NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman opens with a commentary on the resignation of Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer, how this relates to the suspension of baseball drug cheat Alex Rodriguez, how most sports and those regulated by North American athletic commissions are moving in opposite directions on the issue of doping, and the continuing dangers of concussions and brain injuries in combat sports.

On Saturday, January 18, American Top Team fighter Jessica Aguilar, who is the world's top-ranked MMA fighter in the women's 115-pound division, will make her debut in the World Series of Fighting promotion. Her opponent will be Alida Gray, 4-0 in MMA, in a bout for World Series of Fighting's inaugural women's strawweight title. This fight will be on the WSOF 8 card at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and will be telecast live in the U.S. on NBC Sports Network.

We had a chance to ask questions of both Jessica Aguilar and Alida Gray on this past week's WSOF 8 media conference call, and play the audio from that discussion.

In addition, also discussed are the continuing failures of the sport of wrestling to market and promote the sport, especially through television, and the emulation of many in combat sports of the worst elements in them, rather than striving for positioning them as real sports.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

GrappleGnostic, sponsored by Defense Soap. Where the will to win meets the power of knowledge. Features, interviews, analysis, health tips, and information on wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and all the grappling arts, written by some of the best writers and experts in the world. Check out their web site, a http://defensesoap.com/grapplegnostic.

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 http://defensesoap.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, Alida Gray, concussions, CTE, doping, drugs, Eddie Goldman, Jessica Aguilar, Keith Kizer, MMA, No Holds Barred, PED, steroids, World Series Fighting, wrestling, WSOF

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, American Top Team fighter Jessica Aguilar.

She has recently signed with the World Series of Fighting, and will make her debut in that promotion at WSOF 8 on Saturday, January 18, 2014, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Her opponent will be Alida Gray, 4-0 in MMA, in a bout for World Series of Fighting's inaugural women's strawweight title.

WSOF 8 will be telecast live in the U.S. on NBC Sports Network.

We spoke with Jessica Aguilar by phone Sunday night.

Having watched some video of Alida Gray, she is confident that she will win this fight and retain her number one ranking.

"I'm going to be ready," she said, "and that belt's going to be mine."

We also discussed her previous fight, a rematch with grappling legend and MMA pioneer Megumi Fujii, which took place October 5, 2013, on the Vale Tudo Japan 3rd event card in Ota, Tokyo, Japan. Jessica Aguilar won that fight, albeit with some controversy, and she explained what happened.

In addition, we also discussed the treatment of LGBT fighters in MMA and her own experiences. Speaking for herself, she said that there was "nothing bad to say from my experience."

Besides reiterating her love of Japan and their culture and fans, we discussed her future plans, how her mother has come to accept that she is a fighter, her training at American Top Team, and the humorous story of how she first became a professional MMA fighter. And towards the end of our discussion, she treated us to a brief rendition of an old Garth Brooks song.

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:

LenneHardt.com, the web site of the world's greatest ring announcer, Lenne Hardt. Need a unique and cool combat sports-related gift? At LenneHardt.com, you can order personalized messages, wedding calls, ringtones, phone answering messages, and more, all recorded by Lenne herself, in the style of your choice. For more information, go to LenneHardt.com.

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

GrappleGnostic, sponsored by Defense Soap. Where the will to win meets the power of knowledge. Features, interviews, analysis, health tips, and information on wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and all the grappling arts, written by some of the best writers and experts in the world. Check out their web site, a http://defensesoap.com/grapplegnostic.

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 http://defensesoap.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: Alida Gray, American Top Team, Eddie Goldman, Jessica Aguilar, LGBT, MMA, No Holds Barred, World Series Fighting, WSOF