NO HOLDS BARRED

(Jay Larkin at left, May, 2005, in New York.)


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman offers a tribute to Jay Larkin, who was the head of the Showtime boxing program for over two decades, and the CEO of the now-defunct International Fight League mixed martial arts organization. Jay passed away Monday, August 9, from brain cancer, at the age of 59. We also discuss the use of green tea as one means to prevent and battle cancer.

We next review the Bellator 24 mixed martial arts show, which took place Thursday, August 12, in Hollywood, Florida. Their 115-pound women's tournament kicked off with impressive submission victories by Megumi Fujii over Carla Esparza, and Jessica Aguilar over Lynn Alvarez. We also discuss the first-round TKOs by Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard over Herbert Goodman in a non-title fight, and Neil Grove over Eddie Sanchez in the first bout of the Bellator heavyweight tournament.

And we discuss two important events for mixed martial arts in New York City: the MMA World Expo on November 12-13, and the talk by former UFC executive Campbell McLaren Tuesday, August 17, at New York Jiu-Jitsu about how the UFC got started.

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 is a joint promotion with Madison Square Garden Sports, and 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: Bellator, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Jay Larkin, MMA, No Holds Barred

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Jay Larkin, the former head of the Showtime boxing program, and more recently the CEO of the International Fight League (IFL) mixed martial arts company. Once the second most popular mixed martial arts company in America, the IFL stopped running shows in 2008 after losing millions of dollars, and is no longer in business.

In a lengthy, candid, and spirited interview, we discuss the rise and fall of the IFL, some of the mistakes that company made, the status of mixed martial arts in America, the role of grappling in mixed martial arts, how MMA compares to boxing, the media bias which the IFL faced, 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 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.

Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, IFL, International Fight League, Jay Larkin, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Showtime, UFC

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

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

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting again on the growth of the sport of roller derby in the U.S.

This Saturday, June 14, EliteXC has another major televised mixed martial arts show. This one will be shown on Showtime in the U.S. and be held in the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In the main event, EliteXC lightweight champion KJ Noons will defend his title against the veteran Yves Edwards. In the co-feature, the versatile and controversial lightweight Nick Diaz will take on Muhsin Corbbrey, who has also been a pro boxer.

On a media teleconference call this week, we spoke with KJ Noons, Yves Edwards, and Muhsin Corbbrey about their fights.

This Friday, June 13, in a bout being billed as for pound-for-pound supremacy in women's boxing, welterweight champion Holly Holm (21-1-2, 6 KOs) will fight unbeaten middleweight champion Mary Jo Sanders (25-0, 8 KOs) in the ten-round main event for the vacant IFBA world junior middleweight belt. This fight headlines a women's boxing card which will be shown on pay-per-view television in North America and on SecondsOut.TV elsewhere.

We spoke with both champions, Mary Jo Sanders and Holly Holm, on a media teleconference call this week, about what to expect in this fight.

In disappointing but not entirely unexpected news, the International Fight League (IFL) announced this week that they are cancelling their planned August 15 show at the Meadowlands. In both a news release and on a media teleconference call, IFL CEO Jay Larkin explained this decision and outlined their business plans.

On that call, we discussed the problem of the absence of a major television deal for IFL with Jay Larkin, and we also play his opening comments from that call.

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, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, Holly Holm, IFL, International Fight League, Jay Larkin, KJ Noons, Mary Jo Sanders, mixed martial arts, MMA, Muhsin Corbbrey, No Holds Barred, Showtime, Yves Edwards

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman focuses on several key issues regarding the state of mixed martial arts. Among the many topics discussed are the new Affliction promotion and the numerous challenges they are facing, the troubled pay-per-view model, and the recent announcement of major changes for the International Fight League (IFL).

We also hear comments by IFL CEO Jay Larkin and VP of Fighter Relations Bas Rutten on a media conference call this past week, and discuss with them the need for mixed martial arts promoters to co-promote events.

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.

ProElite.com, an MMA website built by and for the fans and fighters of this great sport. Watch action-packed fights, connect with others, and get exclusive MMA coverage all in one place. It's "All Combat All the Time" at ProElite.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: Affliction, Bas Rutten, boxing, CBS, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, IFL, International Fight League, Jay Larkin, Kimbo Slice, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, pay-per-view, Pro Elite, SopCast, UFC

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman focuses on recent developments in two of the most important mixed martial arts companies, EliteXC and the International Fight League (IFL).

EliteXC held a card Friday, Jan. 25, at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This card was televised in the U.S. on Showtime on their ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series, which features up-and-coming fighters, as does their ShoBox series for boxing.

On that card, in the main event, local favorite Eddie Alvarez knocked out Ross Ebanez in the second round. Paul Daley of England scored a first-round knockout over Sam Morgan. Kala Kolohe Hose of Honolulu scored a first-round knockout over Fred Belleton. Former U.S. national women's wrestling team member Tonya Evinger defeated Julie Kedzie with a first-round rear naked choke submission in what some are calling an upset.

After their fights, we spoke with Eddie Alvarez, Paul Daley, Tonya Evinger, and Kala Kolohe Hose.

The IFL made a series of important announcements last week, including naming former UFC and Pancrase champion Bas Rutten to the newly-created position of Vice President, Fighter Operations.

We spoke with both Bas Rutten and IFL CEO Jay Larkin about these changes as well as what to expect this year from the IFL on a media teleconference call last week.

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: Bas Rutten, boxing, Eddie Alvarez, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, IFL, Jay Larkin, Kala Kolohe Hose, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Paul Daley, ShoXC, Tonya Evinger, UFC, ultimate fighting

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Jay Larkin, the newly appointed acting CEO of the IFL, the International Fight League.

In a lengthy discussion in his New York office, we talk about why he believes that the IFL is here to stay, how IFL differs from UFC, their plans for televising IFL events, and much more.

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

You can also listen to it through 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.

If you want to leave a comment on the show, you can do so on this blog.

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. You can also catch IFL Battleground on MyNetworkTV. 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: BJJ, boxing, combat sports, Eddie Goldman, grappling, IFL, International Fight League, Jay Larkin, jiu-jitsu, martial arts, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, submission, UFC, ultimate fighting

NO HOLDS BARRED: IFL Grand Prix TV Commentary; UFC-Couture Dispute; MMA vs. Boxing; EliteXC Preview with Kimbo Slice, Jake Shields, KJ Noons, Gary Shaw; Jay Larkin

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldmano offers a no-holds-barred commentary on this past Saturday's live telecast of the semifinals of the IFL Grand Prix on MyNetworkTV; the UFC-Randy Couture dispute; and a comparison of the major defects in mixed martial arts and boxing.

We next preview this coming Saturday's EliteXC card, which will take place Nov. 10 at the American Bank Center Arena in Corpus Christi, Texas. This show will be telecast live in the U.S. on Showtime. We spoke on a media teleconference call with fighters Kimbo Slice, Jake Shields, and KJ Noons, who will each be in separate bouts on this card. We also spoke with EliteXC promoter Gary Shaw about the organizational structure of mixed martial arts.

We also spoke with Jay Larkin, the new president and COO of the International Fight League, about their anti-doping policy.

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

You can also listen to it through this blog and my 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.

If you want to leave a comment on the show, you can do so on this blog.

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. You can also catch IFL Battleground on MyNetworkTV. 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, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, IFL, International Fight League, Jake Shields, Jay Larkin, Kimbo Slice, KJ Noons, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Randy Couture, UFC, ultimate fighting

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this special edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Jay Larkin, the new president and COO of the International Fight League.

Jay Larkin headed the acclaimed boxing telecasts on Showtime for two decades. He still is involved in boxing and will oversee HBO’s broadcast of the super middleweight title unification fight between Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler in Cardiff, Wales, this Saturday, November 3. While in Wales, he also will be on the phone to run the first-ever live MMA event on primetime network TV, when the IFL holds its World Grand Prix broadcast live on MyNetworkTV from the Sears Centre near Chicago. Both events will air live at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT.

We spoke with him Monday at his IFL office in New York as he was preparing for both events. We discussed the latest news on the Calzaghe-Kessler fight; the IFL Grand Prix; the major changes that are in store for the IFL's team concept; and much more.

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

You can also listen to it through this blog and my 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.

If you want to leave a comment on the show, you can do so on this blog.

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. You can also catch IFL Battleground on MyNetworkTV. 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, combat sports, Eddie Goldman, Grand Prix, IFL, International Fight League, Jay Larkin, Joe Calzaghe, Mikkel Kessler, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, UFC, ultimate fighting