NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Rutgers University head wrestling coach Scott Goodale.

After competing in the EIWA, this will be the first season in which Rutgers competes in the Big Ten Conference, which is the strongest in NCAA Div. I wrestling. They do so with one of their strongest teams in years, which includes returning All-American Anthony Perrotti, the team's first All-American since 2002, and two returning NCAA qualifiers, Billy Smith and Ken Theobold, as well as Anthony Ashnault and Andrew Campolattano, a transfer from Ohio State, both of whom had been four-time high school state champions in New Jersey.

We spoke with Coach Goodale, now in his eighth season as the Rutgers head wrestling coach, by phone Tuesday.

"The university decided to go Big Ten, so therefore we didn't have much say. It is what it is. It's the best wrestling conference in the country," he said.

"We're excited about that. Nothing's really changed except for the fact our schedule's changed quite a bit. The approach remains the same. We feel really, really good about our preseason. We feel really good about what we did over the summer. We're excited about where we're at. We feel this is the best team we've fielded since I've been here for eight years. So we're putting a pretty good product out on the mat, and that's exciting."

He added, "Obviously that schedule gets a lot more challenging come January 2nd when we start the Big Ten and we open with the University of Iowa, but we look forward to the opportunity and we love the fact we're in this conference. It makes things exciting around here, for sure."

It also doesn't get easier for them, as they host Minnesota on January 11, four-time defending NCAA Div. I champion Penn State on January 16, and Ohio State on February 1.

Bringing in the top teams in the country has already resulted in increased ticket sales, which addresses another issue facing college wrestling. With the O'Bannon decision now mandating that top colleges compensate at least some of the athletes in some sports, the existence of programs in so-called "non-revenue" sports like wrestling may be put in some jeopardy.

Coach Goodale said that for wrestling, which is "a blue-collar sport," there needs to be "a sense of urgency" in bolstering the many college programs. Their goal at Rutgers, he said, is for wrestling to be "a revenue-making sport." We thus discussed that issue, 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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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: Big Ten, Coach Scott Goodale, college, Eddie Goldman, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Rutgers, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Coach George Hero, the legendary coach and founder of the Midwood High School wrestling team in Brooklyn, New York.

On Thursday, October 30, Midwood High School will be the scene of the Midwood Wrestling Exhibition 2014.

The event runs from 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM, at the Campus Road Gymnasium of Midwood High School, 2839 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11210, right across the street from Brooklyn College.

As in previous years, the Midwood Wrestling Exhibition 2014 kicks off and promotes the upcoming wrestling season.

We spoke with Coach Hero by phone Tuesday.

"We're going to have quite a few good matches" at this event, he said. "We have a very strong squad this year."

This year's matches all involve current Midwood High wrestlers, and will be held under American folkstyle rules. However, much attention is being given to a match which adds a twist to these rules: a tag-team match.

In it, Midwood wrestling captain David Nemirovsky will team up with David Tskhvedadze to face a team of Midwood's other captain, Makar Tchekalenkov, and Javlon Xaydarov.

They are "four of the best wrestlers on the team," Coach Hero said, and this tag-team match "should be very, very exciting."

The tag-team match combines the usual high school wrestling rules with a format of three four-minute periods, and two-out-of-three falls. Each team is allowed only one tag per period, and only when there is a stop in the action.

"We created tag-team rules for actual folkstyle wrestling, and they've been very successful and very popular at the MidwoodMania [held each spring], so we're now trying it with the kids at the Exhibition," he explained.

A key reason for organizing the Midwood Wrestling Exhibition is to build interest in the sport of wrestling, which Coach Hero said is the "greatest sport" in the world. "It needs more exposure," and he added that it is "disgusting" that non-sports are included in the Olympics, a move "motivated by profit, nothing else."

We also discussed how he plans to propose holding regular large tournaments for ex-wrestlers, how other schools should try putting on tag-team matches, plans for MidwoodMania in the spring where he will again return to the mat, 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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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: Brooklyn, Coach George Hero, Eddie Goldman, folkstyle, greatest sport, Midwood Wrestling Exhibition 2014, No Holds Barred, tag teams

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with wrestling journalist Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online.

Our subject was the 2014 NWCA All-Star Classic, the college wrestling all-star meet which takes place Saturday, November 1. The location is the Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, in the heart of Philadelphia.

Held at the start of the 2014-15 college wrestling season, this event is its semi-official kickoff.

We spoke with Jason Bryant by phone Friday.

"We got seven number one vs. number two matchups," he said. "All around, it's a real kickoff."

Five defending NCAA Div. I champions are slated to compete: Ohio State's Logan Stieber, Northwestern's Jason Tsirtsis, Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer, Missouri's J'Den Cox, and N.C. State's Nick Gwiazdowski. Several other wrestlers who are ranked number one in this year's preseason polls will also hit the mat.

Plus, there will be five showcase matches, including a women's freestyle match between 2014 World bronze medalists Helen Maroulis (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) and Jillian Gallays of Canada.

We discussed who these talented wrestlers are, what to expect in these matches, the state of college wrestling in America, and much more.

Here is the lineup:

(Rankings by TheOpenMat.com)

125: #3 Alan Waters, Sr. (Missouri) vs. #4 Joey Dance, So. (Virginia Tech)

133: #1 A.J. Schopp, Sr. (Edinboro) vs. #2 Mason Beckman, Jr. (Lehigh)

141: #1 Logan Stieber, Sr. (Ohio State) vs. #2 Mitchell Port, Sr. (Edinboro)

149: #1 Jason Tsirtsis, So. (Northwestern) vs. #2 Josh Kindig, Sr. (Oklahoma State)

157: #2 James Green, Sr. (Nebraska) vs. #3 Ian Miller, Jr. (Kent State)

165: #1 Alex Dieringer, Jr. (Oklahoma State) vs. #2 Nick Sulzer, Sr. (Virginia)

174: #2 Robert Kokesh, Sr. (Nebraska) vs. #1-NAIA Brock Gutches, Sr. (Southern Oregon)

184: #1 Gabe Dean, So. (Cornell) vs. #1 Jack Dechow, So. (Old Dominion)

197: #1 J'Den Cox, So. (Missouri) vs. #2 Scott Schiller, Sr. (Minnesota)

285: #1 Nick Gwiazdowski, Jr. (N.C. State) vs. #2 Mike McMullan, Sr. (Northwestern)

Showcase Matchups:

Women's FS 55kg: World #3 Helen Maroulis (United States) vs. World #4 Jillian Gallays (Canada)

133: #1-Division III Alex Gomez, Sr. (Ithaca) vs. #17 Kevin Devoy, So. (Drexel)

141: #1-NCWA Ryan Diehl, So. (Liberty) vs. Jordan Laster, So. (Princeton)

149: #3 Devin Carter, Sr. (Virginia Tech) vs. #20 C.J. Cobb, Sr. (Penn)

184: #3 Lorenzo Thomas, Sr. (Penn) vs. Clint Morrison, Sr. (Rider)

For those unable to attend in person, the event will be streamed live on Flowrestling.org, and requires a FloPro subscription ($20/month). It will also be televised in the U.S. several times on tape-delay on Fox College Sports.

For more information, go to http://www.nwcaonline.com/NWCAWebSite/Events/nwcaallstarclassic.aspx.

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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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: college wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Jason Bryant, NCAA, No Holds Barred, NWCA All-Star Classic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman comments on the recommendations made this week by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as part of their Olympic Agenda 2020 plan to implement many changes in the Olympic movement.

In particular, analyzed is how the proposed changes to the process of determining which sports are on the Olympic program, and expanding the number of sports while keeping the total number of athletes in the Olympics constant, may result in more cuts to Olympic wrestling, and possibly the entire elimination of one of the styles of international wrestling. Also discussed is the continued failures of the leaders of international wrestling to govern and promote the sport properly.

In addition, the absence, in the recommendations which have been announced so far, of any specific measures to enforce anti-discrimination policies is criticized.

Some of these recommendations for the Olympic Agenda 2020 were announced Thursday, October 23, on an international media teleconference call with IOC president Thomas Bach. We also present the complete audio of that teleconference, including the question-and-answer portion of it with international journalists.

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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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: Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Olympic Agenda 2020 IOC, Thomas Bach, wrestling

My latest blog for the Defense Soap site, "Nov. 1 NWCA All-Star Classic Kicks Off College Wrestling Season", is up at http://defensesoap.com/blog/news/nov-1-nwca-all-star-classic-kicks-off-college-wrestling-season.

Labels: college wrestling, Defense Soap, Eddie Goldman, NCAA, NWCA All-Star Classic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with grappler Nick Caggia.

Standing six-foot, three-inches tall and weighing over 300 pounds, he has become a notable fixture and one of the most recognizable athletes at numerous grappling events across the U.S. He has captured victories and championships in many organizations, including ADCC, NAGA, Grapplers Quest, the Ultimate Grappler Challenge (UGC), and the Professional Grappling League (PGL).

As of now, he has accumulated 36 championship belts.

He also won the absolute division at the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., on July 27 at the MMA World Expo in New York, defeating four opponents in best two-out-of-three-falls matches without surrendering a fall. In the finals, he faced the tournament's flyweight champion, Phil Caracappa, who weighed just 148 pounds. In an epic and historic battle, and a match of the year candidate, after three periods where no pin or submission had taken place, he finally scored a pin at 4:41 of the overtime period to win the championship.

We spoke with Nick Caggia by phone Tuesday.

"I'm used to actually using my size to my advantage, but I never like to be on my back, of course," he said with a laugh.

"But I always look to take a guy down and submit him."

He also has a busy schedule for the remainder of the year. He will next be competing at the Gym Wars: Elite Grappling event on November 22 in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. Just two weeks later, on December 6, he will be grappling at the UGC: King of the Mat event in Reading, Pennsylvania.

We spoke with him about his background as a high school wrestler in New Jersey, how he made the transition to grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, how he likes to network and meet new people at all these events, balancing his training and competition with his full-time job working in his father's business, his "excellent" experience doing catch wrestling, how he is still improving, his success this "great" year for him with a record of 40-16 thus far, what he needs to work on to improve even further, why he will cut back on competing in tournaments and focus more on training in 2015, his plans to compete in the Newbreed grappling event in Florida in January 2015, 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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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: BJJ, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, grappler, grappling, Nick Caggia, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with independent journalist, freelance writer, St. Louis cab driver, and youth wrestling coach Umar Lee.

Ferguson is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, is part of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area, and is just north of the City of St. Louis. It became the focus of international scrutiny when, on August 9 of this year, an unarmed African-American teenager, Michael Brown, was gunned down by a white police officer, Darren Wilson. Many eyewitnesses have said that Brown was surrendering, with his hands up, when he was shot and killed by Wilson. His body was left in the street for four hours.

Months of mass protests charging systematic police brutality, white supremacy, and racism have followed. Currently, there is a grand jury investigation going on to determine whether or not to bring charges against Wilson, as well as a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Many people, however, are skeptical that these investigations will lead to justice for all in this case.

Ferguson is also a city which used to be known as a high school wrestling powerhouse. But in recent years, with the emergence of a majority African-American population, there has been disinvestment in the city along with white flight to the suburbs. Wrestling has declined as a result.

While working full-time and being active in the movement demanding justice for Michael Brown, Umar Lee has also found the time to issue a call for the development of more youth wrestling programs in Ferguson. We spoke with him by phone Thursday.

He explained: "When this whole situation in Ferguson developed -- you know, I'm a political guy, too, and I've been out there in the streets from day one -- I re-issued the call and said, 'Hey, all this fraternity of ex-wrestlers need to really think about what we can do for these kids that seem to be having a problem. We really need to reinvigorate our efforts to start this wrestling program.'"

While from the 1950s to the 1990s the area was a wrestling powerhouse, he said, "Over the course of the last 15 years, there's been a sharp decline in wrestling in North St. Louis County, which was once really a breadbasket for wrestling talent." Factors included job loss and the closing of factories in the area, resulting in white flight to other counties, many coaches leaving the area, and the subsequent drying up of many high school wrestling programs in the largely African-American areas.

We discussed the plans to create new wrestling programs to provide the benefits of wrestling to the youth of the area, the need for wrestling to reach out much more into the inner cities, the role of former wrestlers in continuing their commitment to the sport, how the holding of the NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis numerous times in recent years has not resulted in the growth of wrestling in places like Ferguson, what to expect in the political situation in Ferguson and St. Louis, 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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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: Eddie Goldman, Ferguson, Michael, Mike Brown, Missouri, No Holds Barred, St. Louis, Umar Lee, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with TV host and producer Kristal Hart.

While covering boxing, entertainment, and various cultural events for many years, she has now started covering catch wrestling.

Her show, the Kristal Hart Show, is aired on Manhattan Neighborhood Network every Tuesday at 9 PM ET. On Time Warner Cable, it is on channels 56 and 1996. On RCN, it is on channel 83. And on Verizon FiOS it is on channel 34.

Besides being aired on various networks outside Manhattan, many of her videos are also available online at http://www.youtube.com/kristalhart.

We spoke with her both at the start of the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., at the MMA World Expo in New York on July 27, and again on October 15 in New York to reflect on that event and discuss the emergence of catch wrestling.

Speaking about the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, she said, "I definitely enjoyed it. I thought that it's quick and there has an athletic as well as an entertainment value."

The basic rules of catch wrestling, where you win by pin or submission and there are no points, make it "sort of simple in its own way," she said.

"I think it could have a bright future if it could get some backing," she added.

We discussed the main matches at the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, why 2014 has been a banner year for the revival of catch wrestling, what catch wrestling needs to do to advance to the next level, 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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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, Kristal Hart, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reviews "Foxcatcher", both the upcoming film and the book of the same name. The film will be publicly released in the U.S. November 14, with the book coming out November 18.

The full title of the book is Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold. It was written by wrestling legend Mark Schultz, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion in freestyle wrestling for the U.S., a three-time NCAA Div. I wrestling champion at Oklahoma, and who was 1-0 in MMA, along with David Thomas. More information, including how to order it, can be found here.

The book is an autobiographical account of Mark Schultz's life, including the events surrounding the murder in January 1996 of Mark Schultz's older brother and fellow Olympic gold medalist wrestler, Dave Schultz, by the multimillionaire John du Pont. The film is a dramatization of the events surrounding Mark's experiences with du Pont at the Foxcatcher wrestling facility, and Dave's murder by du Pont.

The review of the film is based on a media screening of it which was part of the New York Film Festival on Friday, October 10. The review of the book is based on an advance reading copy sent by the publisher, Dutton.

My recommendation: If you want to know all about what happened at Foxcatcher, pre-order the book by Mark Schultz. It is a must-read, whether or not you know a lot about wrestling.

As for the movie, while the acting was superb, well, if you want to know all about what happened at Foxcatcher, pre-order the book by Mark Schultz.

All these points are discussed on this edition of No Holds Barred, including what this story says about the continuing crisis in the sport of wrestling, 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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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: BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, college, Dave, du Pont, Eddie Goldman, film, Foxcatcher, freestyle, Mark Schultz, MMA, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, submission, USA, 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, and the WSOF women's strawweight champion, American Top Team fighter Jessica Aguilar.

Now with a record of 18-4, her next fight will be at WSOF 15 on November 15 when she defends her title against Brazilian fighter Kalindra Faria, who has a record of 15-3-1 and is unbeaten in the last three years. WSOF 15 takes place at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida, and will be shown live in the U.S. for free on NBC Sports Network.

We spoke with Jessica Aguilar by phone Wednesday.

While this is easily the biggest fight of Kalindra Faria's career, Jessica Aguilar is not taking her lightly.

"She's very experienced. She has a great record. And again, this is an athlete that a lot of people don't know about. And it's always good to challenge myself with the best opponents possible. So it's going to be a great matchup," she said. "She has wins via submission and stoppage. So It's going to be another good fight."

We also discussed her community activities, including her work with GLAAD for the October 16 Spirit Day, which is an anti-bullying event that shows support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. She also works with the Pride Center in South Florida and the Miami Children's Hospital.

We also discussed the growing acceptance of the LGBT community and athletes in MMA and the combat sports, why she believes she is now "at my peak" as a fighter and is still improving, her training with American Top Team, 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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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: American Top Team, Eddie Goldman, Jessica Aguilar, Kalindra Faria, LGBT, MMA, No Holds Barred, Spirit Day, World Series Fighting, WSOF

My latest blog for the Defense Soap site, "For College Wrestling, A Change Is Gonna Come", is up at http://defensesoap.com/blog/news/for-college-wrestling-a-change-is-gonna-come.

Labels: change gonna come, college wrestling, Defense Soap, Eddie Goldman, NCAA

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Bellator MMA fighter Joe Warren.

One of the few people to have held world titles in two combat sports, Joe Warren was a world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in 2006 and the Bellator featherweight champion from 2010 to 2012. He currently holds the Bellator interim bantamweight title.

His next fight will be Friday, October 10, against Eduardo Dantas, who holds the regular Bellator bantamweight title, to unify this title. It will take place as the main event of Bellator 128 at the Global Event Center at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. It will be televised live in the U.S. on Spike TV.

We spoke with Joe Warren by phone Sunday.

This highly-anticipated fight was originally scheduled for May of this year, but had to be postponed due to an injury to Dantas.

As for what to expect when these two finally meet this Friday, Joe Warren said, "You can expect a lot of fireworks from us again. We're both great fighters and we both have a violent -- well, I do, I have just a crazy, violent drive right now to get this other belt. I love having these high pressure fights. This is very normal for me. And it's just going to be a real exciting fight. I'm excited for everybody to see it. I think everybody wants to see it. And I believe both of us want to get this fight over with."

We discussed his technical advances as a mixed martial arts fighter, including his "anti-jiu-jitsu" and improvements in both striking and submissions after coming into MMA from wrestling. But it is in wrestling, he said, that there is the one goal left that he has yet to achieve: to win the Olympics. We thus discussed a possible return to wrestling, as well as him competing in other styles such as one of the hybrid styles used in the various real pro wrestling groups, or catch wrestling, where you can only win by pin or submission.

In addition, we discussed some of the challenges in making wrestling popular as a mainstream sport, his wrestling last year at the Grapple at the Garden event in Madison Square Garden, why at almost age 38 "I haven't lost anything", his heart rate-based training which "is the reason I'm where I'm at", why he is now "the best fighter I've been in the cage", 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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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, Joe Warren, MMA, No Holds Barred, wrestling

                                         Columbia head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer.

Columbia heavyweight Wyatt Baker going for pin over Buffalo heavyweight James Benjamin, January 17, 2014. Baker won, 10-4.

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Columbia University head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer.

Coach Fronhofer, now in his fourth year as head coach at Columbia after serving as an assistant coach, was himself an NCAA Div. I runner-up in 2003 at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the U.S. national team in freestyle wrestling in 2009. Columbia has the oldest college wrestling program which has been continuously running in the U.S., dating back to 1903.

We spoke with Coach Fronhofer Wednesday in his office on the campus of Columbia University in New York.

Speaking about this coming season, he said, "We have three returning national qualifiers. We think all three of those guys are capable of placing in the tournament this year," referring to sophomore 157-pound wrestler Markus Scheidel, junior 184-pound wrestler Zack Hernandez, and senior 174-pound wrestler Shane Hughes.

"They all had good regular seasons and they had, I think, pretty solid postseasons as well."

We discussed the prospects for Columbia wrestling for this upcoming season, why it is realistic to expect that Columbia can have All-Americans and even national champions this season, what Columbia's wrestlers need to do to advance to the next level, why elite academic institutions like Columbia have and can produce national champion and All-American wrestlers, the place of Columbia wrestling in the Columbia community and its presence on campus, the support given Columbia wrestling by the university administration and alumni, why the program is in very good shape, why he finds it "exciting" to be in New York, Columbia wrestling as the only Division I program in New York City, the need to support the sport of wrestling by watching matches live, 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.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.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: Carl Fronhofer, college, Columbia Wrestling, Eddie Goldman, NCAA, No Holds Barred