NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Kevin Jackson, the Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion freestyle wrestler, who is starting his seventh season as head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.

The 2015-16 college wrestling season is about to start, with Iowa State having their first dual meet by hitting the road to face Virginia Tech Saturday, November 7, at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia.

We spoke with Coach Jackson by phone Tuesday.

While 2015 NCAA champion Kyven Gadson has graduated, this season's Cyclone wrestling team has a number of holdovers. But there will be some changes, as redshirt senior Tanner Weatherman, a two-time Big 12 runner-up, will be moving down to 165 pounds, and redshirt junior Lelund Weatherspoon, a 2014 Big 12 champion, will be moving down to 174 pounds. Senior Earl Hall at 133 pounds, a 2014 All-American, is another wrestler expected to have an outstanding season.

"I would have to say it's not a rebuilding year anymore," Coach Jackson said. "We're past the rebuilding stage. I think we have everything in place to take the necessary steps to do what we're capable of doing," he said. "I think we have a lot of the pieces in place to really make some noise."

We also discussed the likely starting lineup at each weight, including those weights where the starter remains to be determined by wrestle-offs.

Wrestling is a unique sport, and in this highly quotable interview, Coach Jackson shared some of his observations on it.

"People think that wrestling builds character. I think that's been said several times. But really, wrestling reveals character. A wrestling match, especially a collegiate match, will tell who you really are, what you've really been doing every single day in your day-to-day life," he said.

"It is a direct reflection of life. That's the beauty of our sport, how it carries over to life."

A large part of wrestling involves mental toughness. We discussed that at length, with Coach Jackson explaining that skillsets can easily be taught, but that some of mental toughness is "ingrained" in people. The mind can control the rest of the body, he said, with success both on and off the mat being "based on the decisions you make in life."

We also discussed what lies in the future for Kyven Gadson as he trains to make the 2016 Olympic team, the expansion of the Big 12 Conference for wrestling, the proper equipment needed for new 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.

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, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free 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:

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.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

Labels: Big 12, character, college, Cyclones, Earl Hall, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Wrestling, Kevin Jackson, Kyven Gadson, Lelund Weatherspoon, mental toughness, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Tanner Weatherman

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Kevin Jackson, the Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion freestyle wrestler, who is in his sixth season as head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.

Iowa State will be the host this year for the Big 12 Wrestling Championship, which takes place Saturday, March 7, at Hilton Coliseum on the campus of Iowa State University. The 2015 NCAA Div. 1 Wrestling Championships take place March 19-21 in St. Louis, Missouri.

We spoke with Coach Kevin Jackson by phone Wednesday.

"We're excited to host the tournament. The Big 12 Championship has always been competitive, always been a highly-contest event," he said.

"Oklahoma State has held that title for the last few years, and obviously we're in a position where we feel like we can fight for it this year. Make no mistake, they're the clear favorite going into the tournament, but we feel we've been wrestling pretty well. We have three guys seeded number one. They're going have to hold their number one seeds, and then everyone else is going to have to out-perform their seeds to give us a chance to win."

The home advantage for Iowa State could also play a role this year.

"Our crowds have been great. I think they can play a vital role in cheering on our wrestlers. But it's going to be a lot of fun," he said.

"And this is the time of the season that we're most excited about that we do all the training and hard work for throughout the year."

We discussed how the Iowa State wrestlers match up with their rivals in this tournament, how the team usually gets better as the season progresses, some of the plans of the seniors whose college wrestling careers will be over after the NCAA national tournament, 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 12, college, Cyclones, Earl Hall, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Wrestling, Kevin Jackson, Kyven Gadson, Lelund Weatherspoon, Michael Moreno, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Tanner Weatherman

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Kevin Jackson, the Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion freestyle wrestler, who is in his fifth season as head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.

The month of March will see the conclusion of the 2013-14 college wrestling season, with only conference and national championships remaining for Iowa State.

They will be competing at the 2014 Big 12 Wrestling Championships, which takes place Saturday, March 8, at the McCasland Field House in Norman, Oklahoma. The finals will be televised live in the U.S. on various Fox networks, including Fox College Sports, beginning at 8 PM ET/ 7 PM CT. As always, check your local listings.

The 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships also take place in Oklahoma, March 20-22 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. The finals will be televised live in the U.S. on ESPN, with extensive coverage of all sessions both on television and online on the ESPN networks.

We spoke with Coach Kevin Jackson by phone Sunday to preview these tournaments and to discuss what to expect from the Iowa State Cyclones.

"This is the most exciting time of the year for everyone. The Big 12 Championships, the NCAA Championships -- everything else is practice," he said.

Much attention is being given to Iowa State's redshirt junior Kyven Gadson, who will be the number one seed at 197 pounds for this year's Big 12 Championships, and is also currently ranked number one in the country at that weight.

Coach Jackson said that Kyven Gadson's performance this season has gotten the Iowa State wrestling community and many people on the campus "very, very excited, based on this year, based on where he is ranked right now, the opportunity to be seeded number one in the NCAA tournament, and the opportunity to be a two-time Big 12 champion."

We also discussed how this season in college wrestling has seen numerous upsets and these tournaments are very hotly-contested; what wrestling must do to add more fans; the role of real professional wrestling and catch wrestling; and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not 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.

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: Big 12, championships, college, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Cyclones, Kevin Jackson, Kyven Gadson, Mike Moreno, NCAA, No Holds Barred, wrestling

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this special edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with noted wrestling historian and author Mike Chapman, who is the executive director of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa.

April 3 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the world heavyweight wrestling championship match between Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt in Chicago. This match, won by Gotch, took place in an era when professional wrestling was still a real sport.

To commemorate this anniversary, April 3, 2008, is being celebrated as Frank Gotch Day in Gotch's hometown of Humboldt, Iowa, and in Waterloo and at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. The Governor of Iowa, Chet Culver, has also declared April 3, 2008, as Frank Gotch Day statewide.

In an in-depth discussion, we speak with Mike Chapman about the legend of Frank Gotch, how pro wrestling was largely real in Gotch's day and why it changed, what lessons can be learned for wrestling from this, the celebration planned for Frank Gotch Day, the Museum's co-sponsoring the annual WIN Magazine Memorabilia Show at the 2008 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championship March 20-22 in St. Louis, and more.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here and just press the play button on the player.

You can also download it by scrolling down that page and clicking on the download link (right-click to save it).

You can also listen to it through the player on this blog and the NO HOLDS BARRED MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

YAMMA Pit Fighting. The producers of the original UFC and Live Nation, worldwide leaders in live entertainment, present YAMMA Pit Fighting mixed martial arts. On the streets, it's against the law. In the pit, it IS the law.

IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.

Gladiator Challenge, shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Labels: Big 12, boxing, college wrestling, David Haye, Eddie Goldman, Enzo Maccarinelli, NCAA, No Holds Barred, wrestling

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman previews what is happening in boxing and college wrestling this weekend, in particular focusing on the fight between David Haye and Enzo Maccarinelli, and the 2008 Big 12 Wrestling Championship.

The top cruiserweight boxer in the world David Haye (20-1, 19 KOs) will have a title unification bout with Enzo Maccarinelli (28-1, 21 KOs) Saturday, March 8, at the O2 Arena in London, UK. It will be shown live both in the U.S. on Showtime and in the UK on Setanta.

We spoke with both David Haye and Enzo Maccarinelli this week on a media teleconference call about this fight.

This weekend, many of the conference championships in college wrestling will take place. These are qualifiers for the 2008 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championship, which will be held March 20-22 in St. Louis, Missouri.

The 2008 Big 12 Wrestling Championship, featuring five of the top teams in the U.S., will be held Saturday, March 8, at the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

We spoke with all five Big 12 wrestling coaches on a media teleconference call about the Big 12 Championship and the upcoming NCAA tournament. They are Mark Manning of Nebraska, Cael Sanderson of Iowa State, Jack Spates of Oklahoma, Brian Smith of Missouri, and John Smith of Oklahoma State.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here and just press the play button on the player.

You can also download it by scrolling down that page and clicking on the download link (right-click to save it).

You can also listen to it through the player on this blog and the NO HOLDS BARRED MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

YAMMA Pit Fighting. The producers of the original UFC and Live Nation, worldwide leaders in live entertainment, present YAMMA Pit Fighting mixed martial arts. On the streets, it's against the law. In the pit, it IS the law.

IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.

Gladiator Challenge, shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Labels: Big 12, boxing, Brian Smith, Cael Sanderson, college wrestling, David Haye, Eddie Goldman, Enzo Maccarinelli, Jack Spates, John Smith, Mark Manning, NCAA, No Holds Barred, wrestling