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.

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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