NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Bob Carson, the host of Carson's Corner.

This is another in a series of discussions celebrating the tenth anniversary of this No Holds Barred podcast, which began in March 2006. These interviews will focus both on the legacy and issues raised over the years on this show, as well as contemporary issues and the future of the combat sports and martial arts.

We spoke with him by phone Wednesday.

While we both have been covering mixed martial arts for a long time, the direction it has gone in is not what we expected when we first started. MMA is closer to pro "wrestling" than anything else, with the exception that its fights are usually real.

"I cover it for a love of the athlete, a love of the fighter," he said. "But the sport has really dissolved into a spectacle."

On top of that, there is heightened awareness of the dangers of head trauma and brain injuries in MMA, as striking is given precedence over grappling by promoters and networks. As a result, the future of MMA is far from secure.

"You can sort of liken it to smoking in America. Now it's almost become socially unacceptable to smoke," he said, with MMA in danger of declining in a similar fashion.

We discussed numerous issues facing MMA and other sports, including how the so-called MMA "media" covers it; comparisons of the structure of MMA and boxing and their treatment of fighters; the absurd talk of a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor; how world sport is in crisis, including the mounting Olympic corruption and doping scandals; how MMA fans should ask what they are watching and why; the lack of art in today's MMA; what a possible sale of UFC might or might not mean; the role of grappling and wrestling events of various styles; 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 available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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:

The Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Sunday, July 3, 2016, catch wrestlers from all around the world will compete in Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary world champion wrestler Frank Gotch. Organized by the Catch Wrestling Alliance and co-sponsored by IAWrestle, the Frank Gotch Statue Committee, and the Frank Gotch Kids Wrestling Club, the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

BJJ Eastern Europe, for the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu news, articles, interviews, competition calendar, European belt rankings, academy directory, and more. For more information, go to BJJEE.com.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: Bob Carson, boxing, Carson's Corner, Eddie Goldman, MMA, No Holds Barred, spectacle, UFC