NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Jake Shannon of Scientific Wrestling.

2014 saw the greatest number of catch wrestling tournaments, events, seminars, and wrestlers participating in them all around the world, in the 21st century. Jake foresaw this when he declared on this show this past January: "It's a springtime for catch wrestling right now."

To review 2014 and discuss what to expect and needs to be done in catch wrestling for 2015 and beyond, we spoke with Jake Shannon by phone Monday.

"I call it a revolution," he said of catch wrestling's recent growth. He called it "a complete revolution, 360 degrees, that here we are, back again, with catch wrestling getting some respect."

We discussed the first catch wrestling tournament for 2015: the West Coast King of Catch Wrestling Tournament and No Gi Submission Only Grappling Tournament.

This event takes place Sunday, January 11, 2015, at San Ysidro High School at 5353 Airway Road, San Diego, California 92154.

We also discussed the historical importance of catch wrestling reviving as a sport in itself, why 2014 was a remarkable year for it, how the style vs. style format continues to capture people's imagination, how to utilize the catch wrestling vs. jiu-jitsu rivalry, why most catch wrestling matches end by pin, the appeal of catch wrestling for high school and college wrestlers, 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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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, grappling, Jake Shannon, King of Catch Wrestling, Luis Ojeda, No Holds Barred, scientific, Wade Schalles

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the media conference call with WBC heavyweight champ Berman Stiverne, unbeaten challenger and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Deontay Wilder, Stiverne's promoter Don King, and Eric Gomez, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions, which promotes Wilder. The subject was the January 17 Stiverne-Wilder heavyweight title fight.

Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs), born in Haiti, living for many years in Canada, and now based in Las Vegas, Nevada, will be making the first defense of his belt. He won that title, then vacant, with a sixth-round TKO over Chris Arreola on May 10, 2014.

Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs), from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has scored a KO or TKO in all of his pro fights, but has been criticized for not facing top contenders -- until now.

This fight will take place Saturday, January 17, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime, in Canada on the Fight Network, and in the U.K. on BoxNation.

Bermane Stiverne, Deontay Wilder, Don King, Eric Gomez, and several others involved in this fight were on the December 18 media conference call. Here we present the complete and unedited audio of it.

Stiverne, the less talkative of the two fighters, said, "Don't blink." The flashier Wilder, though as confident of victory as Stiverne, agreed with him on one thing, that this will be a short fight which will be ended by a knockout. The ever-quotable Don King promised that this fight will help the cause of "world peace". King also denounced the failure of grand juries to indict anyone for the deaths of Mike Brown and Eric Garner as "a tragedy".

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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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: Bermane Stiverne, boxing, conference call, Deontay Wilder, Don King, Eddie Goldman, Eric Gomez, heavyweight, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with MMA pioneer and fighter Carlos Newton.

He is one of the many people working with those who have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) alleging illegal market monopolization. This lawsuit was filed December 16 by fighters Cung Le, Nate Quarry, and Jon Fitch, who seek "to represent a class of similarly situated current and former UFC professional combatants". A virtually identical lawsuit was filed December 22 by fighters Dennis Hallman and Javier Vazquez, with more fighters expected to join these legal actions.

The original suit is entitled Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, Jon Fitch, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, v. Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship and UFC, Defendant. It can be read, in a PDF file, here.

We spoke with Carlos Newton, who attended the December 16 news conference in San Jose, California, announcing this lawsuit, by phone Tuesday.

Although he is not a plaintiff in this suit, Carlos Newton played a key role behind the scenes for some time in getting this suit filed.

"The suit that is being filed is a culmination of my hard work, and getting it filed was a great milestone and I was able to witness it," he said.

"It's something I pretty much decided I was going to do a couple of years back, and I just had to figure out how I was going to do it. And getting Cung Le, Jon Fitch, and Nate Quarry to file that suit on behalf of all of us was the first step in doing that. I thank those guys for coming forward."

Calling these three fighters "the face of this whole endeavor", he stated that the overall aim of this suit is to "fix this sport and get it on the right path on behalf of all the fighters in the industry."

We discussed how other sports are not structured like MMA, how MMA promoters are not legally held "in check" like boxing promoters are, why UFC is the "fastest growing monopoly in the world", why public perception of this suit will be favorable to it, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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: Carlos Newton, Cung Le, Eddie Goldman, Jon Fitch, lawsuit, MMA fighters, monopoly, Nate Quarry, No Holds Barred, UFC

My latest blog for the Defense Soap site, "A Call to Arms", is up at http://blog.defensesoap.com/news/a-call-to-arms/.

Labels: arm wrestling, Defense Soap, Eddie Goldman, ESPN, No Holds Barred, Steve Kaplan, WAL, World Armwrestling League

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the head wrestling coach at the University of Maryland, Kerry McCoy.

Now in his seventh season as head coach, this season he has not only faced the challenge of the graduation of 2014 NCAA Div. I runner-up Jimmy Sheptock, who was one of the most successful wrestlers in Maryland history, but also the move from the ACC to the Big Ten, arguably the strongest wrestling conference in the U.S.

We spoke with Coach McCoy Saturday in New York.

Speaking about the team's first season in the Big Ten, he said, "It's been pretty good. The level of competition that we face on a regular basis is definitely higher."

While they have had a tough schedule in years past, facing teams from many conferences, "Now we get more of the higher level of competition on a regular basis."

He noted, "It really prepares us for the end of the season. So once we hit the conference tournament, once we the NCAA tournament, we've faced 10, 15, 20 ranked guys, and our guys are just ready to go out there and get it done. So it's been a challenge, but we really look at it as an opportunity for us to get better and build for the end of the year."

We also discussed why he considers every year a rebuilding year, which wrestlers on his team have the greatest chance of becoming All-Americans and national champions this season, the values of wrestling even when one loses a match, why his program is in good shape even with the issues facing college athletics in light of the O'Bannon decision, the advantages of having their matches shown on the Big Ten Network, coaching Maryland against Penn State where he had wrestled, the itch to compete again, 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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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, college, Eddie Goldman, Kerry McCoy, Maryland, NCAA, No Holds Barred, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with catch wrestler and wrestling coach Luis Ojeda.

He will help kick off 2015 for catch wrestling by helping to run the West Coast King of Catch Wrestling Tournament and No Gi Submission Only Grappling Tournament.

This event takes place Sunday, January 11, 2015, at San Ysidro High School at 5353 Airway Road, San Diego, California 92154, where he also serves as wrestling coach.

We spoke with Luis Ojeda by phone Monday.

Explaining how this event was set up, he said, "I saw this opportunity. I talked to my athletic director. We had lost another tournament that we were going do for the wrestling team, usually our big fundraiser. There was a conflict with basketball. I was like, 'Hey, why don't we do a King of Catch?'"

He got approval, and added, "I pitched the idea of doing a King of Catch and a grappling tournament, and it seems to be coming together."

We also discussed the California Catch Wrestling Association Test Tournament organized by that newly-formed group, which takes place Sunday, December 21, at Brea Olinda High School, 789 Wildcat Way, Brea, CA 92821.

We went over the rules for each of these events, the upcoming competitions in California in the Swiss folkstyle wrestling known as Schwingen, plans for his next catch wrestling match following his victory in August when he won the American heavyweight catch wrestling championship at the Liberty Bell Classic/King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, 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.

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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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, grappling, King of Catch Wrestling, Luis Ojeda, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Steve Kaplan, the president and commissioner of the World Armwrestling League (WAL).

It was announced earlier this month that ESPN in the U.S. has reached an agreement with WAL for exclusive rights to televise the 2014 World Armwrestling League Championship and the 2015 World Armwrestling League season. More details will be announced shortly, including the dates and times WAL events will be available on television and online.

The next WAL event will take place Saturday, January 10, 2015, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

We spoke with Steve Kaplan by phone Tuesday.

Known as a business leader with many interests and accomplishments, he explained why he was attracted to the sport of arm wrestling.

"It is controlled aggression. It is intense. It is high testosterone," he said. "It's all about the combination of the physical and the psychological. And it's matching speed, technique, and power, and utilizing them in a short burst of a time frame to really excel in this sport."

Unlike contact and combat sports, he added, "It allows you to get all that done without the risks of life and limb. And it's really an impressive thing by that."

When arm wrestling was featured on the reality TV show "Game of Arms" earlier this year on the AMC network, he also saw the potential of this sport on television. AMC originally announced that there would be a second season of "Game of Arms", but then reversed course and announced that the network would no longer develop unscripted shows, thus cancelling a second season.

By then, WAL had started running live events, and they went to ESPN, which led to the current agreement.

We also discussed more on the sport of arm wrestling, the appeal of watching these professional and elite athletes, the plans for running numerous events across the U.S. in 2015, the profit-sharing of WAL with their athletes, why "this should be a major sport", plans for PED testing, 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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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: arm wrestling, Eddie Goldman, ESPN, No Holds Barred, Steve Kaplan, WAL, World Armwrestling League

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the complete audio from the news conference held Tuesday, December 16, in San Jose, California, announcing a class-action lawsuit by three current and former MMA fighters against the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) alleging illegal market monopolization.

We expect to cover this more in depth shortly. Here is the official news release announcing this suit:

Mixed Martial Arts Fighters File Class-Action Lawsuit Against Ultimate Fighting Championship Alleging Illegal Market Monopolization

(SAN JOSE, Calif. –Dec. 16, 2014) Three current and former high-profile Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters filed a multi-million-dollar class-action lawsuit today against the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) organization, accusing the $2-billion outfit of illegally maintaining monopoly and monoposony power by systematically eliminating competition from rival promoters, artificially suppressing fighters’ earnings from bouts and merchandising and marketing activities through restrictive contracting and other exclusionary practices.

The civil action – Cung Le, et al. v. Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship and UFC – filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose, seeks treble damages and injunctive relief under the Sherman Antitrust Act stemming from the UFC’s alleged “over-arching, anti-competitive scheme to enhance its monopoly power” in the market for promotion of live Elite Professional MMA bouts, and monopsony power in the market for live Elite Professional MMA Fighter services in the U.S. Monopsony refers to when there are many “sellers” and few “buyers” in the marketplace.

The lawsuit filed by fighters Cung Le, Nathan Quarry and Jon Fitch, who seek to represent a class of similarly situated current and former UFC professional combatants, alleges that the plaintiffs are victims of the UFC’s illegal scheme to eliminate its competition in the sport of MMA and suppress compensation for UFC Fighters from bouts and fighter identities and likenesses.

According to plaintiffs’ counsel Benjamin Brown, of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, “The UFC was built on the battered bodies of MMA fighters who have left their blood and sweat in the Octagon. Those fighters are entitled to the benefits of a competitive market for their talents.”

The lawsuit targets defendants Zuffa LLC, the Las Vegas-based company that conducts business as the UFC. Zuffa is primarily owned by billionaires Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, along with the UFC’s front-man, President Dana White. White has publicly boasted about the success of the UFC’s alleged illegal scheme, allegedly claiming that “there is no competition” because “I am the grim reaper[.]”

The lawsuit claims that the UFC’s alleged anti-competitive acts, in particular its actions over a period of years, have made and maintained the UFC as the only option for MMA fighters who want to earn a viable living in the profession.

“All UFC Fighters are paid a mere fraction of what they would make in a competitive market,” said Brown. “Rather than earning paydays comparable to boxers – a sport with many natural parallels – MMA fighters go substantially under-compensated despite the punishing nature of their profession.”

Above all, the lawsuit alleges that the UFC prevents fighters from working with other MMA promoters, mounting self-promotional efforts of their own or signing with outside sponsors – monopolistic practices that suppress fighters’ incomes.

According to named plaintiff Cung Le, of San Jose, Calif., an internationally acclaimed MMA combatant, “Because of the UFC’s coercive practices, competitive market forces have been strangled, future earnings power of the athletes is stripped away, and purses to the fighters are artificially depressed.”

Plaintiffs’ co-counsel and sports law specialist Robert Maysey, of Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC, added, “As a result of the UFC’s illegal conduct, they have become the only game in town and locked down the entire sport. It is ironic that the fiercest combat athletes in the world have, until now, been powerless to take on the UFC.”

The lawsuit alleges that the UFC has pursued an aggressive strategy of depriving key inputs to potential rival promoters or merging with them to maintain its monopoly position. The complaint alleges “exclusionary scheme” to impair and foreclose competition, whereby the UFC deprives potential competitors in the fight promotion market access to elite MMA fighters, premium live event venues and sponsors.

According to plaintiffs’ co-counsel Michael Dell’Angelo, of Berger & Montague, P.C., “the lawsuit alleges that the UFC has engaged in an illegal scheme to eliminate competition from rival MMA promoters by systematically preventing rivals from gaining access to ingredients critical to successful MMA promotions, including by imposing extreme restrictions on UFC Fighters’ ability to fight for rivals during and after their tenure with the UFC. The UFC also takes the rights to fighters’ names and likenesses in perpetuity. As a result of the UFC’s scheme, we allege that UFC Fighters are paid fraction of what they would earn in a competitive marketplace.”

The lawsuit alleges that as a result of these and other anti-competitive acts, including the UFC’s acquisition of rival Strikeforce, the UFC has maintained control of more than 90 percent of the revenue derived from live MMA bouts nationwide.

The lawsuit also alleges that the UFC has retaliated against fighters who have worked with or who have announced intentions to work with rival promoters or sponsors by refusing to book their bouts and/or eliminating them from key UFC promotional activities such as advertising campaigns and video games.

“UFC’s threats are taken seriously by fighters because they know that a UFC ban will substantially diminish, if not end, their ability to earn a living at their chosen profession,” said plaintiffs’ co-counsel Joseph Saveri of Saveri Law Firm, Inc. “These MMA professionals deserve the right to take back their careers.

The plaintiffs are represented by nationally respected antitrust litigation firms Cohen Milstein Sellers and Toll PLLC, Berger & Montague, P.C., Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc. and Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC.

For more information about Cung Le, et al v. Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship and UFC, visit http://www.cohenmilstein.com/news.php?NewsID=742.

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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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: Cung Le, Eddie Goldman, Jon Fitch, lawsuit, MMA fighters, monopoly, Nate Quarry, No Holds Barred, UFC

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Joe Warren.

His next fight will be a title defense against Marcos Galvao at Bellator 134 on Friday, March 27, at the Winstar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma, and will be shown live in the U.S. on Spike TV.

Before that, he will be returning to the mat to compete in wrestling, at the third annual Grapple at the Garden.

His team, Team Joe Warren, will face Team Renzo Gracie in an eight-match freestyle wrestling dual meet.

This event takes place Sunday, December 21, at the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, in New York. Joe Warren's opponent will be UFC fighter Scott Jorgensen, who wrestled at Boise State University where he was a three-time Pac-10 Champion. Joe Warren also was a 2006 world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and a 2000 NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Michigan.

At Grapple at the Garden, numerous dual meets will take place involving 25 college teams, as well as high school and youth tournaments.

The main event will feature four-time NCAA Div. I champion at Cornell, Kyle Dake of the U.S., competing in Greco-Roman wrestling against Arsen Julfalakyan of Armenia, a 2014 world champion and 2012 Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling. The co-main event will feature two-time world bronze medalist and 2012 Olympian in freestyle wrestling, Tervel Dlagnev of the U.S., against 2004 Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion in freestyle wrestling, Khadshimourad Gatsalov of Russia, in a freestyle wrestling match.

These two matches and the Team Joe Warren-Team Renzo Gracie dual meet will air live on pay-per-view TV.

We spoke with Joe Warren by phone Sunday.

Commenting on the connections between wrestling and jiu-jitsu, he said, "We're trying to just show that wrestling is the base, is the pedigree of all the rest of these sports and mixed martial arts, jiu-jitsu, whatever you need to go into." He added, "Usually a good wrestler can get the job done."

He continued, "We respect the jiu-jitsu guys and the way they train and their mindset." This event was designed to "mingle" athletes with backgrounds in wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and MMA, as well as two or three of those disciplines.

"This year it kind of blew up even bigger."

His upcoming title defense against Marcos Galvao will be a rematch from Bellator 41 on April 16, 2011. In that fight, a three-round, non-title, catchweight fight. Joe Warren won a unanimous decision, although with some controversy. He explained that in that fight, he had only been fighting professionally for two years, that he has advanced since then, and was then a wrestler doing MMA but now is a mixed martial artist.

We also discussed his plans to be a color commentator, the potential for some type of real professional wrestling to succeed, 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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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, Grapple at Garden, Joe Warren, MMA, No Holds Barred, wrestling

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

Our subject was not the usual critique of what is going on in the combat sports, but the death of 43-year-old Eric Garner on July 17, 2014, in Staten Island, New York. Mr. Garner was allegedly selling loose cigarettes, and was approached by police officers. After being put by police officer Daniel Pantaleo in what many have described as a chokehold, Mr. Garner was pushed to the sidewalk and jumped on by other officers. Even after Mr. Garner repeatedly yelled "I can't breathe!" the group of police officers continued to push his head and body on the concrete. He then lost consciousness, and died soon after. A bystander shot a cell phone video of this incident, and it was widely posted online and shown on TV.

The official report of the New York medical examiner stated that compression of the neck and chest, along with his positioning on the ground while being restrained by police, caused his death, and that it was a "homicide." Also listed as contributing factors towards the death of Mr. Garner, who weighed in excess of 300 pounds, were bronchial asthma, heart disease, obesity, and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

But on December 3, a Staten Island grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo, who is white, or anyone else, in the death of Eric Garner, who was Black. This resulted in mass demonstrations around the U.S. and many other places protesting the killing of yet another unarmed Black man by white police officers. Many called this killing a "murder" and demanded justice, which they felt was not coming from the legal system.

In discussing this case, besides his expertise in martial arts and combat sports holds such as the many types of chokes, John Perretti offers something else as well. While many know about his credentials as a pioneer in MMA, grappling, and the martial arts and combat sports, it is not as well-known that, among the many facets of his life, he was an auxiliary police officer for ten years in New York's 13th Precinct. He thus brings a unique perspective to analyzing this situation.

We spoke with John Perretti by Skype Friday while he was in Japan (Thursday New York time).

"I feel that it was unjust, and not necessary," he said of the police tactics used against Mr Garner.

We discussed why the hold used against Mr. Garner was not the same as a martial arts chokehold, but more of a "clutch" which crushed the larynx. While different from the rear naked choke or choke sleeper seen in combat sports and martial arts, the move used by the police officer here did seem to fit the definition of the type of chokehold which is supposedly banned by the NYPD (New York Police Department).

We discussed the training of police officers, why he did not see the "physicality" which exists today among NYPD officers in the 1980s, why the hold used in this case was not a headlock, the growing problems and confrontations in the U.S. between police and the people, 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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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: Black Lives Matter, choke, chokehold, death, Eddie Goldman, Eric Garner, John Perretti, No Holds Barred, NYPD, police

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Bellator MMA and American Top Team fighter "King" Mo Lawal.

While awaiting word on when his next fight in Bellator will take place, his next competition will not be in a cage but on a mat, in the sport in which he first achieved notoriety: wrestling.

King Mo will be part of Team Joe Warren as they face Team Renzo Gracie in a freestyle wrestling dual meet at the third annual Grapple at the Garden.

This event takes place Sunday, December 21, at the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, in New York. His opponent, as part of this scheduled eight-man dual meet, will be Rolles Gracie of the legendary Gracie family.

At Grapple at the Garden, numerous dual meets will take place involving 25 college teams, as well as high school and youth tournaments.

The main event will feature four-time NCAA Div. I champion at Cornell, Kyle Dake of the U.S., competing in Greco-Roman wrestling against Arsen Julfalakyan of Armenia, a 2014 world champion and 2012 Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling. The co-main event will feature two-time world bronze medalist and 2012 Olympian in freestyle wrestling, Tervel Dlagnev of the U.S., against 2004 Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion in freestyle wrestling, Khadshimourad Gatsalov of Russia, in a freestyle wrestling match.

We spoke with King Mo by phone Wednesday.

King Mo enters this match with numerous credentials in wrestling. He was a three-time U.S. national champion in freestyle wrestling, a 2003 All-American on the NCAA Div. I national champion Oklahoma State Cowboys, a Real Pro Wrestling champion, and a 2002 Division II national champion. But he also has not wrestled competitively since 2008, when he began fighting in professional MMA.

Asked why he agreed to take this match, he replied, "Why not?" He explained, "I was supposed to do it last year, but I had something pop up, a minor thing pop up, so I couldn't do it. So I'm going to do it this year."

Although his opponent, Rolles Gracie, has some freestyle wrestling experience, is of course known for his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and is heavier and taller than King Mo, he still expects to win handily. He said he expects to take this match by "tech fall."

We also discussed some of the differences in training for wrestling and MMA, what he hopes to accomplish in 2015 in Bellator, his views on pro wrestler CM Punk becoming a pro MMA fighter, his views on Saturday's Amir Khan-Devon Alexander boxing card in Las Vegas, 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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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, Grapple at Garden, King Mo, MMA, No Holds Barred, wrestling

My latest blog for the Defense Soap site, "For Wrestling, TV or Not TV?", is up at http://blog.defensesoap.com/news/for-wrestling-tv-or-not-tv.

Labels: college, Defense Soap, Eddie Goldman, NCAA, No Holds Barred, online, TV, webcast, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the neurologist, the former chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and the president and board chairman of VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, Dr. Margaret Goodman.

Stepping into yet another role, she is the author of the new novel, "Death in Vegas". This fictional story combines drama, romance, and intrigue in an expose of the many real behind-the-scenes facets of corruption in boxing. Written to appeal to both men and women, it is a page-turner with twists and turns, but a message to tell as well. It is an entertaining and worthwhile read for anyone interested in the many issues facing boxing and the combat sports as a whole.

We spoke with Dr. Margaret Goodman by phone Sunday.

"I love the sport of boxing, as I think you can figure that out from this book," she said. "I do love the fighters. I hate the corruption that goes on in the sport. I hate the fact that not enough is not being done. You yourself are an advocate for combat sports, and so that's what I try to be at all times in my career in boxing and MMA."

Stating that it would be "impossible" for various reasons for her to write a successful non-fiction book, she said, "I wanted to use this opportunity to talk about all of the inadequacies in the sport, how the sport could be made so much better for the fighters, and I wanted to bring a new audience."

We discussed more about the particulars of this story, and how its aim is to "give respect to all the fighters out there."

But we also delved into many of the real issues raised in the book, including the need for some type of national commission to regulate combat sports like boxing and MMA, as well as the need for fighters to have their own union.

Her former role as a ringside physician and present role in VADA have made her particularly aware that, even today, performance-enhancing drugs are, she said, "rampant" in the combat sports. The issues of head trauma, concussions and sub-concussive trauma, brain damage, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy as well as what age youth should start participating in these sports, including tackle football, were also discussed.

One area that requires new attention is the level of damage caused by chokes in sports like MMA, jiu-jitsu, and various styles of grappling and wrestling. Dr. Goodman said much more study is needed, but suggested that just like medical suspensions are handed out for getting knocked out, perhaps it is time to start considering issuing medical suspensions for getting choked out. While short-term damage from chokes appears anecdotally to be relatively minor, asked whether it is scientifically known if there is long-term damage from repeatedly being choked out, she replied, we "don't have the answer yet.... We don't know."

We also discussed more on the characters in the book, how she would like to write a novel in a similar vein on MMA, and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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: boxing, concussions, CTE, Death In Vegas, doping, drugs, Eddie Goldman, Margaret Goodman, MMA, No Holds Barred, PED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Ivaylo Ivanov of the International Federation of Combat Wrestling (FICW).

Just formed this year, this organization is running events in the style of submission wrestling known as combat wrestling, which most recently achieved notoriety in Japan in the 1990s. With representatives joining from around the world, the goal is to hold their first world championship event in Bulgaria in the summer of 2015.

Originally from Bulgaria and having lived in Japan and China, he is now living in Mexico City. He is a black belt in judo, a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and a master of sport in sambo. He also is the founder of the combat sports news web site Yagadome.

We spoke with Ivaylo Ivanov by Skype Wednesday.

"In combat wrestling, you are awarded points for throws, depending on the amplitude of the throw and landing position of your opponent. After that, you get points for pins. That would be pins outside of the guard. And then, of course, you could get submissions," he said, "and go for submissions any time you want. But the most common positions for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, for example, like mount and taking the back, are also awarded, with only one point."

We also discussed the founding of this style and ruleset by Mr. Noriaki Kiguchi in Japan, why it is being revived now, how the rules differ from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, how the rules and style are very similar to sambo but without the kurtka (jacket), the planned expansion of the federation to 20 countries by the end of 2015, the plans for the 2015 world championships, plans for holding continental championships in 2016 leading to that year's world championships, building the International Federation of Combat Wrestling as a non-profit organization and eventually holding a world 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.

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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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, Eddie Goldman, International Federation Combat Wrestling, Ivaylo Ivanov, jiu-jitsu, judo, No Holds Barred, sambo

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Rigan Machado, who is now the commissioner of the newly-formed Jiu-Jitsu World League.

Featuring new rules which reward aggressive action and penalize stalling, and with plans to run 12 events in 12 cities in 2015, their first event is set for Saturday, January 17, 2015. The location will be the Bren Events Center at the University of California, Irvine, at 100 Mesa Road, Irvine, California 92697.

We spoke with Rigan Machado by phone Monday.

"What's missing in jiu-jitsu is to go to the next level, to go professional, to be sure athletes get paid," like in other sports, he said.

"And the only way you can do that is by getting the TV. But to get the TV, you have a transformation. We need to readjust the rules to be more exciting, more aggressive, because in TV, the good fights which finish with a little points here and there is not enough. They have to put a lot of points on the board, a lot of submissions, a lot of big throws. And that's what I did."

Besides these rules, he has teamed up in this venture with veteran sports TV executive Mat Tinley, who also had been a boxing promoter with America Presents when it represented Mike Tyson.

We discussed more on the rules; the plans to release recorded video of the first event and then have live streaming of the next events; how the first event will have competition in a gi, but the next one will likely have no-gi competition; why the first year of the Jiu-Jitsu World League will prepare it to be "100 percent ready" for TV; how they aim to create "the best organization in the world" and base themselves on "honor, integrity, and respect"; how this plan can keep top athletes in jiu-jitsu; how they want to help kids become the next generation of champions; the two open weight classes of heavy and light in their tournaments; bringing in top athletes from many styles of grappling to compete; 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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Jiu-Jitsu World League, No Holds Barred, Rigan Machado