NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Carlos Carvalho and Jennifer Golden of the ADCC North American Federation.

It is a happily busy time in the U.S. over the next several weeks for ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club), which runs the world's most prestigious and important grappling world championship. Three major events will be taking place over the course of the coming six weekends.

This Saturday, June 21, ADCC will hold both gi and no-gi tournaments in the Chicago area, at the Frontier Park Fieldhouse, 9807 S. Sayre Avenue, Chicago Ridge, Illinois 60415.

Besides these tournaments with numerous divisions, there will be two superfights under ADCC grappling rules. In a battle of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champions, Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros will face Leonardo Pecahna. In what promises to be a very active and competitive match between two grappling masters, Jeff Curran will take on Omar Choudhury.

Next up is North Carolina. This event, also with gi and no-gi tournaments, will take place Saturday, July 12, at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, 4751 US Highway 49, North Concord, North Carolina 28025.

ADCC will also be making its debut at this year's MMA World Expo in New York, running two days of tournaments, also with gi and no-gi divisions. The no-gi competition will take place Saturday, July 26, with the gi competition Sunday, July 27. The location is the Jacob Javits Center, 655 W. 34th Street, New York, New York 10001.

Expect more information soon on superfights for the North Carolina and New York events.

We spoke with Carlos Carvalho and Jennifer Golden by phone Tuesday.

"It's the first time that we are getting into the area of Chicago," Carlos Carvalho said. The superfight between Comprido and Pecanha involves two well-known athletes in grappling and BJJ. As for the superfight between Jeff Curran and Omar Choudhury, he said, "It's going to be another small guy fight, but you know how they work, man. They are crazy. They are electrical. They jump around. They do things that the big guys can't do."

Jennifer Golden pointed out that ADCC is much more than the world championships which are held every two years, with the next one slated for 2015.

"We want our name out there all year long," she said. "So these national tournaments are ways for us to build our name and also for people to get experience with ADCC and our rules and the way we compete. So we're doing our best to try to hit all these major cities and give everyone an opportunity to compete with us."

We also discussed how these national tournaments are leading up to both East Coast and West Coast qualifiers in the U.S. for spots at the 2015 world championships, the importance of growing ADCC at the grassroots level, the significance of running ADCC tournaments at the MMA World Expo, 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:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., taking place Sunday, July 27, at the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. You can only win by pin or submission. Best two out of three falls. All styles welcome. For more information or to register, go to snakepitusa.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.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 http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: Abu Dhabi Combat Club, ADCC, BJJ, Carlos Carvalho, Chicago, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Jennifer Golden, MMA World Expo, New York, No Holds Barred, North Carolina

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Carlos Carvalho, the executive officer of the USA ADCC Federation.

Our main topic was the ADCC New York Nationals 2014, which will take place Sunday, April 6, at Queens College in the Fitzgerald Gymnasium (South Gym), at 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, New York 11367.

There are many divisions at this event, which will be open to all ages and skill levels, including no-gi grappling under ADCC rules, followed by a BJJ gi tournament. There will be both professional and amateur divisions, and men's and women's as well.

The main event will be a superfight under ADCC rules between grapplers Garry Tonon of Brunswick BJJ and DJ Jackson of Team Lloyd Irvin.

To register or for more information about the ADCC New York Nationals, click here.

We spoke with Carlos Carvalho by phone Thursday.

In our discussion, he explained how the ADCC Federation is getting more active in North America, in both the U.S. and Canada. "We have a series of tournaments," he said, with the first one this year in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on February 22.

"The second right now is in New York on April 6," he said. "This one is going to be a great one. We have a great superfight lined up, and a lot of pre-registrations already coming in. We're looking to be a big show."

We discussed how these events can showcase grapplers when selections are made to compete in qualifiers for the ADCC World Championships, the growing presence of the ADCC Federation in North America, how the ADCC rules encourage action and thus are liked by the athletes, 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:

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: ADCC, BJJ, Carlos Carvalho, Eddie Goldman, grappling, jiu-jitsu, New York Nationals, No Holds Barred, no-gi, Queens College, World Submission Fighting Championships, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Carlos Carvalho, the executive officer of the USA ADCC Federation, about the ADCC Virginia Beach Nationals 2014.

This event will be held Saturday, February 22, at the Fort Monroe Recreation Center, 100 Stillwell Road, Hampton, Virginia 23651. It is the first in a series of tournaments, under ADCC rules, to be held in the U.S. in 2014. The next ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships, the most important and prestigious grappling tournament in the world, will be held in 2015, at a date and location to be announced.

To register or for more information about the ADCC Virginia Beach Nationals, click here.

We spoke with Carlos Carvalho by phone Thursday.

"We are having a plan for a series of tournaments this year," he said. "Last year, we held four. This year we're doubling up. We are looking to between eight and ten events."

For the first one this year, the ADCC Virginia Beach Nationals 2014, between 300 and 500 hundred competitors, including children, adults, and masters, and male and female grapplers, are expected. There will also be superfights.

"It's looking awesome, the competition," he said.

We also discussed how these events help grapplers get used to the ADCC rules and advance to the world championships, and how the winners of these national tournaments will have expenses paid to compete in the 2015 trials for the world championships.

In addition, we discussed the next ADCC national tournament, which is scheduled for April 6 at Queens College in Queens, New York; how the ADCC rules of no-gi grappling differ from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and are attractive to grapplers from all disciplines and styles; 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:

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: ADCC, BJJ, Carlos Carvalho, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Hampton Roads, jiu-jitsu, No Holds Barred, no-gi, Virginia Beach Nationals, World Submission Fighting Championships, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Carlos Carvalho, the executive officer of the USA ADCC Federation, about the ADCC U.S. Nationals.

This edition of the ADCC U.S. Nationals will take place this Saturday, December 7, at the John Adams Middle School, 2002 Presidential Drive, Charleston, West Virginia 25314. There will be both professional and amateur divisions for men and women, as well as superfights. This will be the last edition of the four ADCC U.S. Nationals events held in 2013.

To pre-register or for more information, click here.

We spoke with Carlos Carvalho by phone Tuesday.

The ADCC U.S. Nationals have been established "with the objective of trying to find new athletes, new competitors to be able to compete in the ADCC" world championships, the "most prestigious" no-gi championships in the world, he said.

The ADCC rules of no-gi grappling are unique. Thus, he said, amateur athletes need experience competing under them "so when they become professionals, they are used to the rules and regulations for the ADCC."

We also discussed the many pro and amateur divisions at this event, the superfights, the plans for ADCC to run more events in 2014 in the U.S., 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:

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: ADCC, BJJ, Carlos Carvalho, Eddie Goldman, grappling, jiu-jitsu, No Holds Barred, no-gi, U.S. Nationals, World Submission Fighting Championships, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Carlos Carvalho, the executive officer of the USA ADCC Federation.

Carlos is in New York to compete at the New York Summer International Open IBJJF Championship this Saturday, July 13. Returning recently to competition after taking a break, Carlos had a very successful trip to Rome, Italy, winning gold at the Rome International Open IBJJF Championship on June 29 in the black belt male senior heavyweight division, and also winning gold at the European Open No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2013 on June 30, also in the black belt male senior heavyweight division. He hopes to return home to Columbus, Ohio, with another medal from New York.

We spoke with him Friday at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York.

Besides discussing his own return to the mat, we focused on the seemingly unstoppable growth of grappling virtually everywhere in the world. He noted the great improvement in the level of competition he had seen in Europe, and how he expects this trend to continue.

In the USA, the ADCC Federation has a busy schedule of events coming up, with the next tournament set for Saturday, August 3, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Mountain Pointe High School. More ADCC tournaments are planned for the USA this year in the Denver, Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, and Miami areas. The 2013 ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships will take place October 19-20 in Beijing, China.

"There's a lot of tournaments that are trying to figure out a formula to make this sport interesting to be watched by the general public," he said. "In some different rules in some organizations, the fights take too long. In some other ones, it takes too short. In some other ones, it's not fair this. In some other ones, it's not fair there."

He sees the ADCC rules, where the first half of the match is submission-only and the second half has points, as the best.

"In particular, the rules of ADCC are the most fair and the most active set of rules for the grappling that we have today."

We also discussed a program which is being organized with UAE Jiu Jitsu to bring both black belt and brown belt instructors to the United Arab Emirates to provide instruction in jiu-jitsu.

Besides discussing grappling, we also continued our examination of the mass protests in Brazil against the out-of-control public spending for the FIFA World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, while the basic needs of the bulk of the people are not being met. After nationwide mass demonstrations erupted in June all over Brazil, on Thursday, July 11, there was a ''National Day of Strikes, Stoppages and Protests'' led by labor unions. Tens of thousands of workers marched in the streets and held a one-day strike in dozens of cities to demand workers' rights, better working conditions, and more investment in many areas such as public health, education, and transportation. We discussed the importance of these ongoing struggles by the people of Brazil, some of the lessons which the combat sports can teach those involved in these struggles, 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:

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.

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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/.

The First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.

Labels: ADCC, America, BJJ, Brazil, Carlos Carvalho, Eddie Goldman, grappling, IBJJF, jiu-jitsu, No Holds Barred, North, protests, strikes, USA, World Submission Fighting Championships

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Carlos Carvalho, the executive officer of the USA ADCC Federation.

As the sport of grappling expands, so does the ADCC Federation. A series of ADCC tournaments are planned in the USA for the rest of this year and beyond. The next one will be held August 3 in the Phoenix, Arizona, area, with registration set to start Friday.

We spoke with Carlos Carvalho by phone Tuesday about the expansion of ADCC and the plans for events in the USA.

"We want to grow," he said in this interview. "We are the largest organization of grappling. We definitely have the most prestigious no-gi tournaments from the world. We are the only tournament that can bring together the best of the best from all over the world in one place."

The planned tournaments in the USA will primarily aim at involving amateur competitors, who will then become familiar with the ADCC rules, and have the opportunity to advance to the ADCC North American qualifiers to earn a spot in the ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships in 2015. The 2013 ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships will take place October 19-20 in Beijing, China.

After the Arizona tournament, the plans for 2013 include holding events in the Denver, Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, and Miami areas.

We also discussed a program which is being organized with UAE Jiu Jitsu to bring both black belt and brown belt instructors to the United Arab Emirates to provide instruction in jiu-jitsu. And we discussed why grappling can become bigger than MMA, and how grappling could become part of the Olympics.

In addition, in his home country of Brazil, there have been massive popular protests against the spending by the Brazilian government on the FIFA World Cup, while neglecting the needs of the people for good jobs, health care, education, housing, etc. Carlos presented an impassioned explanation of the toll that the corruption in government and this wild spending by the politicians has had on the people of Brazil. So while we both know and advocate about the benefits people get from competing in sports, especially combat sports, there is no separation of sports and politics.

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.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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: Abu Dhabi, ADCC, BJJ, Brazil, Carlos Carvalho, Eddie Goldman, grappling, No Holds Barred, Olympics, protests, USA, World Cup, World Submission Fighting Championships

Labels: Abu Dhabi, ADCC, BJJ, Carlos Carvalho, Eddie Goldman, grappling, No Holds Barred, North American Qualifier, World Submission Fighting Championships, wrestling