NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with catch wrestlers Thomas Velasquez, Justin Sumter, Joe Shick, and Pat Sabatini, along with Thomas Velasquez's coach Ray Karakas, right after their catch wrestling matches at the 2015 MMA World Expo. They were all part of the North American Catch Wrestling Association/King of Catch Wrestling competition, the third straight year in which there has been catch wrestling at the MMA World Expo.

In the four catch wrestling matches at the MMA World Expo this year, the victors were Thomas Velasquez, Justin Sumter, Joe Shick, and Pat Sabatini. With his victory over Travis Newaza, Thomas Velasquez captured the 2015 North American Heavyweight King of Catch championship.

The 2015 MMA World Expo took place Saturday, December 12, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

In our post-match interviews, each of the wrestlers discussed how their matches went, their varied backgrounds including college and high school wrestling as well as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA, their plans for the future, the future of catch wrestling, and much more.

Here are the complete results:

North American Catch Wrestling Association/King of Catch Results
MMA World Expo
December 12, 2015
Jacob Javits Center, New York

Joe Shick vs. Anthony Pipola, middleweight
1 - Joe Shick pinned Anthony Pipola, 4:30
2 - Joe Shick pinned Anthony Pipola, 3:01
Joe Shick wins, 2 falls to 0

Pat Sabatini vs. Lee Yalowitz, catchweight
1 - Pat Sabatini pinned Lee Yalowitz, 1:31
2 - Pat Sabatini pinned Lee Yalowitz, 1:30
Pat Sabatini wins, 2 falls to 0

Justin Sumter vs. George Mecaj, light heavyweight
1 - Justin Sumter wins by rear naked choke submission, 37 seconds
2 - Justin Sumter pinned George Mecaj, 24 seconds
Justin Sumter wins, 2 falls to 0

West Coast King of Catch Travis Newaza vs. East Coast King of Catch Thomas Velasquez, for 2015 North American King of Catch Heavyweight Title
1 - Travis Newaza wins by inverted heel hook submission, 6:11
2 - Thomas Velasquez pinned Travis Newaza, 1:44
3 - Thomas Velasquez pinned Travis Newaza, 12:21

There is a photo gallery from the North American Catch Wrestling Association/King of Catch here.

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

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, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free 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 free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.
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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.

Labels: Eddie Goldman, Joe Shick, Justin Sumter, King of Catch Wrestling, MMA World Expo, NACWA, No Holds Barred, Pat Sabatini, Ray Karakas, Thomas Velasquez

by Eddie Goldman

North American Catch Wrestling Association/King of Catch Results
MMA World Expo
December 12, 2015
Jacob Javits Center, New York

Joe Shick vs. Anthony Pipola, middleweight
1 - Joe Shick pinned Anthony Pipola, 4:30
2 - Joe Shick pinned Anthony Pipola, 3:01
Joe Shick wins, 2 falls to 0

Pat Sabatini vs. Lee Yalowitz, catchweight
1 - Pat Sabatini pinned Lee Yalowitz, 1:31
2 - Pat Sabatini pinned Lee Yalowitz, 1:30
Pat Sabatini wins, 2 falls to 0

Justin Sumter vs. George Mecaj, light heavyweight
1 - Justin Sumter wins by rear naked choke submission, 37 seconds
2 - Justin Sumter pinned George Mecaj, 24 seconds
Justin Sumter wins, 2 falls to 0

West Coast King of Catch Travis Newaza vs. East Coast King of Catch Thomas Velasquez, for 2015 North American King of Catch Heavyweight Title
1 - Travis Newaza wins by inverted heel hook submission, 6:11
2 - Thomas Velasquez pinned Travis Newaza, 1:44
3 - Thomas Velasquez pinned Travis Newaza, 12:21

Labels: Anthony Pipola, Dan Kanagie, Dan Severn, Eddie Goldman, George Mecaj, Joe Shick, Justin Sumter, King of Catch Wrestling, Lee Yalowitz, MMA World Expo, NACWA, Pat Sabatini, Thomas Velasquez, Travis Newaza

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with two-time East Coast King of Catch Wrestling Thomas Velasquez, and his coach, Ray Karakas.

As the reigning and two-time East Coast King of Catch Wrestling, Thomas Velasquez will be facing the West Coast King of Catch Wrestling, Travis Newaza, for the 2015 North American Heavyweight King of Catch championship.

This match will headline a catch wrestling card put on by the North American Catch Wrestling Association at the 2015 MMA World Expo.

The catch wrestling takes place Saturday, December 12, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

We spoke with Thomas Velasquez and Ray Karakas by phone Sunday.

Speaking of his extensive and varied background, Thomas Velasquez said, "I've been training for so long. I've enjoyed catch wrestling. It's a very beautiful sport. Vicious, and it really works every aspect of the grappling game, which is the most important in my eyes. So it's good. I have a little bit of everything."

He mentioned that besides catch wrestling, he is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, a judo brown belt, and has trained in sambo.

"So I have some stuff."

Interestingly, in the past he also had participated in the worked pro wrestling, and his arsenal also includes some submissions, especially crossfaces and armlocks, adapted from that to real competition. Since the worked pro wrestling largely emerged out of real catch wrestling, this should not be surprising.

We also discussed with both Thomas Velasquez and Ray Karakas how Thomas is a "hybrid wrestler"; how Travis Newaza's style is "made for us"; their training at the Endgame Combat Sports Academy in Teterboro, New Jersey, with people like grappler Nick Caggia, who was the catch wrestling absolute champion at the 2014 MMA World Expo; why catch wrestling deserves as much respect as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and any other sport; and much more.

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

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, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free 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 free to listen to and is sponsored by:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 12 and 13, 2015, for the sixth annual MMA World Expo, featuring submission-only grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, 2015, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Eddie Goldman, grappling, King of Catch Wrestling, MMA World Expo, No Holds Barred, Ray Karakas, Thomas Velasquez, Travis Newaza

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with grappler and martial artist Travis Newaza.

As the reigning West Coach King of Catch Wrestling, he will facing the two-time East Coast King of Catch Wrestling, Thomas Velasquez, for the 2015 North American Heavyweight King of Catch championship.

This match will headline a catch wrestling card put on by the North American Catch Wrestling Association at the 2015 MMA World Expo.

The catch wrestling takes place on the second day of this two-day Expo, Sunday, December 13. The location is the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

We spoke with Travis Newaza by phone Sunday.

"I love being on No Holds Barred," he said.

"And we got an awesome opportunity for a lot of the martial arts to see catch wrestling on display and to actually see a national title brought together there. And I can't wait to bring it home for California."

While he respects his opponent's ability, he said he expects to win by submission, which is "my whole goal". He promised, "I'm going to be very vicious," and said that the best-of-three-falls match may never make it to a second fall.

Besides this match, he is also scheduled to compete at the Good Fight's Tournament of Brotherly Love submission-only jiu-jitsu event in a heavyweight title match against ADCC veteran and two-time ADCC North American Trials champion Tom DeBlass. That takes place March 12, 2016, at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. This no-time-limit, submission-only match will have him facing, said Travis Newaza, his "toughest opponent."

We also discussed his free seminar at the MMA World Expo following his catch wrestling match, his training at CSW with Erik Paulson and Josh Barnett, why he finds it necessary to be "a well-rounded grappler," competing and training under different rulesets such as jiu-jitsu and catch wrestling, and much, much more.

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

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, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free 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 free to listen to and is sponsored by:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 12 and 13, 2015, for the sixth annual MMA World Expo, featuring submission-only grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, 2015, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Eddie Goldman, grappling, King of Catch Wrestling, MMA World Expo, No Holds Barred, Thomas Velasquez, Travis Newaza

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Dan Kanagie of the North American Catch Wrestling Association.

Their next event is a big one, as the 2015 North American Heavyweight King of Catch title will be decided as well as at least three more matches held at the 2015 MMA World Expo.

The catch wrestling takes place on the second day of this two-day Expo, Sunday, December 13. The location is the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Headlining the catch wrestling will be the 2015 North American Heavyweight King of Catch championship match between West Coast King of Catch champ Travis Newaza and two-time East Coast King of Catch champ Thomas Velasquez.

Also set are three more matches:
Joe Shick vs. Anthony Pipola - Middleweight
Phil Caracappa vs. Hassan Hope - Lightweight
Justin Sumter vs. Steven Yokay - Light Heavyweight

We spoke with Dan Kanagie by phone Friday.

This is the third consecutive year there will be catch wrestling at the MMA World Expo, but the first time it will be organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association.

"This is going to be our first time at the Expo, which is exciting for us. It's a huge event, with a lot of exposure, a lot of big names going to be there," Dan Kanagie said. "It's exciting for us to be there and have them want us to be there part of it."

For catch wrestling, this is very important because there will be "a title match there to show everybody some of the top wrestling that we have."

Besides the four matches already set, opponents are being sought for a super heavyweight match with last year's absolute division tournament winner Nick Caggia, and a women's match with catch wrestler and grappler Gillian Davis.

We also discussed how these matches will use the Karl Gotch catch wrestling rules, how catch wrestling is still "at the beginning of the journey" in its revival, the backgrounds and experience of the wrestlers who will be competing, plans to video record these matches and post them online, and much more.

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

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, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free 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 free to listen to and is sponsored by:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 12 and 13, 2015, for the sixth annual MMA World Expo, featuring submission-only grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, 2015, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: Dan Kanagie, Eddie Goldman, King of Catch Wrestling, MMA World Expo, No Holds Barred, Thomas Velasquez, Travis Newaza

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Paul Paone and Christian Montes of the MMA World Expo.

The 2015 edition of the MMA World Expo will be held Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, 2015, and as always at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

We spoke with Paul Paone and Christian Montes Wednesday at the New York office of the MMA World Expo.

For this year, the MMA World Expo's sixth annual event, there will be more of an emphasis on live combat sports competition than in past years.

"Basically, we're trying to ratchet up the quality of the content," said Paul Paone. "We've always had good content at the event, but I think you'll see a shift at this year's event in terms of the number of live competitions that we're doing, the ability for people that are walking through the door to actually see and experience in some hands-on way martial arts and various disciplines."

Thus, this year, "Different than other years, you're going to see not one, not two, not three, not four -- five different disciplines of martial arts in its actual competition form on both days of the event."

The plans so far are to have an amateur MMA event with the New York Fight Exchange; the Renzo Gracie Open in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and no-gi grappling; a Muay Thai tournament with The Wat; an amateur boxing tournament with USA Boxing; and a King of Catch Wrestling competition.

We also discussed plans for a series of panel discussions on the legalization of MMA in New York and other topics, the synergy with the motorcycle show which will also take place at the Javits Center the same weekend, using social media to announce many more details about this event including fighter appearances, and much more.

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

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, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free 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 free to listen to and is sponsored by:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 12 and 13, 2015, for the sixth annual MMA World Expo, featuring two days of the Renzo Gracie Open 2015 no-gi and gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, 2015, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: Christian Montes, Eddie Goldman, MMA World Expo, New York, No Holds Barred, Paul Paone

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with catch wrestlers Nick Caggia, Jamie Driver, and Phil Caracappa.

They all were crowned champions at the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., which took place Sunday, July 27, at the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York.

In these best two-out-of-three-falls matches, and competing in the absolute division, Nick Caggia took home the championship belt after defeating four opponents without surrendering a fall.

The finals, however, saw the 314-pound Caggia face the tournament's flyweight champion, Phil Caracappa, who weighed just 148 pounds. The weight advantage: 166 pounds, with Nick Caggia being more than double Phil Caracappa's weight.

There were no pins or submissions scored in the three five-minute periods of this match, so it went to overtime. Finally, at 4:41 of the overtime period, Nick Caggia was able to wear down Phil Caracappa, score a pin, and win the championship. Before that, Phil Caracappa had won five matches, including three in the absolute division, winning every fall by pin or submission while losing none.

The Nick Caggia-Phil Caracappa match, with its comparisons to the David vs. Goliath story, its marathon progression, and its dramatic overtime finish, will no doubt go down as an epic and historic battle, a match of the year candidate, and one of the most important and remarkable in the current history of the newly-revived sport of catch wrestling.

Jamie Driver did not go into the women's absolute tournament as the favorite or the best-known wrestler of the four women competing in it. However, she clearly dominated her two opponents and won all four falls of her two matches, to win the championship belt.

We spoke with Nick Caggia, Jamie Driver, and Phil Caracappa right after this tournament.

Speaking about wrestling Phil Caracappa in the finals, Nick Caggia said, "He was like a maniac. He kept coming forward all the time and he gave me a run for my money, no doubt about it. Hats off to Phil. He was a great wrestler, and he gave me a hell of a match."

Phil Caracappa said, "Because I knew I was faster, a lot lighter than him, I was just trying to get angles on him, maybe slip, get a duckunder or something." He thought he had secured a face crank in the third period, but Nick Caggia was able to escape, and the match went to overtime. Finally, the weight advantage became decisive. "That was the big difference," he said.

Jamie Driver, who like many grapplers is new to this latest incarnation of catch wrestling, said, "It was definitely a little bit different than what I'm used to. I learned the rules just a couple of weeks ago, but I really liked it. I'm been working my ground a lot, so I wanted to see what I could do, and I took the belt home."

We also spoke with them about how they got involved in catch wrestling, their wrestling and martial arts backgrounds, what other competitions they have been in and plan to enter, and much more.

A photo gallery of the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship can be seen here.

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 http://americantopteam.com/.

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to kingofcatchwrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.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 http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Jamie Driver, MMA World Expo, Nick Caggia, No Holds Barred, Phil Caracappa, Snake Pit

Here are some photos from the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., which took place Sunday, July 27, at the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. I took them all, except the last two of me conducting interviews, which were taken by Keisha Morrisey. Interviews from the catch wrestling will be up soon on No Holds Barred. - Eddie Goldman

Rules meeting:

Jamie Driver def. Liz Welch in women's absolute finals:

Sherwin Severin def. David Elias in light heavyweight finals:

Pat Stano def. Joe Caola in heavyweight finals:

Nick Caggia def. Ronny Roose in men's absolute semifinals:

Nick Caggia def. Phil Carracapa in epic men's absolute finals in overtime:

Nick Caggia with belt:

Jamie Driver with belt:

Eddie Goldman interviewing women's absolute catch wrestling champion Jamie Driver:

Eddie Goldman interviewing flyweight champion and men's absolute catch wrestling runner-up Phil Caracappa:

Labels: catch wrestling, David Elias, Eddie Goldman, Jamie Driver, Joe Caola, Liz Welch, MMA World Expo, Nick Caggia, No Holds Barred, Pat Stano, Phil Caracappa, Ronny Roose, Sherwin Severin, Snake Pit

Photos 1-4, Tom DeBlass (on right in first photo) and Babalu





Photos 5-8, Cedric Smith (on left in first photo) and Marco DeLima




Cedric Smith wins ADCC sword.


Eddie Goldman and Keisha Morrisey at MMA World Expo.


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with grapplers Tom DeBlass, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, and Cedric Smith at the ADCC tournament in New York on July 26 at the MMA World Expo.

In the ADCC superfight at that event, Tom DeBlass defeated Renato "Babalu" Sobral by a score of 4-0, getting a late takedown and sweep.

In the finals of the absolute pro division of the no-gi tournament, a relative newcomer to ADCC, Cedric Smith, defeat Marco DeLima. The score of this match was 3-0, as Cedric Smith established side control late in the match.

We spoke with Tom DeBlass, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, and Cedric Smith right after their matches.

"I really believe in my jiu-jitsu. I have a very tough game to beat," said Tom DeBlass. We discussed how this match went, as well as his plans to continue competing in jiu-jitsu, grappling, and MMA. His next MMA fight will be September 5 in Bellator against "King" Mo Lawal.

Babalu discussed how he is retired from MMA but is continuing to grapple. Cedric Smith is a former wrestler, and we discussed his transition to jiu-jitsu and grappling, as well as much more.

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

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

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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

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

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

The Liberty Bell Classic / King of Catch Wrestling Tournament, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association and Scientific Wrestling. In this tournament, you can only win by pin or submission, with no points. It all takes place Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym, 231 Bakers Basin Road, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648. For more information, go to kingofcatchwrestling.com.

Snake Pit U.S.A., whose primary mission is to breathe new life into real catch-as-catch-can wrestling and help lead the catch wrestling revolution for martial artists and those pursuing recreational training and fitness alike. For more information, go to SnakePitUSA.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.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 http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: ADCC, BJJ, Cedric Smith, Eddie Goldman, grappling, jiu-jitsu, MMA World Expo, New York, No Holds Barred, Renato Babalu Sobral, Tom DeBlass