Thursday, September 12, 2019
A Wrestling Dream (Updated)
[Note: I first posted this piece on my Patreon page, which I will no longer be updating, on July 3 of this year. Since then, I have found out that the African Warriors Fighting Championship is featuring traditional wrestling from Nigeria on its program. This form of wrestling is very similar to the traditional wrestling of other parts of Africa, including laamb in Senegal, which the original article mentions. The next event of the African Warriors Fighting Championship takes place Saturday, September 14, in Lagos, Nigeria. But the main point still stands, that a World Festival of Wrestling is needed to boost the sport worldwide, and that this remains "A Wrestling Dream".]
by Eddie Goldman
There doesn't seem to be a way to control the content of your dreams, as much as we would like to be able to do so. But while awake we can write about what we would prefer be in them.
Consider for a moment the sport of wrestling, the world's oldest. Many of us have dreamt for years of the re-establishment of some sort of real professional wrestling. There have been numerous failed attempts at this, foiled mainly by the lack of expertise in sports management and marketing by those, especially from the U.S., who have blundered their way to rather quick collapse of these efforts.
So how can we have have a revived real professional wrestling, who will run it, and where will it come from?
It certainly won't be from the leadership of international wresting.
Since almost being axed from the Olympic Program five years ago, it has managed to retain its place there. However, it is still a self-inflicted victim of incomprehensible and ever-changing rules, repeated allegations of match-fixing, and a leadership with at least one character who has been barred from entering the U.S. for decades on allegations of being a major criminal. Olympic wrestling is beautiful, but it is run by ugly people, and under these circumstances destined to remain rather anonymous.
Nor will it come from those currently running the bulk of American wrestling.
College wrestling in the U.S. actually outdraws international wrestling both on TV and in arenas, but also is a relatively small sport with limited regional popularity. While it has potential to grow, it is under the thumb of the NCAA, which has little interest, i.e., earns greater revenue from a few bigger sports, in expanding it. Plus, many of the people running American wrestling are completely hidebound and take decades to catch up to changes in society, if they ever do. And outside the U.S., the American folkstyle wrestling practiced in colleges and schools in the U.S. basically doesn't exist. So college wrestling is more or less stuck in the NCAA mud.
There are a few types of wrestling which show potential to be part of fulfilling this dream.
First is catch wrestling. This was the style, where you win by pin or submission, that was used a century ago when real professional wrestling (to the degree that it was indeed real then) was a major spectator sport. Since the total devolution of pro wrestling into a non-sport spectacle, no one has succeeded in re-establishing it as real sport on any sizeable and viable scale. Even today, there are fewer catch tournaments than there were just a few years ago, and very few people involved in it have even bothered to learn how professional sports are run today, despite there being hundreds of sports management programs in colleges and universities.
But while catch wrestling is floundering, and perhaps at one of its lowest points in a decade, many of the people involved in it remain active in it and other combat sports. The talent is out there, but no one has harnessed it. And if organized properly, this style of wrestling has a track record of appealing to fans.
Another appealing style is sumo. In Japan, it is still a popular professional sport, but the officials running it there have shown no inclination to expand it internationally. And sumo in Japan has also been rocked by scandal after scandal.
Sumo remains, however, a form of wrestling that is very easy to understand. The matches are usually quick and the rules pretty clear. It is also a visually appealing sport, one that would work well in this video age and even for those watching on smartphones, whose screen sizes expand with each new crop of models.
There have also been some attempts at organizing pro sumo leagues internationally, and even TV execs have been friendly to such an effort. Bad planning, however, such as relying on costly world tours with little guaranteed attendance, hobbled and eventually ruined these. But again, the untapped potential still exists for sumo.
Next is Shuai Jiao, or the main traditional form of Chinese wrestling. In China, the Great Firewall and lack of international media and marketing expertise have largely kept this sport out of the eyes of the wrestling and sports worlds outside its borders. But reports from China indicate that in many areas it and other styles of traditional wrestling are professional sports with avid followings. Its emphasis on throws also means that it is pretty easy to understand once it is introduced to people, and it is also visually appealing.
Then there is laamb. This is another traditional form of wrestling whose greatest popularity is in Senegal. It is a major professional sport there, although in recent years it has added striking to the rules. But the wrestling part is also easy to understand and not dissimilar from sumo. Laamb's stars are major sports figures in West Africa. It is yet another type of wrestling with untapped potential.
Now, how to utilize this potential?
There are several ways. One is to borrow from the ideas already in use at many events featuring different types of sports.
The World Combat Games, held in 2010 and 2013, featured many styles of combat sports, but was destroyed by political in-fighting in the corrupt Olympic movement, although it is supposed to return in 2021 in Kazakhstan, However, this event is still tied to this Olympic movement and its dodgy international federations, so this will not provide the answer.
Instead, outside of and independently of the Olympic movement, a World Festival of Wrestling featuring these styles should be organized. It can feature these four and perhaps other styles of wrestling. In order to succeed, it needs not only enough money as a key ingredient, but the establishment of a proper organization run by vetted people who are skilled in international sports management, media, and marketing, and have proven their worth in the past. Then there can be national and international video and streaming deals, and some type of tour.
Another alternative is to use the style vs. style angle that jump-started the revival of MMA in the early 1990s. Which style of wrestling is the strongest? Have events where a ruleset is used that is fair to various styles but easy for fans to understand. Have matches pitting top wrestlers from different styles against one another. Use different rules in different matches if need be, as was done long ago at events involving catch wrestling and grappling. Be flexible, but be fair and honest.
Now, where will all these good people come from to organize all this, especially when there have been so many flops and disasters in reviving real professional wrestling?
I did tell you at the start that I was writing about what we would like in dreams. And a dream it does remain, until at least someone comes along to make it a reality.
Labels: Dream, Eddie Goldman, No Hold Barred, professional, real, wrestling
Wednesday, July 03, 2019
A Wrestling Dream
Go to the article on Patreon:
A Wrestling Dream.
Labels: Dream, Eddie Goldman, No Hold Barred, professional, real, wrestling
Thursday, March 21, 2013
No Holds Barred: An Hour With Lenne Hardt
Living in Tokyo, and an announcer for many years with both the Pride and Dream MMA promotions, Lenne will be racking up a lot of frequent flyer miles as she heads to two shows in two different countries.
On Saturday, March 23, she will be plying her trade at the Glory 5 kickboxing show in London, England, headlined by the Remy Bonjasky-Tyrone Spong fight. This will be the first kickboxing card at which she is an announcer.
Then, on Friday, April 5, it's back to Asia for the ONE FC: KINGS AND CHAMPIONS MMA show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, headlined by ONE FC lightweight champion Kotetsu Boku defending his title against Shinya Aoki.
We spoke with Lenne Hardt by Skype Wednesday (Tuesday New York time) about these upcoming events.
Speaking about the tremendous growth of ONE FC, the largest MMA promotion in Asia, she said in this interview, "They are the new Pride. They're the new Dream."
We discussed how she approaches preparing for her role as an announcer, her careers as an announcer and as an entertainer, what she has learned about cultural differences between people around the world, how sport brings many diverse people together, a comparison of the outfits worn by ring girls in different eras and countries, 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.
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: announcer, announcing, Dream, Eddie Goldman, Glory, Japan, kickboxing, Lenne Hardt, MMA, No Holds Barred, One FC, Pride
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
No Holds Barred: Will Brooks
A little over a month ago, although he had an undefeated record in MMA, the 26-year-old Illinois-based Will Brooks was not well-known internationally as a fighter. That all changed on December 31, 2012, when he faced the far more experienced Japanese submission master and former Sengoku lightweight champion Satoru Kitaoka on the Dream 18 New Year's Eve card in Saitama, Japan. While Kitaoka tried for submissions, Will Brooks outfought him and pulled off the upset with a second-round TKO win, thus exploding onto the international MMA scene.
That high profile and convincing win led to him being entered in the Bellator MMA season eight lightweight tournament. Just a month after his win in Japan, Will Brooks was matched up once again with yet another more experienced opponent, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and Bellator veteran Ricardo Tirloni, in the tournament quarterfinals on January 31 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. While Tirloni also tried to win this fight with submissions, Will Brooks outboxed and outwrestled him to take a three-round unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 30-27 in his favor.
The victory over Tirloni advanced him to the lightweight tournament semifinals, where, according to the posted brackets, he will face Saad Awad. While it has not been officially announced, that fight may take place March 7 in Temecula, California, at the Pechanga Resort and Casino, and be televised live in the U.S. on Spike TV.
Yet even with all this new-found notoriety and attention, Will Brooks has a larger vision of what he wants to accomplish.
"MIxed martial arts, I love the sport, I love competing, but also I want to be an ambassador," he said in this interview, which was recorded by phone Saturday. "I want to show people that you don't have to just be an athlete. You don't have to just be a winner. You can affect people in other ways. Plus, you can use this as a way to do that."
Of course, his goals as a fighter are to go as far as he can.
"I'm looking to be a champion at some point in my life," he continued. "Right now I think I'm on the road to doing that. I'm going to be doing this for a long time. Nothing against any of the other guys in the lightweight division, but I believe that I'm going to be a dominating force and a threat for a very long time to come."
We also discussed his transition from wrestling to football to MMA, his need to work on submissions, his training at the Midwest Training Center and with American Top Team, his boxing training for MMA and understanding of the importance of throwing straight jabs, 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.
"The Martist" with John Perretti. A "martist" is an artist as well as a martial artist. This is a blog for those who think about fighting, published by John Perretti, the lifelong martial artist and former UFC and Battlecade Extreme Fighting matchmaker. Check out John's writings at http://johnperretti.com.
MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City February 16 and 17, 2013, for the fourth annual MMA World Expo, featuring an amateur MMA tournament, grappling, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, February 16, and Sunday, February 17, 2013, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
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: Bellator, Dream, Eddie Goldman, lightweight tournament, MMA, No Holds Barred, Ricardo Tirloni, Satoru Kitaoka, Will Brooks
Thursday, February 02, 2012
No Holds Barred: Tadashi Tanaka on the Decline of MMA in Japan
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our long-time colleague and friend, the Japanese mixed martial arts and puroresu (Japanese pro wrestling) journalist Tadashi Tanaka. He currently works for the Japanese web site Miruhon.net.
Tadashi Tanaka is the journalist who broke the story in 2006 in the Japanese magazine Shukan Gendai (Weekly Gendai) containing allegations that the Pride Fighting Championships, once the largest mixed martial arts organization in the world, was actually owned by the Yakuza, Japanese organized crime. Shortly after, and despite very high television ratings, Pride shows were dropped by Fuji TV, a major national broadcast network in Japan. Pride eventually went under, and its assets were later purchased by Zuffa, the parent company of UFC.
We spoke with Tadashi Tanaka Wednesday during his visit to New York at the Renzo Gracie Academy. We discussed the main reasons for the fall of Pride, why organizations like K-1 and Dream have also been in decline, the future of smaller Japanese MMA organizations, the prospects for the UFC in Japan, the growth of MMA elsewhere in Asia, and much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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.
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.
DARE Championship. Based in Thailand, DARE is a mixed martial arts event where fighters from all over the world compete to become the DARE Champion. DARE is one of the first MMA promotions in Thailand, and has been televised in many countries and online. For more information, go to their web site, at DareFightSports.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/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: Asia, Dream, Eddie Goldman, Japan, K-1, MMA, No Holds Barred, Pride FC, Tadashi Tanaka, Yakuza
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
No Holds Barred: Lenne Hardt
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the legendary former Pride Fighting Championships and current Dream announcer Lenne Hardt.
Lenne Hardt, although an American, has been living and working in Tokyo for many years. We spoke with her by Skype on Tuesday morning Japan time/Monday evening U.S. time.
In an amazing, lengthy interview, the multi-talented Lenne Hardt explained how she first got involved as a mixed martial arts announcer, although she had not been familiar with the sport prior to being hired by Pride. She discussed her unique, explosive announcing style, about which few who have heard it have no opinion. She recalled how it was to work at the mega-events produced by Pride, and also her reactions during the period of the demise of Pride and the scandals associated with that organization. She commented on the future of Dream. As head of the Lenne Hardt Jazz Band, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, she discussed the relationship between her announcing and jazz. She also discussed her upcoming announcing date for the Israel Fighting Championship on November 9 in Tel Aviv, and much, much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Open No-Gi 2010 tournament, a Muay Thai tournament, MMA fighters from the Bellator Fighting Championships, training seminars, vendors, panel discussions, and more to come. The second annual MMA WORLD EXPO, in association with Madison Square Garden Sports, takes place Friday, November 12, and Saturday, November 13, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
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/.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Lenne Hardt, although an American, has been living and working in Tokyo for many years. We spoke with her by Skype on Tuesday morning Japan time/Monday evening U.S. time.
In an amazing, lengthy interview, the multi-talented Lenne Hardt explained how she first got involved as a mixed martial arts announcer, although she had not been familiar with the sport prior to being hired by Pride. She discussed her unique, explosive announcing style, about which few who have heard it have no opinion. She recalled how it was to work at the mega-events produced by Pride, and also her reactions during the period of the demise of Pride and the scandals associated with that organization. She commented on the future of Dream. As head of the Lenne Hardt Jazz Band, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, she discussed the relationship between her announcing and jazz. She also discussed her upcoming announcing date for the Israel Fighting Championship on November 9 in Tel Aviv, and much, much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Open No-Gi 2010 tournament, a Muay Thai tournament, MMA fighters from the Bellator Fighting Championships, training seminars, vendors, panel discussions, and more to come. The second annual MMA WORLD EXPO, in association with Madison Square Garden Sports, takes place Friday, November 12, and Saturday, November 13, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
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/.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Labels: Dream, Eddie Goldman, Lenne Hardt, MMA, No Holds Barred, Pride
Saturday, September 25, 2010
No Holds Barred: The Truth Only Hurts Liars and Crooks
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman offers another potpourri of wisdom and truth about recent events in the combat sports.
We start by explaining why it would be wise for the American premium cable network Showtime to add programming from M-1 Global to its mixed martial arts lineup, alongside Strikeforce events. MMA is rising in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and Showtime could get right in on the ground floor as this phenomenon continues. We also comment on the apparent resuscitation of the Super Six World Boxing Classic super middleweight tournament, with fights now scheduled for November 27 on Showtime between Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell, and Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham.
The Dream 16 mixed martial arts card was held Saturday, September 25, in Nagoya, Japan. We comment on the good and bad of that show, including the impressive technique of the fighters, which was counterposed by a series of purposeful, and typical, mismatches.
In addition, we comment on the latest doping scandal in mixed martial arts, this time involving UFC fighter Chael Sonnen, who was caught using steroids by the California State Athletic Commission in his recent fight with Anderson Silva. This once again highlights the need for the adoption of the protocols and methods of the World Anti-Doping Agency by the various athletic commissions regulating the combat sports, and their disgraceful failure to do so thus far.
We address the recent federal lawsuit between probably the two largest boxing promotions in the world, Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, where Golden Boy alleges that Top Rank is guilty of racketeering and millions of dollars in fraud (which, of course Top Rank denies). And we ask the question: Who in boxing are the real crooks?
With a new governor taking office in New York in 2011 and the election campaign under way, we also discuss the scandalous failure of the politicians in New York to legalize and sanction mixed martial arts. We are attempting to survey all the gubernatorial candidates about their positions on this issue, to build grassroots pressure on them to legalize it when the next administration takes office.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Open No-Gi 2010 tournament, a Muay Thai tournament, MMA fighters from the Bellator Fighting Championships, training seminars, vendors, panel discussions, and more to come. The second annual MMA WORLD EXPO, in association with Madison Square Garden Sports, takes place Friday, November 12, and Saturday, November 13, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
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/.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
We start by explaining why it would be wise for the American premium cable network Showtime to add programming from M-1 Global to its mixed martial arts lineup, alongside Strikeforce events. MMA is rising in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and Showtime could get right in on the ground floor as this phenomenon continues. We also comment on the apparent resuscitation of the Super Six World Boxing Classic super middleweight tournament, with fights now scheduled for November 27 on Showtime between Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell, and Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham.
The Dream 16 mixed martial arts card was held Saturday, September 25, in Nagoya, Japan. We comment on the good and bad of that show, including the impressive technique of the fighters, which was counterposed by a series of purposeful, and typical, mismatches.
In addition, we comment on the latest doping scandal in mixed martial arts, this time involving UFC fighter Chael Sonnen, who was caught using steroids by the California State Athletic Commission in his recent fight with Anderson Silva. This once again highlights the need for the adoption of the protocols and methods of the World Anti-Doping Agency by the various athletic commissions regulating the combat sports, and their disgraceful failure to do so thus far.
We address the recent federal lawsuit between probably the two largest boxing promotions in the world, Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, where Golden Boy alleges that Top Rank is guilty of racketeering and millions of dollars in fraud (which, of course Top Rank denies). And we ask the question: Who in boxing are the real crooks?
With a new governor taking office in New York in 2011 and the election campaign under way, we also discuss the scandalous failure of the politicians in New York to legalize and sanction mixed martial arts. We are attempting to survey all the gubernatorial candidates about their positions on this issue, to build grassroots pressure on them to legalize it when the next administration takes office.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Open No-Gi 2010 tournament, a Muay Thai tournament, MMA fighters from the Bellator Fighting Championships, training seminars, vendors, panel discussions, and more to come. The second annual MMA WORLD EXPO, in association with Madison Square Garden Sports, takes place Friday, November 12, and Saturday, November 13, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
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/.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Labels: boxing, Dream, Eddie Goldman, M-1, MMA, No Holds Barred, Showtime
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
No Holds Barred: Mike Kogan of FEG USA
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Mike Kogan, Director of FEG USA.
FEG (Fighting and Entertainment Group) is a worldwide combat sports organization based in Japan, and the parent company of the K-1 kickboxing and Dream mixed martial arts promotions.
Last week at a news conference in Tokyo, what may become one of the most significant developments in the world in the combat sports was revealed.
At this news conference, FEG Inc. Director and CEO Sadaharu Tanikawa announced a partnership with the Shanghai-based investment bank Puji Capitals. He said its purpose is to "win in the world market and become the world's greatest fight sport company. To recreate or even eclipse the success of soccer's World Cup, we will bring in investors from all over the world and partner with businesses all over the world. We have formed a business entity called an SPV (special purpose vehicle) in order to create an organization like soccer's FIFA and to take the UFC and WWE head on."
Also at this news conference, Dream Event Producer Keiichi Sasahara said, "When you think of international standard in fightsport UFC may come to mind, but we plan to replace them in that respect. The numbers 20 or 30 billion have been mentioned and I think fighting sport definitely has that kind of potential. I'm sure the fans are wondering what kind of effect the partnership will have on K-1 and Dream."
We spoke with Mike Kogan Tuesday afternoon by phone to find out more specifics about what this will all mean for the combat sports. In a lengthy and candid interview, he explained how this new partnership will benefit both K-1 and Dream, but also how it will affect them differently, as K-1 already has a large international presence while Dream needs mainly to focus on Japan. He elaborated on these plans to hold a version of the World Cup, which for now will be for K-1. He presented his views on the structure of mixed martial arts, and why mixed martial arts is not a sport but "a promoter-driven fight entertainment."
We went into depth on the plans of FEG to "become the world's greatest fight sport company" and what this means for both K-1 and Dream, for Japan, North America, and the rest of the world, and much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
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/.
Bragging Rights Corner, for news and always independent opinion about the sport and business of boxing. Check out their web site at http://www.braggingrightscorner.com.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
FEG (Fighting and Entertainment Group) is a worldwide combat sports organization based in Japan, and the parent company of the K-1 kickboxing and Dream mixed martial arts promotions.
Last week at a news conference in Tokyo, what may become one of the most significant developments in the world in the combat sports was revealed.
At this news conference, FEG Inc. Director and CEO Sadaharu Tanikawa announced a partnership with the Shanghai-based investment bank Puji Capitals. He said its purpose is to "win in the world market and become the world's greatest fight sport company. To recreate or even eclipse the success of soccer's World Cup, we will bring in investors from all over the world and partner with businesses all over the world. We have formed a business entity called an SPV (special purpose vehicle) in order to create an organization like soccer's FIFA and to take the UFC and WWE head on."
Also at this news conference, Dream Event Producer Keiichi Sasahara said, "When you think of international standard in fightsport UFC may come to mind, but we plan to replace them in that respect. The numbers 20 or 30 billion have been mentioned and I think fighting sport definitely has that kind of potential. I'm sure the fans are wondering what kind of effect the partnership will have on K-1 and Dream."
We spoke with Mike Kogan Tuesday afternoon by phone to find out more specifics about what this will all mean for the combat sports. In a lengthy and candid interview, he explained how this new partnership will benefit both K-1 and Dream, but also how it will affect them differently, as K-1 already has a large international presence while Dream needs mainly to focus on Japan. He elaborated on these plans to hold a version of the World Cup, which for now will be for K-1. He presented his views on the structure of mixed martial arts, and why mixed martial arts is not a sport but "a promoter-driven fight entertainment."
We went into depth on the plans of FEG to "become the world's greatest fight sport company" and what this means for both K-1 and Dream, for Japan, North America, and the rest of the world, and much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
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/.
Bragging Rights Corner, for news and always independent opinion about the sport and business of boxing. Check out their web site at http://www.braggingrightscorner.com.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Labels: Dream, Eddie Goldman, FEG, K-1, Mike Kogan, No Holds Barred
Friday, November 27, 2009
No Holds Barred: So Many Fights
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews some of the fights taking place around the world this weekend, and addresses continuing controversies in boxing and mixed martial arts.
We comment on the recent report by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 about the bankruptcy of Station Casinos, in which they charge that "the company could have averted bankruptcy if not for the substantial debt it took on largely to enrich a small group of company insiders," in particular the Fertitta family, who also own UFC.
After discussing a recent interview with Fedor Emelianenko on Russian television, where he advocates that "sport should make the world a better place to live in", we preview the Art of War 15 mixed martial arts card, which takes place Saturday, November 29, in Beijing, China. We mention the boxing cards which will be on American television this Saturday night, including the rematch between IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute and Librado Andrade. We also preview what is likely to be the biggest boxing event of the weekend, when WBC flyweight champion Daisuke Naito takes on the controversial Koki Kameda in Saitama, Japan. We comment on another story from Japan, where the two biggest mixed martial arts organizations, Dream and Sengoku, will be working together on a joint show for New Year's Eve. And we close with a topic that is necessary to address although almost no one cares about the organization involved, my dispute with the archaic Boxing Writers Association of America.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
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/.
GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
0 comments
Tweet
We comment on the recent report by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 about the bankruptcy of Station Casinos, in which they charge that "the company could have averted bankruptcy if not for the substantial debt it took on largely to enrich a small group of company insiders," in particular the Fertitta family, who also own UFC.
After discussing a recent interview with Fedor Emelianenko on Russian television, where he advocates that "sport should make the world a better place to live in", we preview the Art of War 15 mixed martial arts card, which takes place Saturday, November 29, in Beijing, China. We mention the boxing cards which will be on American television this Saturday night, including the rematch between IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute and Librado Andrade. We also preview what is likely to be the biggest boxing event of the weekend, when WBC flyweight champion Daisuke Naito takes on the controversial Koki Kameda in Saitama, Japan. We comment on another story from Japan, where the two biggest mixed martial arts organizations, Dream and Sengoku, will be working together on a joint show for New Year's Eve. And we close with a topic that is necessary to address although almost no one cares about the organization involved, my dispute with the archaic Boxing Writers Association of America.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
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/.
GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Labels: boxing, Dream, Eddie Goldman, Fertitta, MMA, No Holds Barred, Sen
Monday, July 20, 2009
No Holds Barred: Dream 10 Review
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman goes solo in discussing the results of the Dream 10 mixed martial arts card, which was held Monday, July 20, in Saitama, Japan. Among the highlights of this exciting card were the finals and semifinals of the Dream welterweight Grand Prix, which were won by underdog Marius Zaromskis. We discuss the results of this card, as well as compare it to mixed martial arts in America.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
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.
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/.
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.
0 comments
Tweet
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
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.
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/.
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: Andre Galvao, Dream, Eddie Goldman, Hayato Sakurai, Japan, Jason High, Marius Zaromskis, Melvin Manhoef, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Paulo Filho, Shinya Aoki, UFC, Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro
Monday, July 13, 2009
No Holds Barred: Bob Carson Deconstructs UFC 100
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our correspondent Bob Carson, who is also the host of the Carson's Corner podcast.
Bob had the misfortune of having viewed the latest Zuffa spectacle, UFC 100, this past Saturday night, July 11. The atmosphere and the direct imitation of the fake pro "wrestling" left him and many others, as he put it, "outraged." He requested to be come on No Holds Barred to explain just why, and we were more than willing to oblige him.
So sit back and listen to UFC 100 be deconstructed, to hear how and why the Zuffa owners are treating their fans like marks, and to learn why we advise people not to watch or report about their events anymore.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
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.
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/.
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.
1 comments
Tweet
Bob had the misfortune of having viewed the latest Zuffa spectacle, UFC 100, this past Saturday night, July 11. The atmosphere and the direct imitation of the fake pro "wrestling" left him and many others, as he put it, "outraged." He requested to be come on No Holds Barred to explain just why, and we were more than willing to oblige him.
So sit back and listen to UFC 100 be deconstructed, to hear how and why the Zuffa owners are treating their fans like marks, and to learn why we advise people not to watch or report about their events anymore.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
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.
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/.
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: Art of War, Bellator, Bob Carson, boxing, Brock Lesnar, Carson's Corner, Dream, Eddie Goldman, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Pride, roller derby, Sengoku, Strikeforce, UFC, UFC 100, Zuffa
Friday, July 10, 2009
Eddie Goldman Talks MMA and Wrestling with Jason Bryant on Wrestling 411
My interview on Wrestling 411 with Jason Bryant is now also up here.
0 comments
Tweet
Labels: Art of War, Bellator, Dream, Eddie Goldman, Jason Bryant, media, mixed martial arts, MMA, roller derby, Sengoku, Strikeforce, UFC, wrestling, Wrestling 411
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Eddie Goldman of No Holds Barred talks MMA on Wrestling 411
Eddie Goldman has long been covering the world of wrestling and combat sports and joins Wrestling 411 Radio today. The New York-based writer and broadcaster has covered boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, wrestling and a variety of contact and combat sports over his long career. You too can hear it all on Wrestling 411 simply click http://www.Wrestling411.tv .
Jason Bryant and Goldman have exchanged long discussions on wrestling’s role in the media, the role MMA plays in wrestling and something as far-fetched when it comes to things like wrestling’s relation to roller derby. Yes, roller derby.
Listen in to Bryant and Goldman spar on a number of topics, including Brock Lesnar, MMA, what associations to watch if you’re a wrestling fan tuning into MMA, and more roller derby all on Wrestling 411 – http://www.Wrestling411.tv .
Questions for any of the guests are welcome. You may e-mail your questions to Kyle Klingman at kklingman@mediasportsproductions.com .
Do you enjoy the updates and programming? Click on http://www.Wrestling411.tv and make a small tax-deductable donation – it only takes A LITTLE FROM A LOT of people to keep wrestling alive.
0 comments
Tweet
Jason Bryant and Goldman have exchanged long discussions on wrestling’s role in the media, the role MMA plays in wrestling and something as far-fetched when it comes to things like wrestling’s relation to roller derby. Yes, roller derby.
Listen in to Bryant and Goldman spar on a number of topics, including Brock Lesnar, MMA, what associations to watch if you’re a wrestling fan tuning into MMA, and more roller derby all on Wrestling 411 – http://www.Wrestling411.tv .
Questions for any of the guests are welcome. You may e-mail your questions to Kyle Klingman at kklingman@mediasportsproductions.com .
Do you enjoy the updates and programming? Click on http://www.Wrestling411.tv and make a small tax-deductable donation – it only takes A LITTLE FROM A LOT of people to keep wrestling alive.
Labels: Art of War Fighting Championship, Bellator, Dream, Eddie Goldman, Jason Bryant, media, mixed martial arts, MMA, roller derby, Sengoku, Strikeforce, UFC, wrestling, Wrestling 411
Thursday, July 02, 2009
No Holds Barred: Eddie Alvarez, Bellator Lightweight Champion
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with one of the most exciting and versatile fighters in mixed martial arts, and the new Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez.
We had a chance Wednesday afternoon to conduct a lengthy telephone interview with Eddie Alvarez about his life, his career, and his family. We discussed the importance of his family to him, how and why he got involved with mixed martial arts, and how his upbringing in Philadelphia has affected his fighting career. We discussed his victory in the eight-man tournament to capture the Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight title, winning all his fights with submissions, over Toby Imada, Eric Reynolds, and Greg Loughran. We analyzed his style, which effectively combines boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and muay Thai. We discussed his fights last year in the Dream organization in Japan against Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Shinya Aoki. And we talked about his plans to fight in the future for the Bellator Fighting Championships after taking a very well-deserved rest.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
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.
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/.
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.
1 comments
Tweet
We had a chance Wednesday afternoon to conduct a lengthy telephone interview with Eddie Alvarez about his life, his career, and his family. We discussed the importance of his family to him, how and why he got involved with mixed martial arts, and how his upbringing in Philadelphia has affected his fighting career. We discussed his victory in the eight-man tournament to capture the Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight title, winning all his fights with submissions, over Toby Imada, Eric Reynolds, and Greg Loughran. We analyzed his style, which effectively combines boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and muay Thai. We discussed his fights last year in the Dream organization in Japan against Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Shinya Aoki. And we talked about his plans to fight in the future for the Bellator Fighting Championships after taking a very well-deserved rest.
You can play or download No Holds Barred 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 Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
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.
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/.
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: Bellator Fighting Championships, Dream, Eddie Alvarez, Eddie Goldman, Eric Reynolds, Greg Loughran, Joachim Hansen, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Toby Imada
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
No Holds Barred: Matthew Kaplowitz Goes to Japan
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with journalist, photographer, and web designer Matthew Kaplowitz. He is also a correspondent for this show.
Matthew recently visited Japan, and we spoke to him about that trip. We discussed the Sengoku 5 and Dream 6 mixed martial arts cards, which he covered, his visit to the world-famous Kodokan Judo Institute, and his trip to the Grabaka Gym, where he met its founder, the mixed martial arts and grappling master Sanae Kikuta.
He also will soon be launching soon a new web site called TheFightNerd.com.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here or 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: Dream, Eddie Goldman, Fight Nerd, Grabaka Gym, grappling, Japan, judo, Kodokan Judo Institute, Matthew Kaplowitz, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Sanae Kikuta, Sengoku, UFC
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
No Holds Barred: Affliction Banned Review with Matthew Kaplowitz
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our correspondent Matthew Kaplowitz about the debut Affliction "Banned" mixed martial arts card, which was held Saturday, July 19, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Matthew was in the arena covering it live.
In a lengthy discussion, we present a very nuanced analysis of the positives and negatives of the Affliction show, including the lessons of the 36-second blowout by Fedor Emelianenko, the top heavyweight and pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world, over former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.
Eddie also opens the show with another commentary on the problems facing those promoters reliant on the pay-per-view TV model, the growing availability of fights from around the world online and for free, and the inconclusive ending of the Dream lightweight MMA tournament in Japan.
You can listen to No Holds Barred here. Just press the play button on the player. You can also download it here or here.
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:
IFL, the International Fight 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: Affliction, Banned, Dream, Eddie Goldman, Fedor Emelianenko, FEG, Matthew Kaplowitz, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, pay-per-view, Tim Sylvia, UFC, ultimate fighting
Monday, June 16, 2008
No Holds Barred: MMA in New York, Grappling in MMA, EliteXC, Dream, Holm-Sanders, Daniel Cormier and Olympic Wrestling Trials
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins with a highly-charged commentary on what has been happening with the attempt to legalize mixed martial arts in New York State, how both the mixed martial arts and mainstream media have once again offered distorted accounts of the history and nature of the sport and what has been occurring in this latest episode, and what must be done in New York both to legalize the sport and protect the rights of the fighters and provide them with the same protections already afforded boxers.
Next, we draw some lessons from the June 13 Holly Holm-Mary Jo Sanders fight billed as determining the top pound-for-pound women's boxer, the June 14 EliteXC mixed martial arts show in Hawaii, and the June 15 Dream 4 mixed martial arts card in Yokohama, Japan. Once again, the issue of the pivotal role of grappling in the mixed martial arts is addressed.
This past weekend, the 2008 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials took place in Las Vegas. We address the crazy rules put in place by FILA, the international wrestling federation.
Right after his victory at the Olympic Trials, we spoke by phone with Daniel Cormier, who will represent the U.S. at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. in freestyle wrestling. He is also expected to be part of a group of Olympic wrestlers who will be visiting New York this coming Thursday and Friday to make fan and media appearances.
Mixed martial arts, wrestling, and boxing, all with a no-holds- barred flavor -- now where else can you get all that?
To listen to No Holds Barred, click here or here and just press the play button on the player.
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:
IFL, the International Fight 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: boxing, Daniel Cormier, Dream, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, grappling, Holly Holm, IFL, Jay Larkin, KJ Noons, Mary Jo Sanders, mixed martial arts, MMA, New York, No Holds Barred, Olympic Wrestling Trials
