NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the Claressa Shields-Christina Hammer women's middleweight unification fight.

On Saturday, April 13, the 24-year-old Shields (8-0, 2 KOs) of Flint, Michigan, USA, who holds the IBF, WBA, and WBC belts, faces the 28-year-old Hammer (24-0, 11 KOs) of Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, who holds the WBO belt and is the WBC "Champion in Recess", never having lost that belt. The winner will be recognized as the undisputed women's middleweight champion of the world. Shields has also held the IBF and WBC super middleweight belts, and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

This fight will headline a card taking place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and will be the main event of that card televised live in the U.S. on Showtime.

We spoke with both Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer at a February 26 news conference in New York. Both gave their views on what they each see as their advantages in this fight.

We also spoke with Jill Diamond of the WBC and World Boxing Cares on the advancement in recent years of women's boxing. And we discussed why this is an important fight and what to expect in it with our colleague Kristal Hart, who was shooting video for her show, the Kristal Hart Show.

(Photo of Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer from Marilyn Paulino/Salita Promotions.)

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

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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

No Holds Barred is sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Labels: boxing, Christina Hammer, Claressa Shields, Eddie Goldman, Jill Diamond, Kristal Hart, No Holds Barred, women's

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Anthony Joshua, Alexander Povetkin, Katie Taylor, and our media colleague Kristal Hart of the "Kristal Hart Show" at last Tuesday's New York media event announcing the U.S. debut of the streaming service DAZN.

The 28-year-old unified heavyweight champion Joshua from the U.K., with a record of 21-0 with 20 KOs, fights Povetkin September 22 in London on a card shown in the U.K. on Sky Sports Box Office and in the U.S. as the headline fight for the first live show in the U.S. on DAZN. Povetkin, who turns 39 on September 2, and from Russia, is a former WBA champion and has a record of 34-1 with 24 KOs.

We got comments from Povetkin on what to expect in this fight, and some very brief comments from Joshua.

Unified women's lightweight champion Katie Taylor, with a record of 9-0 and 4 KOs, has a very busy schedule coming up. She fights July 28 in London on the Dillian Whyte-Joseph Parker card, and returns on October 6 in Chicago against Cindy Serrano, on a card which will be shown in the U.S. on DAZN and presumably also Sky Sports in the U.K. She discussed her career plans, the growth of women's boxing, and more.

Last but not least, we spoke with our colleague Kristal Hart summing up what we had just learned about DAZN and the combat sports.

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

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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

No Holds Barred is sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Labels: Alexander Povetkin, Anthony Joshua, boxing, DAZN, Eddie Goldman, Katie Taylor, Kristal Hart, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the new deal reported to be for one billion U.S. dollars between Matchroom Boxing and the Perform Group, the parent company of the sports streaming service DAZN. 32 Matchroom shows will be streamed live in the U.S. exclusively on DAZN, beginning in September.

They claim this will change boxing in the U.S. and around the world. But can it succeed?

The kickoff event for this new venture took place Thursday in New York. To discuss this we spoke with: Simon Denyer, the CEO of Perform Group; undefeated heavyweight contender Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller, who is likely to be featured on these shows; Eddie Hearn, the managing director of Matchroom Boxing; and our colleague Kristal Hart of the "Kristal Hart Show".

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

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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

No Holds Barred is sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Labels: billion dollar deal, boxing, DAZN, Eddie Goldman, Eddie Hearn, Jarrell Big Baby Miller, Kristal Hart, Matchroom, No Holds Barred, OTT, over-the-top, Perform Group, Simon Denyer, streaming

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Anthony Joshua, Wladimir Klitschko, Eddie Hearn, Kristal Hart, and Bob Carson at the January 31 press conference at Madison Square Garden for the April 29 fight between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko.

The 27-year-old Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs), who holds the IBF heavyweight belt, will face the veteran former champion Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs), who will be 41 at the time of the fight, at the 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium in London. This fight, which is also for a WBA title, will be shown live in the U.K. on Sky Sports Box Office and in Germany on RTL, with record viewership likely on each. As of now, both Showtime and HBO are vying for the U.S. TV rights.

As part of a world tour to promote this fight, both Joshua and Klitschko held this New York press conference January 31, along with Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, and Bernd Boente of KMG Management Group. The press conference was hosted by announcer Adam Smith of Sky Sports.

Some photos from the press conference can be seen here.

In addition to speaking with Joshua, Klitschko, and Hearn, we spoke with two media members who were covering this press conference. First was Kristal Hart of "The Kristal Hart Show" on Manhattan Neighborhood Network. Next was Bob Carson of "Carson's Corner" on BlogTalkRadio. Besides the fight itself and its boxing context, we discussed why this is the biggest fight in the world this year, and if Anthony Joshua can become the next Muhammad Ali.

(Photo of Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua, Wladimir Klitschko, and Bernd Boente by Ed Mulholland, Matchroom Boxing, K2 Promotions, KMG Management Group.)

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

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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

No Holds Barred is sponsored by:

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

USA Combat Wrestling, the official U.S. governing body for combat wrestling and U.S. delegate of the International Combat Wrestling Federation (FICW), which was founded by the legendary wrestler Noriaki Kiguchi of Japan. For more information, go to CombatWrestling.us.

Labels: Anthony Joshua, Bob Carson, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Eddie Hearn, Kristal Hart, Muhammad Ali, No Holds Barred, Wladimir Klitschko

My latest blog for the Defense Soap site, "Catch Wrestling on New York TV and Online", is up at http://blog.defensesoap.com/news/catch-wrestling-on-new-york-tv-and-online.

Labels: catch wrestling, David Elias, Defense Soap, Eddie Goldman, Kristal Hart, No Holds Barred, Sherwin Severin, Thomas Doyle

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with TV host and producer Kristal Hart.

While covering boxing, entertainment, and various cultural events for many years, she has now started covering catch wrestling.

Her show, the Kristal Hart Show, is aired on Manhattan Neighborhood Network every Tuesday at 9 PM ET. On Time Warner Cable, it is on channels 56 and 1996. On RCN, it is on channel 83. And on Verizon FiOS it is on channel 34.

Besides being aired on various networks outside Manhattan, many of her videos are also available online at http://www.youtube.com/kristalhart.

We spoke with her both at the start of the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., at the MMA World Expo in New York on July 27, and again on October 15 in New York to reflect on that event and discuss the emergence of catch wrestling.

Speaking about the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, she said, "I definitely enjoyed it. I thought that it's quick and there has an athletic as well as an entertainment value."

The basic rules of catch wrestling, where you win by pin or submission and there are no points, make it "sort of simple in its own way," she said.

"I think it could have a bright future if it could get some backing," she added.

We discussed the main matches at the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, why 2014 has been a banner year for the revival of catch wrestling, what catch wrestling needs to do to advance to the next level, 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:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Kristal Hart, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with kickboxer and MMA fighter Tyrone Spong, "The Fight Professor" Stephen Quadros, and TV host Kristal Hart.

These interviews were conducted Thursday at the media workout for the Glory 9 kickboxing card, which takes place this Saturday, June 22, at the Hammerstein Ballroom at 311 West 34th Street in Manhattan.

On that card, Tyrone Spong will be fighting in an eight-man, light heavyweight tournament featuring the best light heavyweights in Glory. Stephen Quadros will be a television commentator for this card, which will be televised on tape delay in the U.S. on the CBS Sports Network, and also televised in other countries, and live as an online pay-per-view on the Glory web site at http://gloryworldseries.com/en/events/live.

Even though he is a favorite to win the tournament, Tyrone Spong is taking nothing for granted.

"No fight is easy. A fight is a fight. Anything can happen," he said in this interview.

"I'm not taking this tournament lightly. This is all the top level strikers in the world. I'm just well-prepared and I'm looking forward to it."

Asked which fighter in the tournament he is focusing upon, he replied, "I think the fighter that I have to pay the most attention to is my first opponent, 'cause that's the guy I'm fighting first, so I'm just focused on him."

We also discussed with them the importance of this card being held in New York, the potential for kickboxing as a spectator sport in the U.S., 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: Eddie Goldman, Fight Professor, Glory 9, kickboxing, Kristal Hart, New York, No Holds Barred, Stephen Quadros, Tyrone Spong

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the signing of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson with Bellator MMA, and the continuing problems with the new rules and organization of international wrestling.

From the June 5 media conference call featuring Rampage and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, we play the questions asked by Eddie Goldman, about the need for a fighters' union or association, and about Rampage's controversial online videos.

Besides the many problems with the new wrestling rules and international wrestling, also discussed are the controversial process by which sports and federations are added and removed from the Olympic program, the growing criticisms of this process, and the need for a stronger battle against corruption in international sport.

We open with congratulations to our colleague Kristal Hart, whose TV show on Manhattan Neighborhood Network in New York, the Kristal Hart Show, was awarded first place in the Hometown Media Awards in the category of government activities. The Hometown Media Awards, sponsored by the Alliance for Community Media, were presented in San Francisco at their national awards honor show on May 30.

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: Bellator, Bjorn Rebney, Eddie Goldman, FILA, IOC, Kristal Hart, MMA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Quinton Rampage Jackson, rules, wrestling

Phil Doig vs. Mario Perricone - catch wrestling, Feb. 17, 2013, MMA World Expo 


Teddy Pericleous vs. Jack Cordero - catch wrestling, Feb. 17, 2013, MMA World Expo


Jorge Martinez vs. Mike Robinson, and John Potenza and Joel Bane on Return of Catch Wrestling at MMA World Expo, NYC

Labels: catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Jack Cordero, Joel Bane, John Potenza, Jorge Martinez, Kristal Hart, Mario Perricone, Mike Robinson, MMA World Expo, Phil Doig, Teddy Pericleous

Labels: Bernard Hopkins, boxing, Brother Naazim Richardson, Chad Dawson, Eddie Goldman, Kristal Hart, No Holds Barred

Labels: Barker, DiBella, Eddie Goldman, Judah, Khan, Kristal Hart, Martinez, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the historic fight between Gina Carano and Cris "Cyborg" Santos, which headlines a Strikeforce mixed martial arts card at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., this Saturday, August 15. This fight, which will be for the new Strikeforce145-pound women's title, will mark the first time a women's fight has been the main event of a major mixed martial arts card featuring male fighters. This card will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime.

We begin by discussing some of the slow but steady gains for women in the combat sports of boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, grappling, and mixed martial arts. We note the historical importance that two of the most prestigious teams in mixed martial arts, Xtreme Couture with Gina Carano and the Chute Boxe Academy with Cris "Cyborg" Santos, will be represented in this historic fight. And we also note the continued misogyny of those in the combat sports like UFC and HBO who still prevent the participation of women fighters on their shows.

At a New York news conference at Madison Square Garden for the August 15 card, we had a chance, along with our colleague, television host Kristal Hart, to speak with Gina Carano and Cris "Cyborg" Santos. We also discussed with Kristal Hart what to expect in this fight. And we spoke with Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker about this card as well. And, on a media conference call this week, we spoke with Jay Hieron, a late addition to the card, who will be facing Jesse Taylor.

In addition, we discuss the prevailing drug culture in the mixed martial arts, as evidenced once again by the failure of fighter Nick Diaz to appear for a prefight doping test. Diaz had to be scratched from this card. And we relate this to the woefully ineffective regulation of international combat sports like mixed martial arts and boxing by the various state athletic commissions in the U.S.

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/.

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.

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: Cris Cyborg Santos, Eddie Goldman, Gina Carano, Jay Hieron, Kristal Hart, mixed martial arts, MMA, Nick Diaz, No Holds Barred, Scott Coker, Strikeforce, Vadim Finkelchtein, women fighters

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the fight between WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) and challenger Joshua Clottey (35-2, 21 KOs), which takes place Saturday, June13, at Madison Square Garden in New York. This fight will be telecast by HBO in the U.S.

We had a chance at the kickoff news conference for this fight to get comments from both Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey. We also discussed the stakes in this fight with television host Kristal Hart.

Also, we explain why, along with continuing all our other coverage, there will be expanded boxing coverage on No Holds Barred, and why Eddie Goldman has stopped producing and hosting SecondsOut Radio. We invite listeners of that show to come aboard No Holds Barred.

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: boxing, Eddie Goldman, HBO, Joshua Clottey, Kristal Hart, Madison Square Garden, Miguel Cotto, MSG, New York, No Holds Barred, SecondsOut Radio

NO HOLDS BARRED: Cotto-Judah Preview with Miguel Cotto, Zab Judah, Bob Arum, Dan Rafael, Kristal Hart, and Ring Girls Tarah Rodgers and Jennifer Ohlsson

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this special edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman previews the fight this Saturday night, June 9, between undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (29-0, 24 KOs) and the former unified welterweight champion, Zab Judah (34-4, 25 KOs). This will be the main event at New York's Madison Square Garden and will take place one day before the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade, and one day after the annual awards dinner of the Boxing Writers Association of America, both of which will also be in New York.

We spoke with the defending champion, Miguel Cotto, on a media teleconference call.

We spoke with Zab Judah at the prefight news conference this Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

We also spoke with promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, which is the lead promoter for this event, both about this fight and his views on the state of boxing and UFC.

We spoke with head boxing writer Dan Rafael of ESPN.com and New York TV personality Kristal Hart of Manhattan Neighborhood Network about how they see this fight and also about mixed martial arts.

And, on a lighter note, we spoke with two ring girls for this fight who come from a different world from most ring girls, Tarah Rodgers and Jennifer Ohlsson, who are both Ford models.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here or here and just press the play button on the player. (Please note that if one of these sites has a technical problem, please use another one.) You can also listen to it through this blog and my MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player. (And if the player does not display the latest episode, please go directly here or here or here.)

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:

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 the IFL's newest show, "IFL Battleground", every Monday night on MyNetworkTV. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.

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

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

Labels: Bob Arum, boxing, Dan Rafael, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Ian Carpenter, Jennifer Ohlsson, Kristal Hart, Miguel Cotto, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Tarah Rodgers, UFC, wrestling, Zab Judah