NO HOLDS BARRED

 

Labels: Artur Beterbiev, Autumn in New York, baseball, boxing, Dmitry Bivol, Eddie Goldman, Humphrey Bogart, Mets, New York, No Holds Barred, Riyadh Season, Saudi Arabia, Turki Alalshikh, Yankees

Here are some photos I took at the May Day rally and march in New York starting at Columbus Circle. I was with the Free Syria May Day contingent.

Labels: Free Syria, May Day, New York

By Eddie Goldman

By the grace of Kahless the Unforgettable, my Verizon(lol) landline and Internet are back, for the moment at least.

I reported almost two weeks ago that there had to be an outage in my area, since at that time the voice line was down but not Internet. Since Wednesday night, both were up and down like a yo-yo. But when I called the regular Verizon repair, as usual I got an unhelpful and rude rep who denied there was, or even could be, any outage in the area.

On Friday morning, August 3, I got a voicemail from Verizon admitting that “your service disruption was caused by a cable failure”. It appears Verizon’s strategy to paying customers making such reports is to cause them so much aggravation that they either just quit complaining or die.

Now the service is back, but we shall see for how long. This type of outage and back-and-forth has happened about once or twice a year over the past several years.

You have to escalate, first as I did by calling their so-called “Executive Relations” team, at 855-655-2304 (this is just for New York), and then, as is also usually necessary, filing a complaint with the New York State Public Service Commission.

Verizon, in violation of its franchise agreement with the City of New York, still does not offer its Fios service in much of New York City. This rollout was supposed to have been completed by 2014.

The New York State Public Service Commission is kicking the scab Spectrum cable company out of the state, and we should pressure the politicians to make sure this actually happens. But the next target of both state and city officials has to be revoking Verizon’s Fios franchise.

What we really need is municipal broadband, but this unfortunately is a longer-term goal since all the state and city officials are puppets of Wall Street, the real estate sharks, etc.

Labels: cable, Eddie Goldman, Fios, Internet, New York, No Holds Barred, outage, telephone, Verizon

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with sports and entertainment lawyer Carla Varriale.

She is a member of the faculty at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies Sports Management Program.

They will be holding a symposium, which is the first educational forum dedicated to MMA in New York, called Fight Card.

This event is free and open to the public, and will take place Tuesday, August 16, starting at 6 PM EDT at Columbia University's Schermerhorn Hall in Manhattan.

The symposium will be moderated by MMA journalist Jim Genia, with panelists including Renzo Gracie, Mario Mercado, Jr., Justin Klein, David Berlin, David Weinraub, and Rene Dreifuss. There will also be a question-and-answer session.

You can register here.

We spoke with Carla Varriale by phone Thursday.

The symposium, she said, "came about when the students from the sports management program wanted to study why, after all this time now that mixed martial arts has become legal in New York, what the next steps forward for the sport were, and what the challenges and opportunities for it were."

We also discussed the effect on MMA of the turmoil in the New York State Athletic Commission, extending the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act to include MMA fighters, how she got involved in examining and teaching about all these issues, and much more.

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 free to listen to and is sponsored by:

The Boxing Tribune, boxing's independent media. Unlike every other major boxing website, The Boxing Tribune is not funded or owned by promoters, managers, or networks, and is fully independent and free to write the truth. For independent boxing news and views, go to http://boxingtribune-news.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

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: Carla Varriale, Columbia, Eddie Goldman, MMA, New York, No Holds Barred, Sports Management Program, Symposium. Fight Card

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our long-time colleague and wrestling correspondent, Bob Mayeri.

In our discussion, we previewed the 2016 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships.

The 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place March 17-19 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Once again the ESPN networks in the U.S. will provide live video of every match, with the finals and semifinals televised live on ESPN, the other four sessions televised live on ESPNU, and ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app providing live multi-mat viewing throughout.

We spoke with Bob Mayeri by phone Sunday about both how the expected top teams shape up, and the favorites and possible upsets in each of the ten weight classes.

Speaking about the undefeated Big 10 champion Penn State team, which is favored by many to win the team championship, he said, "Penn State has some pretty high expectations. I think they probably are looking to have maybe as many as five in the finals."

Those five are: 125-pound number three seed Nico Megaludis, 149-pound top seed Zain Retherford, 157-pound number three seed Jason Nolf, 174-pound top seed Bo Nickal, and 197-pound top seed Morgan McIntosh.

"I don't think the wrestling community would be that surprised if those five did make it to the finals. So I think on paper they've got a serious edge on the team that's competing for second place."

As far as the competition to win this year's Hodge Trophy for college wrestling's most dominant wrestler, the favorite is the top seed at 165 pounds, Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State, who is going for his third straight NCAA title.

"Right now it's Dierenger's to lose," he said.

In addition, we open the show with a commentary on the culture of college wrestling in America, its lack of diversity, and how this may play out as Wrestling Nation descends upon New York City.

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 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 free to listen to and is sponsored by:

The Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Sunday, July 3, 2016, catch wrestlers from all around the world will compete in Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary world champion wrestler Frank Gotch. Organized by the Catch Wrestling Alliance and co-sponsored by IAWrestle, the Frank Gotch Statue Committee, and the Frank Gotch Kids Wrestling Club, the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

BJJ Eastern Europe, for the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu news, articles, interviews, competition calendar, European belt rankings, academy directory, and more. For more information, go to BJJEE.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: 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Bob Mayeri, college, Eddie Goldman, ESPN, Madison Square Garden, New York, No Holds Barred, Penn State

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 three-time Japanese national sambo champion Kazu Watanabe and Sambo Steve Koepfer of New York Combat Sambo.

Kazu Watanabe has been visiting New York recently, both teaching sambo classes at New York Combat Sambo and acquainting himself with the culture and many attractions of New York.

We spoke with both Kazu Watanabe and Sambo Steve Koepfer Sunday at New York Combat Sambo in midtown Manhattan. Steve also helped explain some of the questions, which were all in English, to Kazu.

Although he started training in judo first, Kazu Watanabe has become a big devotee of sambo.

"Sambo is very creative," he said. He had trained at the famed Kiguchi Dojo near Tokyo for about 20 years in both sambo and judo. Two years ago, he retired from active competition, but he still trains other athletes in sambo and judo.

This year will be a big one for sambo in Japan, as the 2014 world championships, sanctioned by FIAS, the international sambo federation, will be held there. The dates are November 20-24, 2014, in Narita, Japan.

Another topic we discussed was catch wrestling. Sambo Steve, who also teaches catch wrestling, had several wrestlers competing at the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., held July 27 at the MMA World Expo in New York.

Speaking of that tournament, the first real catch wrestling championship in New York in 94 years, he said, "I was pleased. I though it turned out really good. I think it exposed a lot of people" to catch wrestling.

"There was a huge crowd standing around the catch mat watching, much more than any other event going on at the Expo, I think. So it was fascinating to people."

In addition, we discussed the status of sambo and catch wrestling in Japan, why Steve believes that putting sambo in the Olympics might "ruin" the sport, Japanese food and tea, 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:

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, Japan, Kazu Watanabe, New York, No Holds Barred, sambo, Steve Koepfer

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

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

This year the Fifth Annual MMA World Expo will be held Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, and once again at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, where it has been held every year since it began.

We spoke with Paul Paone and Vinh Hua at the world headquarters of the MMA World Expo in New York this past Friday.

"The absolute main attraction is going to be the Fighters Source Nationals," said Paul Paone. This amateur MMA national championship is "a culmination of their year-long series of tournaments that they've held throughout the U.S. And it's taking place Saturday, July 26th, from 6 to 9 PM. It basically wraps up our show that evening."

He added, "That is our main, main event, but we do have two other events that are taking place."

Vinh Hua next explained what will happen at these other live competitions.

"ADCC America will be holding a major tournament, their major New York East Coast tournament" in grappling, said Vinh Hua. "They'll be doing no-gi on Saturday and they'll be doing gi on Sunday. Registration is open, so if listeners who are competitors are out there, they should sign up."

In addition, "Snake Pit wrestling is doing a catch-as-catch-can tournament," he said, referring to the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A. This will take place Sunday, July 27, also at the MMA World Expo. Registration is still open for that tournament. Also, right before the catch wrestling tournament begins, there will be a free one-hour catch wrestling seminar, starting at 10:30 AM on July 27.

We discussed these live events, the plans for many fighters to make appearances, the numerous vendors and seminars at the MMA World Expo, why the Expo has been successful for so many years, 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:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., taking place Sunday, July 27, at the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. You can only win by pin or submission. Best two out of three falls. All styles welcome. For more information or to register, 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 America, Amateur MMA, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Fighters Source, grappling, MMA World Expo, New York, No Holds Barred, Paul Paone, Snake Pit USA, Vinh Hua

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Anthony Medina, the CEO and an owner of the amateur MMA league Fighters Source.

Fighters Source will be holding its U.S. Nationals Saturday, July 26, at the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. The Fighters Source U.S. Nationals will be recorded and televised at a later date.

We spoke with Anthony Medina Friday at the headquarters of the MMA World Expo in New York.

"Fighters Source is the first amateur MMA league in existence," he said. "What I mean by league is, a lot of promotions call themselves a league, but it's technically a promotion. What Fighters Source is, is an actual league. What I mean by that, we have incorporated other promotions to be a part of our league that own teams in certain cities and certain markets. What we do is match their best fighters from that promotion against other fighters from other promotions, so technically we are a true league.

"What you're going to see on the 26th of July at the Expo is a whole season of team fighting teams. The winners move on in a tournament-style bracket. And you're going to see the finalists fight it out for the U.S. team. Whoever makes that U.S. team flies to the U.K. on September 27th to fight Team U.K., who also had a tournament-style qualifier for their Team U.K."

We also discussed his views on amateur MMA, the differences between Fighters Source and the various bodies which call themselves international federations, the issue of fighter safety, the regulatory situation in New York where pro MMA is still banned but amateur MMA is legal and unregulated, 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:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., taking place Sunday, July 27, at the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. You can only win by pin or submission. Best two out of three falls. All styles welcome. For more information or to register, 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: Amateur MMA, Anthony Medina, Eddie Goldman, Fighters Source, MMA World Expo, New York, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Carlos Carvalho and Jennifer Golden of the ADCC North American Federation.

It is a happily busy time in the U.S. over the next several weeks for ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club), which runs the world's most prestigious and important grappling world championship. Three major events will be taking place over the course of the coming six weekends.

This Saturday, June 21, ADCC will hold both gi and no-gi tournaments in the Chicago area, at the Frontier Park Fieldhouse, 9807 S. Sayre Avenue, Chicago Ridge, Illinois 60415.

Besides these tournaments with numerous divisions, there will be two superfights under ADCC grappling rules. In a battle of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champions, Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros will face Leonardo Pecahna. In what promises to be a very active and competitive match between two grappling masters, Jeff Curran will take on Omar Choudhury.

Next up is North Carolina. This event, also with gi and no-gi tournaments, will take place Saturday, July 12, at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, 4751 US Highway 49, North Concord, North Carolina 28025.

ADCC will also be making its debut at this year's MMA World Expo in New York, running two days of tournaments, also with gi and no-gi divisions. The no-gi competition will take place Saturday, July 26, with the gi competition Sunday, July 27. The location is the Jacob Javits Center, 655 W. 34th Street, New York, New York 10001.

Expect more information soon on superfights for the North Carolina and New York events.

We spoke with Carlos Carvalho and Jennifer Golden by phone Tuesday.

"It's the first time that we are getting into the area of Chicago," Carlos Carvalho said. The superfight between Comprido and Pecanha involves two well-known athletes in grappling and BJJ. As for the superfight between Jeff Curran and Omar Choudhury, he said, "It's going to be another small guy fight, but you know how they work, man. They are crazy. They are electrical. They jump around. They do things that the big guys can't do."

Jennifer Golden pointed out that ADCC is much more than the world championships which are held every two years, with the next one slated for 2015.

"We want our name out there all year long," she said. "So these national tournaments are ways for us to build our name and also for people to get experience with ADCC and our rules and the way we compete. So we're doing our best to try to hit all these major cities and give everyone an opportunity to compete with us."

We also discussed how these national tournaments are leading up to both East Coast and West Coast qualifiers in the U.S. for spots at the 2015 world championships, the importance of growing ADCC at the grassroots level, the significance of running ADCC tournaments at the MMA World Expo, 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:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., taking place Sunday, July 27, at the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. You can only win by pin or submission. Best two out of three falls. All styles welcome. For more information or to register, 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: Abu Dhabi Combat Club, ADCC, BJJ, Carlos Carvalho, Chicago, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Jennifer Golden, MMA World Expo, New York, No Holds Barred, North Carolina

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with longtime boxing and baseball journalist Wallace Matthews.

After being one of the most prominent and respected boxing writers for decades as well as covering other sports since 1983 as a reporter, columnist, radio host, and TV commentator for Newsday, the New York Post, the New York Sun, and ESPN New York 98.7 FM, he is now covering the New York Yankees for ESPNNewYork.com.

We spoke with him by phone Tuesday.

"It's kind of like I'm doing my career backwards, because most people start out doing a team beat like I'm doing now, and then move on to write a column. I kind of did it the opposite way. I did boxing for a long time and I wrote a general column for about 15 years, and now I'm a beat man for ESPNNewYork on the Yankees," he said.

"They are a very interesting team, a team that keeps you busy, because there's never any shortage of storylines. And a very, very different world from covering boxing, I must tell you."

But he added, "I wouldn't say that it's a world I prefer, I must tell you. I really enjoyed covering boxing. I think it was the best time in my life and the best time in my career. But it does have its own challenges, and I'm never bored, I'll tell you that much. I'm never bored covering the Yankees."

We discussed why he enjoys boxing so much and sees it as the greatest test for an athlete in any sport, the difference in the athletes in boxing and baseball, the lack of adequate safety precautions for boxers by the political appointees on state commissions, the risks of brain damage in boxing, the failure of much of the boxing and general sports media to address the problems in the sport, and why he would go back to covering boxing if he had the opportunity.

We also discussed baseball and the New York Yankees, including some of the issues around the Biogenesis doping scandal and Alex Rodriguez, why he does not like doing predictions of a team's chances before the season but has to do so anyway, the failure of much of the baseball and general sports media to address the problems in the sport, 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.

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: baseball, boxing, Eddie Goldman, ESPN, media, New York, No Holds Barred, Wallace Matthews, Yankees

Journalist and martial artist Gretchen Malalad and Eddie Goldman, Jan. 17, 2014, at Havana Central, formerly known as The West End.

Columbia head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer.

Columbia heavyweight Wyatt Baker going for pin over Buffalo heavyweight James Benjamin. Baker won, 10-4.

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with journalist and martial artist Gretchen Malalad, and Columbia University head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer.

We spoke with each of them Friday night, shortly after Columbia scored a 24-9 win over Buffalo in a dual meet at the University Gym on the campus of Columbia in New York.

Coach Fronhofer, now in his third year as head coach at Columbia after serving as an assistant coach, was himself an NCAA Div. I runner-up in 2003 at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the U.S. national team in freestyle wrestling in 2009. We spoke with him right after the meet about how he evaluated his team's performance and prospects as we get closer to this year's NCAA national championships in March. Columbia has the oldest college wrestling program which has been continuously running in the U.S., dating back to 1903.

Gretchen Malalad is a woman of almost countless talents. She is from the Philippines, where she was a karate champion, a beauty queen, a TV news reporter, a reality TV star, and a member of the Philippines Air Force. In addition, she has trained with Alvin Aguilar, the founder of the URCC, the long-running MMA promotion in the Philippines which also works with ONE FC.

Despite her fame and many accomplishments, she is now in New York as a student at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. The topic of her master's thesis is on why MMA is illegal in New York.

We spoke with Gretchen Malalad shortly after the Columbia-Buffalo meet, the first college wrestling meet she had ever attended live, at the Havana Central bar and restaurant, which was formerly known as The West End, right across the street from Columbia.

"We're here for the truth, as every journalist wants it," she said. "It's the goal of every journalist, I think."

We discussed why she decided to return to school, why she chose MMA in New York as the topic of her master's thesis, how she views the tasks of journalists, her career plans, why there are things in life which are far more important than money, 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.

GrappleGnostic, sponsored by Defense Soap. Where the will to win meets the power of knowledge. Features, interviews, analysis, health tips, and information on wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and all the grappling arts, written by some of the best writers and experts in the world. Check out their web site, a http://defensesoap.com/grapplegnostic.

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 http://defensesoap.com.

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: Carl Fronhofer, Columbia, Eddie Goldman, Gretchen Malalad, journalism, karate, MMA, New York, No Holds Barred, Philippines, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Luke Dowdney, the founder of Fight for Peace and Luta Sportswear .

Originally from the UK where he was an amateur boxer, Luke Dowdney now lives in a favela in the Rio de Janeiro area in Brazil. In 2000, he founded Fight for Peace, a non-profit organization which supports young people in communities affected by gun crime, violence, and drugs. The organization set up academies in Rio, and later London, to provide youth with training in boxing and many styles of martial arts, as well as education.

Fight for Peace is now an independent NGO, and receives funding from many sources, including Luta Sportswear, also founded by him, which gives half of their profits to Fight for Peace.

The programs supported by Luta Sportswear are expanding to New York, and he was in town this week to start this process and promote the Luta brand. We spoke with him by phone Thursday afternoon.

Why boxing?

"Boxing is something that is so important to teach us about discipline, to teach us about what you put in is what you get out, that whole notion of never quitting," he said.

We also discussed the expansion of the program to include many disciplines in the martial arts including MMA, their working together with local organizations and gyms, their working with boxers including 2012 Olympic super heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, the recent mass protests in Brazil against the massive government spending for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics while the needs of the people are not being met, 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/.

The First Annual Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch Tournament, organized by the North American Catch Wrestling Association in conjunction with Scientific Wrestling. This catch wrestling tournament will take place Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the Klein JCC, 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116. No points! No politics! Only submissions and pins win! For more information, go to http://nacwa.weebly.com.

Labels: boxing, Brazil, Eddie Goldman, favela, Fight for Peace, London, Luke Dowdney, Luta Sportswear, martial arts, MMA, New York, No Holds Barred, Rio

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Keisha Morrisey and "The Fight Professor" Stephen Quadros.

We were all at the Glory 9 kickboxing card, which took place Saturday, June 22, at the Hammerstein Ballroom at the Manhattan Center in New York.

Keisha Morrisey also shuttled between this event and the boxing card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, headlined by the Adrien Broner-Paulie Malignaggi fight. This provided her an unparalleled opportunity to compare both live shows.

Right after the fights, we had a short discussion with Stephen Quadros, who was a TV commentator for Glory 9, about the highs and lows of this card, including the three victories by Tyrone Spong to win the eight-man, light heavyweight tournament.

We spoke with Keisha Morrisey Sunday by phone about how she evaluated these two events.

"Just in walking into the Glory event, you automatically felt the illumination in the room, the energy of the fans. The music was beautiful, the ambiance, everything about the setting was right on point," she said in this interview.

As far as the boxing at the Barclays Center, she added, "It's unreal the energy that you do not have at a boxing event there."

We discussed why Glory 9 was by far the better event, the future of boxing and kickboxing in the combat sports world, 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: Adrien Broner, boxing, Brooklyn, Eddie Goldman, Glory 9, Keisha Morrisey, kickboxing, New York, No Holds Barred, Paulie Malignaggi, Stephen Quadros, Tyrone Spong

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