 115-pound division, American Top Team fighter Jessica Aguilar.

Her next fight will take place Saturday, October 5, against grappling legend and MMA pioneer Megumi Fujii, in what is billed as Fujii's retirement match. This will be at the Vale Tudo Japan 3rd event at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Ota, Tokyo, Japan.

This fight will be a rematch of their bout in May 2012 at Bellator 69, in which Jessica Aguilar defeated Megumi Fujii by a close, unanimous decision.

Although Jessica Aguilar had been fighting for Bellator MMA and had a six-fight winning streak, Bellator recently decided to close its women's divisions and thus released all women fighters, including her. Now she is a free agent, and has signed a one-fight deal to fight in Vale Tudo Japan.

We spoke with Jessica Aguilar by phone Sunday about this fight and her career.

"This is the best fight that I could even imagine," she said. "It's bigger than the first time around. And then going back to Japan and for her retirement bout. It's just such a great matchup. And the timing is perfect. I'm a free agent now, so this opportunity is huge for me."

We also discussed the "honor" of fighting in Japan, why the Japanese MMA fans are "great" and "the best MMA fans ever", where she might end up fighting after this fight, the growth of women's MMA, her plans on returning to grappling competition, 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/.

Labels: Bellator, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Invicta, Jessica Aguilar, Megumi Fujii, MMA, No Holds Barred, Vale Tudo Japan, women

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses some of the recent coverage of boxing, MMA, and wrestling in the sports media, including Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine, and why it is a combination of mediocre writing, idiocy, and abject shilling. This is related to an exodus, particularly in the U.S., from the mainstream media in general, and highlights the need for the combat sports in particular to develop media providing both quality and critical analysis and reporting.

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: boxing, catch, catch-as-catch-can, combat sports, Eddie Goldman, ESPN Magazine, Floyd Mayweather, Guardian, IOC, media, mediocrities, MMA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Saul Canelo Alvarez, Sports Illustrated, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with wrestling and sports historian and author Mike Chapman.

Our main focus was the future of wrestling in light of the vote Sunday by the International Olympic Committee to retain wrestling for the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, but only as a provisional sport.

In our discussion, recorded Tuesday by phone, Mike Chapman noted that when the IOC members began questioning the representatives of FILA, the international wrestling federation, about their reinstatement, the very first question was about widespread allegations of corruption in the sport.

"The genie's out of the bottle," he said. "It's right up there for everybody to know about. And they simply have to deal with it. They can't look the other way, because it's going to haunt them and bring them down."

We also discussed some of the ongoing problems which nearly led to the demise of Olympic wrestling, including failures in marketing and media.

"The number one thing that I learned through all my business associations is: marketing, marketing, marketing," he said. "You can have the greatest movie, the greatest book, you can have the greatest sport, but if you're not marketing it, it doesn't really matter, because nobody's going to know what you're producing."

He added, "That's just the absolute key, and that's where wrestling has always, always, stumbled and fallen down."

There are a number of wrestling events outside the wrestling establishment which are being organized, including the Tour ACW on October 20 in Pittsburgh and the Agon Wrestling Championships on October 27 in Las Vegas, as well as numerous catch wrestling events.

In particular, the revived catch wrestling, once the style used a century ago when pro wrestling was still in part a real sport, is in its infancy but is seeking to reclaim its place as a major sport.

To revive catch wrestling, he said, "They have to have a plan, and it has to be well thought out." All that requires "a great deal of courage, it takes a great financial plan, and it takes marketing."

In addition, we also discussed the need for good leadership in wrestling, what else international and American wrestling need to do in the coming months after the IOC reinstatement, and much, 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/.

Labels: catch-as-catch-can, corruption, Eddie Goldman, FILA, IOC, leadership, marketing, Mike Chapman, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, pro, real, USA, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the audio of the international media conference call of Sunday, September 8, featuring Nenad Lalovic, the president of FILA, the international wrestling federation.

At the 125th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the full membership of the IOC voted to re-add wrestling to the Olympic Program for 2020 and 2024. Wrestling had been dropped as a core sport for those years at a meeting of the IOC Executive Board in February of this year, but then allowed to re-apply along with seven other sports. Three sports were shortlisted in May for the final vote, which was held September 8. Those were wrestling, squash, and the joint bid by baseball and softball. The final vote Sunday had wrestling securing a majority of voters on the first round, getting 49 votes, to 24 for baseball/softball and 22 for squash.

Following the announcement of the vote, Lalovic held an international media conference call, outlining his views on the changes FILA had made since the bombshell announcement of February. He also addressed the issue of corruption in wrestling, and other topics.

We also expect to have more analysis and discussion of these developments in the days and weeks to come.

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: corruption, Eddie Goldman, FILA, International Olympic Committee, IOC, Nenad Lalovic, No Holds Barred, Olympics, wrestling

(photo: Esther Lin/Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our colleague, correspondent, and award-winning boxing writer, Charles Farrell, who is also co-editor of The Boxing Standard.

Our main subject was what is expected to be the biggest fight this year, and perhaps the biggest grossing pay-per-view of all time, the September 14 showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

In this bout between these two unbeaten fighters, the 36-year-old pound-for-pound king Mayweather (44-0, 26 KOs) faces the 23-year-old WBA and WBC 154-pound champion Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs) at a catch weight of 152 pounds. It takes place Saturday, September 14, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and will be shown live in the U.S. on Showtime pay-per-view, in the U.K. on BoxNation, in Mexico on Televisa, and also on many networks around the world. The event is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions, and Canelo Promotions.

We spoke with Charles Farrell Thursday to preview this fight.

Mayweather is the favorite to win this fight, and we both agreed with that assessment.

"I do think it should be a pretty decisive win for Mayweather," said Charles Farrell. "Aside from some difference in size -- Canelo is a bigger guy and he's a growing guy -- I don't see that Mayweather doesn't have every appreciable advantage. There's nothing that Canelo does that he hasn't seen many, many times before." He added that he expects the likeliest outcome to be a comfortable 12-round decision for Mayweather.

However, this being boxing, we also discussed the possibility, as some others have as well, that Mayweather would win the fight but would lose the decision. Robberies and horribly bad decisions are common in boxing, so we discussed the business considerations behind such a possibility, including Canelo's popularity and potential longevity as a star.

We also discussed the many prominent boxing writers "who don't know anything about boxing", as well as some comments on the compelling co-feature on this show, where WBA and WBC 140-pound champion Danny Garcia (26-0, 16 KOs) takes on slugger Lucas Matthysse (34-2, 32 KOs).

In addition, we play a brief excerpt from the media conference calls for this fight, one with Canelo and another with Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions.

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: boxing, Charles Farrell, Eddie Goldman, Floyd Mayweather, No Holds Barred, Saul Canelo Alvarez

On this edition of No Holds Barred, the tables were once again turned, as host Eddie Goldman was interviewed by Scott Casber, host of Takedown Wrestling Radio.

This discussion, which was recorded Tuesday, covered the major controversies and the latest developments in the world of wrestling and grappling.

Here is the description of the show by Scott Casber:

"Godfather" Eddie Goldman of No Holds Barred Goes 1 on 1 with Takedown Radio

From head injuries, to pro-style and amateur wrestling, the IOC vote, and more, the "Godfather", Eddie Goldman of No Holds Barred, goes one-on-one with Takedown Wrestling's Scott Casber. This extensive interview is proof positive of Eddie's passion for the sport and his ability to get under the skin of major issues we face today.

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: BJJ, brain injuries, concussion, CTE, Eddie Goldman, FILA, football, grappling, head trauma, IOC, lawsuit, NFL, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Scott Casber, Takedown Radio, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the settlement last week between the National Football League and over 4000 players who sued them claiming that the league had concealed information and misled them regarding the dangers of head trauma and concussions.

There is a new and moving documentary called The United States of Football about these issues, which is currently playing in select theaters in the U.S. This film is highly recommended as it graphically shows the suffering of many former football players from these brain injuries.

The many styles of grappling and wrestling provide tough competition without the intentional hitting, and with much less head trauma than sports like American football. Football is still by far the most popular sport in America. But will these sports be able to take advantage of what many expect to be a gradual decline of football, similar in some ways to what happened to smoking, and what must they do to accomplish that?

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: brain injuries, concussion, CTE, Eddie Goldman, football, grappling, head trauma, lawsuit, NFL, No Holds Barred, wrestling