NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with coach John Potenza and wrestlers Jorge Martinez and Phil Doig of the Snake Pit U.S.A. Catch Wrestling Association.

On Sunday, February 17, for the first time in almost a century, real catch-as-catch-can wrestling matches were held at a public event in New York City. The setting was the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center, as the Snake Pit U.S.A. Catch Wrestling Association put on three matches as well as a demonstration of the techniques and rules of catch wrestling. In this storied style, wrestlers can win by pin or submission, the matches are two out of three falls, and there are no judges or points.

All three matches featured constant back-and-forth action, skillfully executed techniques, and decisive finishes.

In the opening match, at 145 pounds, Jorge Martinez, who had wrestled at Highland Park High School in New Jersey, faced Mike Robinson, who had wrestled at Sandlewood High School in New Jersey. Mike Robinson won the first fall by pin, but Jorge Martinez came back to win the second fall by rear naked choke submission and the third fall by pin. Thus, Jorge Martinez won the match, two falls to one.

Next up was a 160 pound match between two wrestlers from different backgrounds. It pitted Teddy Pericleous, who had wrestled at Colonia High School in New Jersey, against Jack Cordero, who had no wrestling experience prior to training at the Snake Pit USA Catch Wrestling Association, but who holds a record of 4-0 in amateur MMA. Their divergent backgrounds were evident, as Jack Cordero won the first fall by rear naked choke submission, while Teddy Pericleous won falls two and three by pin, thus winning the match.

The third and final match, at 155 pounds, had Mario Perricone, who had wrestled at JP Stevens High School in New Jersey, facing Phil Doig, who had wrestled at Potsdam High School in New York. This one featured submissions, as Phil Doig won, two falls to none, with a heel hook submission in the first fall and a toe hold submission in the second fall.

We spoke with Jorge Martinez, Phil Doig, and John Potenza right at the conclusion of the catch wrestling.

"I was really, really happy with the turnout," said Coach Potenza. "The guys fought amazing matches. The pins and submissions were great, the transitions, the near submissions, the near pins. It was really good. A lot of action. There was constant mobility. Guys were always moving, grinding, looking for something to take. It was a really, really impressive match. I was really happy with all the matches today."

Besides the matches, we also discussed the potential for catch wrestling to grow, the future plans of the Snake Pit U.S.A. Catch Wrestling Association, catch wrestling and MMA, and more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

"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.

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/.

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with coaches John Potenza and Joel Bane of the Snake Pit U.S.A. Catch Wrestling Association.

Catch wrestling, which was one of the most popular sports in the world in the early twentieth century, is making a comeback in many places around the world. The development of the Snake Pit U.S.A. Catch Wrestling Association is an important step in that process.

We spoke with coaches John Potenza and Joel Bane by phone Thursday about these developments and the plans of the organization.

Coach Potenza very forcefully explained the main goals of the Snake Pit U.S.A. Catch Wrestling Association.

"We just want to unite as many catch wrestlers as we can and build one strong family," he said in this interview. "I think a big problem in the past with attempts of bringing catch back was too many people wanted to be the lead guy, and, 'Look at me, I'm the top catch wrestler.' But they lose sight of the real task, and the real task is to get us all united together, so there is no internal bickering, and who's who and what's what. We need to get all the catch wrestlers together, unite them all as one, and then bring it back into the spotlight where it belongs."

Once the people in catch wrestling are united and more people become aware of this style, he said, "There's no telling where it can go. It very well could be equal to or surpass anything else out there."

All this, of course, is still in the beginning stages, as many people are still not familiar with what catch wrestling is and how it differs from other styles such as folkstyle or freestyle wrestling, no-gi grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, sambo, etc.

To further this process, the Snake Pit U.S.A. Catch Wrestling Association will be at the MMA World Expo in New York February 16-17. On Sunday, February 17, from 10:30 AM to 11 AM, they will have a demonstration of what catch wrestling is, what the rules are, and more. Right after that, from 11 AM to 12 noon, there will be a few actual catch wrestling matches. In these matches, which are two out of three falls, the wrestlers can win by pin or submission. The Snake Pit U.S.A. Catch Wrestling Association will also have a booth at the Expo both days so people can talk with them.

"It's a very big first step for catch wrestling right now," noted Coach Potenza about their participation at the MMA World Expo.

In addition, we discussed how the term "No Holds Barred" is actually an old catch wrestling term, the Association's curriculum and certification of individuals and gyms in catch wrestling, working with people who have come from other styles and disciplines of grappling and combat sports, their impressive board of directors which includes head coach Billy Robinson, Erik Paulson, Jake Shannon, Greg Nelson, and others, 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/.