NO HOLDS BARRED

Here are some photos from the the Liberty Bell Classic/King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, which took place Saturday, August 30, at the Primal Gym in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

in the main event, Luis Ojeda and Anthony Sansonetti had an epic catch wrestling match, with Luis Ojeda finally winning by pin in 55 minutes and 10 seconds. The match had to go into a fourth, overtime period, with no pins or submissions having been scored until then.

By winning, Luis Ojeda was crowned American heavyweight catch wrestling champion, the first such holder of this title in real catch wrestling since the early 1900s.

The big winner of the tournaments was Thomas Velasquez, who captured championships in both the heavyweight and absolute divisions.


Dan Kanagie, Eddie Goldman, Thomas Velasquez, and Ray Karakas. Thomas Velasquez wins Frank Gotch Award.


Anthony Sansonetti (L) and Luis Ojeda (R) lock up in the corner in the first round of their match. Referee Joel Bane watches closely.


Luis Ojeda riding Anthony Sansonetti, as he did much of the match.


Luis Ojeda gets up right after pinning Anthony Sansonetti.


The winner, and the new American heavyweight catch wrestling champion, Luis Ojeda.


Both Luis Ojeda and Anthony Sansonetti are champs.


Luis Ojeda with championship belt, and Dan Kanagie of North American Catch Wrestling Association, which presented this event along with Scientific Wrestling.


Luis Ojeda, Dan Kanagie, and Anthony Sansonetti.


Eddie Goldman and Luis Ojeda.


Eddie Goldman interviewing Luis Ojeda and Anthony Sansonetti after their match.


Eddie Goldman and Bob Carson, who both covered this event.

Labels: Anthony Sansonetti, Dan Kanagie, Eddie Goldman, King Catch Wrestling Tournament, Lawrenceville, Liberty Bell Classic, Luis Ojeda, New Jersey, Primal Gym, Thomas Velasquez

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with MMA legend and Bellator fighter Tito Ortiz.

With a storied MMA career that began in 1997, Tito Ortiz made his Bellator debut May 17, 2014, on that organization's first pay-per-view. He was matched up with Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko, who was fighting at light heavyweight in this non-title bout.

Despite a layoff of almost two years, Tito Ortiz used his wrestling background to dominate Shlemenko, who is known primarily as a striker, and take him down and submit him with an arm triangle choke in just 2:27 of the first round.

We spoke with Tito Ortiz July 30 at a Bellator media day at Dave and Buster's in New York.

Discussing his reinvigoration as a fighter, he said, "I think that's what it really came down to, just kind of re-inventing the wheel, and I be the wheel. Just being in a positive environment and not being cut down and bullied upon as I did with my last organization I was with, and now it's just being respected for the champion and the fighter that I am."

He added, "It's nice to be where I am right now, and that's Bellator."

We discussed how he defeated the smaller Shlemenko with technique and not power, how he hopes to be back fighting around October or November, and whom he'd like to fight next.

"I'd like to fight for the world title," he said.

The Bellator light heavyweight belt is currently held by Emanuel Newton, who is scheduled to defend it September 12 against Joey Beltran.

Although his next fight is not yet set, Tito Ortiz said, "I'd love to be a world champion again. And I'm going to do it before I'm done with my three fights with Bellator."

We also discussed his training in Thailand with Thailand Top Team, why he believes that new Bellator president Scott Coker will make Bellator a lot better than it was previously, his other plans outside MMA, why he loves his kids more than fighting, his putting on wrestling camps, and how he still follows wrestling.

"It saved my life, and I know it saves a lot of other kids' lives," he said of wrestling.

He noted also that, in his opinion and the opinion of many others, the best MMA fighters have a wrestling base.

In addition, we discussed the potential for some form of submission wrestling to grow, why he has a "lot more chapters" left in his MMA career, hoe he does his own social media, 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:

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to KingOfCatchWrestling.com.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Bellator, Eddie Goldman, MMA, No Holds Barred, Tito Ortiz, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with San Diego, California-based catch wrestler Luis Ojeda.

On Saturday, August 30, he will wrestling in the main event of the Liberty Bell Classic/King of Catch Wrestling Tournament.

This match will be for the American heavyweight catch wrestling championship.

In this match, Luis Ojeda, the two-time King of Catch Wrestling heavyweight champion, will face Anthony Sansonetti, the 2013 King of Catch Wrestling USA absolute division champion.

This match will be best two-out-of-three falls, with each fall having a 15-minute time limit, and take place in a ring.

Presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling, the Liberty Bell Classic/King of Catch Wrestling Tournament takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. At it, there will be an amateur tournament as well as this main event. In all these matches, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points or judges.

We spoke with Luis Ojeda by phone Monday.

With an extensive background in numerous grappling disciplines including freestyle and American folkstyle wrestling, judo, sambo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the Swiss folkstyle wrestling called Schwingen, Luis Ojeda was well-prepared when he finally started training and competing in catch wrestling.

"There was a match that I was supposed to do against an MMA fighter, and we were going to do a grappling match, but we couldn't decide on the rules," he recalled. "He was about 280 pounds, and I said, 'Hey, why don't we add pins? Let's add pins to this.' And he didn't really like that. He said, 'Ahh, I'm afraid you're going to pin me because I spend time on my back.'"

He continued, "That's when I was looking on the Internet and I was lucky to find Jake [Shannon] and Scientific Wrestling."

He was invited to train with them, and said, "I felt lucky, because I got to train with some of the best -- Dick Cardinal, and then later with the late Billy Robinson."

We thus discussed his accomplishments in this recently-revived sport, including winning the heavyweight championship in 2007 and 2012 at the King of Catch Wrestling USA tournaments.

We also discussed why he believes that watching catch wrestling is "more exciting than watching a UFC fight", why he actually finds Schwingen wrestling to be the "most challenging style", his continuing training in many styles of grappling, his coaching high school wrestling, the potential for catch wrestling to re-emerge as a major professional sport, 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:

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to KingOfCatchWrestling.com.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Anthony Sansonetti, BJJ, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, folkstyle, freestyle, grappling, judo, Liberty Bell Classic, Luis Ojeda, No Holds Barred, sambo, Schwingen

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Anthony Sansonetti.

On Saturday, August 30, he will wrestling in the main event of the Liberty Bell Classic/King of Catch Wrestling Tournament.

This match will be for the American heavyweight catch wrestling championship.

In this match, Anthony Sansonetti, the 2013 King of Catch Wrestling USA absolute division champion, will face the two-time King of Catch Wrestling heavyweight champion, Luis Ojeda of San Diego, California. This match will be best two-out-of-three falls, with each fall having a 15-minute time limit.

Presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling, the Liberty Bell Classic/King of Catch Wrestling Tournament takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. At it, there will be an amateur tournament as well as this main event. In all these matches, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points or judges.

We spoke with Anthony Sansonetti by phone Friday.

The founder and head coach at Team Renegade NY, and the owner of Tiger Martial Arts in Levittown, New York, he noted, "I've been doing martial arts my whole life."

His preparation for competing in this newly-revived sport of catch wrestling is extensive.

"The grappling portion of it, my father, my uncle were into wrestling, and they taught me how to wrestle growing up. One of my great-uncles was a judo instructor. So we grew up in a wrestling family," he said.

"Later on I did more judo. I did some shoot wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and then sambo. I've been doing sambo for the last ten years or so. So I feel like I've done all of the major grappling styles."

He has already competed in catch wrestling events in the U.S. and Canada, and thus comes into this championship match with a relatively high degree of experience in catch wrestling.

We also discussed his preparation for what could be a lengthy match, how catch wrestling could become as or more popular than Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, how it is more exciting than Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the future of catch wrestling, 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:

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to KingOfCatchWrestling.com.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Anthony Sansonetti, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Liberty Bell Classic, Luis Ojeda, No Holds Barred, sambo

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran.

His next fight will be a highly-anticipated title defense against top contender Patrício "Pitbull" Freire in the main event of the Bellator 123 card. It will take place Friday, September 5, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on the territory of the sovereign nation of the Mohegan Tribe. This fight, along with three other main card fights, will be televised live in the U.S. on Spike TV.

We spoke with Pat Curran July 30 at a Bellator media day at Dave and Buster's in New York.

This fight will be a rematch from their first battle, which took place at Bellator 85 on January 13, 2013, in Irvine, California. Curran won that fight by a split decision, successfully defending his featherweight belt.

"It should have been unanimous, in my opinion," he said, "but this time I want to make sure to not leave it in the judges' scorecards. And I want to go out there and make a point, prove to him that I'm a much better fighter, and take him out as quick as possible."

Noting that both he and Pitbull are known primarily as strikers, although both have strong grappling backgrounds, he said that in this fight, "I want to keep it standing." He also expects to "outwork" his opponent and for the fight to go to the later rounds.

We also discussed the many judging controversies in MMA; his training for this fight with Team Takedown in Arlington, Texas; his experience coming up through the Bellator tournament system and rising from being a little-known fighter to a champion; what he expects from new Bellator president Scott Coker; why he would not want to fight in any more tournaments; 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:

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to KingOfCatchWrestling.com.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Bellator, Eddie Goldman, MMA, No Holds Barred, Pat Curran, Pitbull

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with former top heavyweight boxing contender Jameel McCline.

Known as "Big Time" and standing 6' 6", he retired from boxing in 2012 at the age of 42 with a record of 41-13-3 with 24 KOs.

Now he is running in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Congress in the 20th Congressional District in Florida.

His chief opponent in this primary is the incumbent, the 77-year-old Alcee Hastings, who has represented the 20th Congressional District since 1993. The primary will be held Tuesday, August 26.

We spoke with Jameel McCline by phone Tuesday evening.

"It's definitely a different genre from boxing, but I'll tell you, it's still who I am. I'm fighting for the least, the lost, and the left out," he said.

"When I was fighting for myself and my family, I represented redemption, I represented survival. And now I fight for those who are looking to be redeemed. I fight for those who are looking for survival. So that's why I'm running for the United States Congress in the 20th District."

He did say that there are some similarities between running for public office and boxing, especially in terms of the stamina that is needed. But the issues he is highlighting are more general.

Saying that the incumbent Rep. Hastings has done little for his district, he said they need more federal funds, especially for jobs. At the same time, he said that Broward County, where he is located, has the highest amount of "wrongly convicted" people in the state of Florida.

We also discussed how he entered professional boxing with no amateur career, how that was a factor in preventing him from achieving even more in the ring, how he would support the formation of a federal or national boxing commission and actually be its "poster boy" as a member of Congress, 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:

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to KingOfCatchWrestling.com.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: 20th Congressional District, Alcee Hastings, boxing, Congress, Democratic primary, Eddie Goldman, Florida, Jameel McCline, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Josh Barnett.

Although he has competed for many years, and still competes, in MMA and various styles of grappling, Josh Barnett primarily considers himself a catch wrestler.

That was particularly evident at the Metamoris 4 grappling event on August 9 in Los Angeles, where he submitted two-time ADCC world champion Dean Lister with a head-and-arm choke with just seconds remaining in their 20-minute, submission-only, no-gi match.

To discuss the significance of this match, and the overall growth of catch wrestling, we spoke with Josh Barnett by phone Friday.

Discussing the finish of the match, he said, "We just call it a head-and-arm. Erik Paulson [his coach] likes to call it the Mark Coleman or fat man choke." He also explained why this hold is not mainly about power and weight but is about "finesse," and is most effective after riding an opponent for some time.

This match was arguably the most discussed online of all the matches at the Metamoris 4 event. His successful use of catch wrestling techniques to dominate and then submit such an accomplished grappler as Dean Lister, even under no-gi grappling and submission-only rules, tremendously raised the prestige of catch wrestling among the entire grappling and combat sports communities.

"This match has done more for catch than even any of my fights in the last five years have really done," he said.

"The grappling community is a fairly strong, tight-knit group, and on that night there was a lot of high-level grappling technique and matches being put on" involving many of the greatest grapplers in the world, he added.

He then noted about his match with Dean Lister, "Even though we're both very high-level guys and great athletes at what we do, our match didn't resemble anybody else's match."

As for himself, while he plans to compete in many different events, he said, "I'd love to compete in a straight catch wrestling event." He said that catch wrestling today does "have a good amount of momentum," but a lot more needs to be done to advance this revived sport. He recommended more seminars, involving more wrestlers in them and the existing tournaments, and more consistency with the holding of these catch wrestling events.

A key area in growing catch wrestling is increasing the involvement of wrestlers who already have backgrounds and accomplishments in other, related styles, such as American folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling. He said he is already involved in helping train these types of wrestlers in catch wrestling, while they still compete in these other styles.

Another important observation he made was about the wrestling community. Although catch is a style of wrestling and laid the basis for the development of American folkstyle and freestyle wrestling, today it is the jiu-jitsu community which shows "more interest" in catch than the wrestling community. Thus, increasing the involvement of the wrestling community in catch is essential for its growth.

We also discussed the need for more consistent posting of videos of catch wrestling matches, how the black trunks he wore in this Metamoris match were a tribute to his coaches, what catch needs to do in order to regain its place as a popular spectator sport, what some of his immediate plans are, 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:

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to KingOfCatchWrestling.com.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, grappling, jiu-jitsu, Josh Barnett, Metamoris, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with undefeated ONE FC fighter, U.S. Olympian, and two-time NCAA Div. I national wrestling champion Ben Askren.

His next fight will be Friday, August 29, when he faces ONE FC welterweight champion Nobutatsu Suzuki in one of three title fights on a mega-card at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the United Arab Emirates, the first for ONE FC in the Middle East. This card will be televised live in Asia on Star Sports, and streamed live on pay-per-view around the world at http://www.onefc.livesport.tv.

Nobutatsu Suzuki is from Japan and a noted black belt in Kyokushin Karate. He was undefeated in MMA in Japan for six years, and is now 2-0 in ONE FC, winning their first welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Brock Larson of the USA in March.

Undefeated in MMA and a former Bellator welterweight champion, Ben Askren, who lives in Wisconsin, won his first fight in ONE FC with a dominating performance capped by a first-round submission over combat sambo champion Bakhtiyar Abbasov of Azerbaijan in May.

We spoke with Ben Askren by Skype Thursday, as he was still in Dubai after a news conference for the August 29 event.

He explained how his combination of grappling and striking on the ground set the stage for him submitting Abbasov in their fight with an arm triangle choke.

"I think it's my ground-and-pound that softened him up, let me get the kill really easily, beat him with the submission," he said.

"I think I do controlling and positional jiu-jitsu better than anyone in MMA right now."

Many have said that his next fight with Suzuki shapes up to be a classic grappler vs. striker fight, and he agrees.

"I come from a wrestling background, and I would say I'm primarily a grappler. Obviously I think I do other things well, but I'm primarily a grappler and he's definitely primarily a striker, so yeah, 100 percent."

We also discussed how he likes fighting for ONE FC and in places like Singapore and Dubai, how he looks forward to fighting on ONE FC cards in China, why "it would be great" if catch wrestling does well, 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:

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to KingOfCatchWrestling.com.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Ben Askren, Dubai, Eddie Goldman, funky, MMA, No Holds Barred, Nobutatsu Suzuki, One FC, wrestling

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

Our main focus was the recent developments in this new era of the revived sport of catch wrestling. This discussion took place on Takedown Wrestling Radio and was recorded Tuesday.

But we first opened with a discussion on the tragic passing of actor and comic Robin Williams, who wrestled in high school and had wrestling remain an important influence in his life.

We next moved on to discuss the most recent great advances made this year in catch wrestling.

First up was the July 27 catch wrestling tournament at the MMA World Expo in New York, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., and especially the near-20 minute marathon final in the absolute division between 314-pound Nick Caggia and 148-pound Phil Caracappa, won by a pin by Caggia in overtime.

Next was the victory of Josh Barnett over Dean Lister at the Metamoris 4 grappling event in Los Angeles on August 9, where he used catch wrestling to dominate and submit Lister.

We also discussed the state of catch wrestling and what the people in this sport need to do to achieve even greater advances.

And we previewed the Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling, which takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648, as well as discussing other topics.

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:

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to KingOfCatchWrestling.com.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, new era, No Holds Barred, Scott Casber, Takedown Radio

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Bellator MMA fighter "King" Mo Lawal.

His next fight will be Friday, September 5, on the Bellator 123 card at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on the territory of the sovereign nation of the Mohegan Tribe.

Originally scheduled to face jiu-jitsu ace Tom DeBlass, his opponent was changed due to an injury suffered by DeBlass that caused him to withdraw from this fight. His new opponent in this light heavyweight bout will be Marcus Sursa, who had been a Texas state high school wrestling champion and has been fighting in MMA for several years.

We spoke with "King" Mo Lawal July 30 at a Bellator media day at Dave and Buster's in New York, before his new opponent had been named.

His last fight was the main event of the Bellator pay-per-view of May 17, 2014, when he lost a close and controversial three-round decision to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, in the Bellator season 10 light heavyweight tournament final.

Asked about that fight, he said, "I thought I won. Granted it wasn't a great performance, because if you watched the fight, I was slipping and sliding. I couldn't hold my footing. I don't know what it is with the canvas, but hopefully they change it. It altered my game plan, altered everything. Because leading up to the fight, they told me they were going to change the canvas and add more grip to it, and it never happened. So I had to stick to wrestling, and alter my game plan."

He added, "I think Bjorn had something to do with it, the decision. Who knows? But I'm glad he's gone. I'm glad we got Scott Coker in the mix." (Here he was referring to former Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, who was replaced in June by new Bellator president Scott Coker.)

We also discussed his training at American Top Team; more on his views on Scott Coker; his discussions and training with Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler Kevin Jackson, who coached Mo at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and is now head wrestling coach at Iowa State; his training with many high level boxers; a little bit about what is going on today in pro boxing; 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:

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to KingOfCatchWrestling.com.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Bellator, boxing, Eddie Goldman, King Mo Lawal, MMA, No Holds Barred, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with MMA legend, actor, and Bellator fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Still fighting at age 36, with a 15-year MMA career including 46 fights and 35 wins, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson remains a headliner. His last fight was the main event of the Bellator pay-per-view of May 17, 2014, when he won a close and controversial three-round decision over "King" Mo Lawal, to win the Bellator season 10 light heavyweight tournament final.

We spoke with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson July 30 at a Bellator media day at Dave and Buster's in New York.

Asked about that fight, he said, "Yeah, I watched the replay. It's always going to be people saying different things when the fight is a close decision."

He continued, "It was a good fight. King Mo had a game plan that he thought that could make him victorious in the fight. And I fight the way I normally fight: I fight to excite the crowds, and I always try to knock my opponents out."

As for the decision, he said, "I think the judges did a good job in calling the fight. King Mo won the first one, I won the second one, and the third one was close, and I did just enough to win."

He also explained how he considers himself "a showman", that he plans to retire from fighting in about two years and continue working in the entertainment industry, what he expects from new Bellator president Scott Coker, why he would "love a rematch" with King Mo, why a title fight with Bellator light heavyweight champ Emanuel Newton is unlikely since they have "the same coach" and have trained with one another, 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:

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 Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to kingofcatchwrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: Bellator, Eddie Goldman, MMA, No Holds Barred, Quinton Rampage Jackson, UFC

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Dan Kanagie of the North American Catch Wrestling Association about the Liberty Bell Classic/King of Catch Wrestling Tournament.

Presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling, this year's tournament takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. In it, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points or judges.

We spoke with Dan Kanagie by phone Wednesday.

"We're having the amateur tournament, and then we're having the superfight main event directly afterwards," he said.

The superfight "is going to be crowning the first American heavyweight champion in about 100 years."

This important match will pit the two-time King of Catch Wrestling heavyweight champion Luis Ojeda of San Diego, California, against the 2013 King of Catch Wrestling USA absolute division champion Anthony Sansonetti of Williston Park, New York.

We discussed how this championship bout may become a matchup of styles, the best-of-three falls format of the matches in this event, why catch wrestling rules are more open than the rules in other styles of wrestling and grappling, the current rise and rebirth of catch wrestling, 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:

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 Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to kingofcatchwrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: Anthony Sansonetti, Dan Kanagie, Eddie Goldman, King Catch Wrestling, Liberty Bell Classic, Luis Ojeda, No Holds Barred