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

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

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the legendary mixed martial arts fighter Frank Shamrock.

Frank has just revamped his web site, FrankShamrock.com, and added numerous user-friendly, social networking features, where one can sign up for free as a member.

We had a wide-ranging discussion beginning with the web site, and covering his view of his fight with Cung Le this past March, what his next fight may be, the prospects of a mixed martial arts fight with his brother Ken Shamrock, what has happened to EliteXC, his role in that company, the state of mixed martial arts, the need for a fighters' union in MMA, and more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here or here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. 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:

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.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Labels: CBS, Cung Le, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, Frank Shamrock, grappling, Ken Shamrock, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Pro Elite, Showtime, UFC, ultimate fighting

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman begins by reviewing the mixed martial arts fight between Cung Le and Frank Shamrock held this past Saturday night, March 29, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Cung Le won that fight by TKO at the end of the third round after one of his kicks broke Frank Shamrock's right arm. The relation between striking and grappling in mixed martial arts is particularly analyzed.

We next preview the upcoming mixed martial arts show of the International Fight League (IFL), which will be held this coming Friday, April 4, at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, popularly known as the Meadowlands. This card will be televised live on HDNet.

On that card, in camp vs. camp competition, the Renzo Gracie Academy takes on Midwest Combat, and the American Top Team faces the Miletich Fighting Systems camp. There will be three individual IFL championship bouts as well. Vladimir Matyushenko of Midwest Combat defends his light heavyweight title against Jamal Patterson of the Renzo Gracie Academy in a fight which will also be part of the camp competition. Wagnney Fabiano, the 145-pound champion, fights Shad Lierley, and 170-pound champion Jay Hieron fights Mark Miller.

We spoke with Wagnney Fabiano about what to expect from this fight and also his career in general.

We spoke with the master and legend, Renzo Gracie, about this card as well as his own plans and views.

We also spoke with one of Renzo's prize students, UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, about his title defense April 19 against Georges St-Pierre in Montreal.

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: Cung Le, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, Frank Shamrock, IFL, International Fight League, Matt Serra, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Renzo Gracie, Showtime, Strikeforce, UFC, Wagnney Fabiano

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman begins by previewing the mixed martial arts fight between Frank Shamrock and Cung Le. This will be held Saturday night, March 29, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. It will be shown in the U.S. as the main event of a joint EliteXC and Strikeforce telecast on Showtime at 9 PM ET/PT.

We next present the discussion which took place at the tribute organized by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame to the African-American wrestling experience, held March 20, at the 2008 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championship in St. Louis, Missouri.

Speaking are five African-American wrestling legends: Simon Roberts, who in 1957 wrestling at Iowa became the first African-American wrestler to win an NCAA wrestling championship; Bobby Douglas, the first African-American wrestler to represent the U.S. twice in the Olympics (1964 and 1968), the first African-American coach of an NCAA championship team (Arizona State in 1988), and the coach of undefeated four-time NCAA champion Cael Sanderson at Iowa State; Lee Kemp, a three-time NCAA champion at the University of Wisconsin and a three-time freestyle world champion (1978, 1979, and 1982); Lloyd Keaser, a 1973 world champion in freestyle and a two-time All-American at the Naval Academy; and Kenny Monday, the first African-American wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal (1988), a silver medalist in 1992 in freestyle wrestling, a world champion in freestyle wrestling in 1983, an NCAA champion in 1984 wrestling for Oklahoma State, and the Extreme Fighting welterweight championship in 1997.

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: Bobby Douglas, Cung Le, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, Frank Shamrock, Kenny Monday, Lee Kemp, Lloyd Keaser, mixed martial arts, MMA, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Showtime, Simon Roberts, Strikeforce, wrestling

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting on the announcement Tuesday that Bob Meyrowitz, the former CEO of Semaphore Entertainment Group, which produced the original, classic UFC events from 1993 to 2001, is returning to mixed martial arts. His new league is called YAMMA Pit Fighting (YPF), and will be debuting Friday, April 11, 2008, at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with a pay-per-view show.

In the main part of this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, we speak with mixed martial arts legend Frank Shamrock.

In a lengthy interview, Frank discusses why he has not signed and will not sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC); the need for fighters to defend their rights, embrace their own brands, and be built as stars; how mixed martial arts is regressing in technique; art and professional athleticism in MMA; how good a fighter he believes he is today; his upcoming fight with Cung Le March 29; the likelihood of a fight with his older brother, Ken Shamrock; the future of the latest wave of MMA companies; the possibility of a rematch with Tito Ortiz once his contract with UFC is over; Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Willie Nelson, and country music; 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:

Art of War, the undisputed arena fighting championship, promoted by SUN Sports and Entertainment, producing world class mixed martial arts events. For more information, check out their web site, ArtOfWarLive.com.

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: Bob Meyrowitz, boxing, Cung Le, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, Frank Shamrock, IFL, Ken Shamrock, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Strikeforce, Tito Ortiz, UFC, ultimate fighting, YAMMA