Monday, September 16, 2013
No Holds Barred: Jessica Aguilar on Vale Tudo Japan 3
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the world's top-ranked MMA fighter in the women's 115-pound division, American Top Team fighter Jessica Aguilar.
Her next fight will take place Saturday, October 5, against grappling legend and MMA pioneer Megumi Fujii, in what is billed as Fujii's retirement match. This will be at the Vale Tudo Japan 3rd event at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Ota, Tokyo, Japan.
This fight will be a rematch of their bout in May 2012 at Bellator 69, in which Jessica Aguilar defeated Megumi Fujii by a close, unanimous decision.
Although Jessica Aguilar had been fighting for Bellator MMA and had a six-fight winning streak, Bellator recently decided to close its women's divisions and thus released all women fighters, including her. Now she is a free agent, and has signed a one-fight deal to fight in Vale Tudo Japan.
We spoke with Jessica Aguilar by phone Sunday about this fight and her career.
"This is the best fight that I could even imagine," she said. "It's bigger than the first time around. And then going back to Japan and for her retirement bout. It's just such a great matchup. And the timing is perfect. I'm a free agent now, so this opportunity is huge for me."
We also discussed the "honor" of fighting in Japan, why the Japanese MMA fans are "great" and "the best MMA fans ever", where she might end up fighting after this fight, the growth of women's MMA, her plans on returning to grappling competition, 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.
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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, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Invicta, Jessica Aguilar, Megumi Fujii, MMA, No Holds Barred, Vale Tudo Japan, women
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
No Holds Barred: Jessica Aguilar, Number One in the World
After defeating the legendary Megumi Fujii at Bellator 69 by a unanimous decision, Jessica Aguilar will next fight Friday, November 9, at Bellator 80 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, against an opponent to be announced. This card will be televised live in the U.S. on MTV2.
We spoke with Jessica Aguilar by phone Monday night about her next fight and her fighting career.
Speaking of her victory over Megumi Fujii, she said in this interview, "That was my dream fight. That was my goal, to become number one in the world in my weight class, and to go against an idol." And she added, "Megumi's still my idol."
We also discussed her involvement with Sweethearts and Heroes, a non-profit anti-bullying organization which writes that it "believes in educating society to the impact that bullying has on all of our schools, our neighborhoods, and individuals." We discussed her future as a fighter in Bellator, how her mother has accepted that she fights in MMA professionally, and much more.
We also open with the sad news about the passing of Jeff Blatnick at age 55 following complications from heart surgery. Jeff was an Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1984 for the U.S., after overcoming Hodgkin's Disease, a type of cancer. He also was a television commentator for many years in both wrestling and MMA, and played a key role in developing the rules for UFC in the 1990s, which helped form the basis of the North American unified rules of MMA.
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.
MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 1 and 2 for the fourth annual MMA World Expo, featuring an amateur MMA tournament, the Big Apple BJJ Open, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The 2012 MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 1, and Sunday, December 2, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
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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, Eddie Goldman, Heroes, Jeff Blatnick, Jessica Aguilar, Megumi Fujii, MMA, No Holds Barred, Sweethearts, women's
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
No Holds Barred: Jessica Aguilar
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Bellator Fighting Championships and American Top Team MMA fighter Jessica "Jag:)" Aguilar.
In a major fight between two of the top women fighters in the world, and arguably the top two in the 115-pound weight class, Jessica Aguilar will take on Japanese star Megumi Fujii at Bellator 69 on Friday, May 18. This card will take place at the L'Auberge Du Lac Casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and will be televised live in the U.S. on MTV2 and in HD on Epix.
We spoke with Jessica Aguilar by phone this past Thursday to preview this important and high-profile fight.
"The sport is growing for us," she observed in this interview, regarding opportunities for women fighters. She discussed this fight with Megumi Fujii, whom she called "a legend." She also hopes to get in another tournament in Bellator so she can have a crack at a championship. In addition, she said she is continuing her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training both in a gi and without a gi. We also discussed if she would like to compete in the ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships next year, her desire to teach young athletes, and much more.
She also requested that we include this statement which she sent us after the interview:
"I want to give a huge thanks to all my sponsors, teammates, fans, family and all the media like yourself who have helped me on this journey, Eddie. I am blessed and very appreciative to everyone for their continuous support and love. I don't have words to say how much it means to me. Also a huge GRACIAS Bjorn for giving me this opportunity! Smile & Believe."
You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
No Holds Barred is 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", by Ian Carpenter.
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/.
In a major fight between two of the top women fighters in the world, and arguably the top two in the 115-pound weight class, Jessica Aguilar will take on Japanese star Megumi Fujii at Bellator 69 on Friday, May 18. This card will take place at the L'Auberge Du Lac Casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and will be televised live in the U.S. on MTV2 and in HD on Epix.
We spoke with Jessica Aguilar by phone this past Thursday to preview this important and high-profile fight.
"The sport is growing for us," she observed in this interview, regarding opportunities for women fighters. She discussed this fight with Megumi Fujii, whom she called "a legend." She also hopes to get in another tournament in Bellator so she can have a crack at a championship. In addition, she said she is continuing her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training both in a gi and without a gi. We also discussed if she would like to compete in the ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships next year, her desire to teach young athletes, and much more.
She also requested that we include this statement which she sent us after the interview:
"I want to give a huge thanks to all my sponsors, teammates, fans, family and all the media like yourself who have helped me on this journey, Eddie. I am blessed and very appreciative to everyone for their continuous support and love. I don't have words to say how much it means to me. Also a huge GRACIAS Bjorn for giving me this opportunity! Smile & Believe."
You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
No Holds Barred is 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", by Ian Carpenter.
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, Eddie Goldman, Jag, Jessica Aguilar, Megumi Fujii, MMA, No Holds Barred, women fighters
