NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with MMA legend Frank Shamrock.

Now 44 and retired as a fighter for many years, he will be returning to competition at the Rizin Fighting World Grand-Prix 2017 Autumn this Sunday, October 15.

This match, however, will not be an MMA fight, but a submission-only grappling rules match with a ten-minute time limit. His opponent will be another MMA legend, but someone whom he never fought in MMA, the 48-year-old Kazushi Sakuraba.

This event takes place at the Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan.

The main event on this card is a women's MMA fight between RENA and Andy Nguyen, which is a first round fight in the Rizin Woman's Super Atom Tournament.

We spoke with Frank Shamrock by phone Saturday while he was in Japan (Friday New York time).

Asked why he decided to take this match against Sakuraba, whom he called "a master at submissions," he said, "The reason why I always wanted to fight him, we had the same lineage of teachings. His teachers are my teachers."

He continued, "The main reason I want to fight him is, we have the same style, and I've never fought my style, my lineage before."

We discussed more on how that lineage comes from catch wrestling, how he was contacted to be in this match, how he has had "three careers" in the combat sports, why real professional catch wrestling can succeed if it is entertaining, how this match is a one-off, how Rizin can expand its popularity beyond Japan, his current work in television and a campaign to build awareness about mental health, 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 sponsored by:

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

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Labels: catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Frank Shamrock, grappling, Japan, Kazushi Sakuraba, MMA, No Holds Barred, Rizin

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Bellator MMA fighter King Mo Lawal.

After winning a unanimous decision on December 16 at Bellator 169 in Dublin, Ireland, against Olympic gold medalist judoka Satoshi Ishii, King Mo will be making a quick return to action, also on the road.

Last year he won the Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament at Rizin's two-day end of the year show in Japan, and this year he returns in the second round of the Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2016 open weight tournament.

His opponent in this round will be MMA veteran Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. This fight will take place Thursday, December 29, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The finals will take place Saturday, December 31.

We spoke with King Mo by phone Thursday.

Despite the quick turnaround for this fight, he is confident that he will defeat Cro Cop and advance in this tournament.

"I'm just going to go out there and handle business," he said. "I got a game plan we're working on right now, implement it, and get that 'W'.

"If I can stop him, I'm going to stop him. If I have to grind him out for a few rounds, I'll grind him out."

As for his fight with Ishii, he said Ishii is basically a martial artist, and, "He's not a fighter. He's an athlete that fights."

We discussed the logistics of how it was decided after the Ishii fight on such short notice that he will be fighting in this Rizin tournament in Japan, how he is prepared to fight three times in two days if he goes to the finals again, what was billed as the final fight for Bernard Hopkins, 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 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.

Labels: Bellator, Bernard Hopkins, Cro Cop, Eddie Goldman, Grand Prix, King Mo, MMA, No Holds Barred, Rizin, Satoshi Ishii

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with King of the Cage atomweight champion Andy "The CrAsian" Nguyen.

Her next fight will take place Saturday, December 31, at the Rizin Fighting Federation event at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Her opponent will be three-time world women's wrestling champion Miyuu Yamamoto.

We spoke with Andy Nguyen by phone Sunday.

Discussing how her varied background, she said, "My first amateur fight was MMA. And then my second amateur fight was a boxing match."

Her style, she said, is that of a "boxer merged into muay Thai merged into jiu-jitsu."

We discussed the growth of women's MMA and how "we fight harder"; how she once won a ring girl competition; how she got involved with Rizin; her plans for fighting Miyuu Yamamoto; how she got involved with MMA when she saw a live fight shortly after it had been legalized in South Carolina, where she lives; balancing her roles as a mother and a fighter; her background as a Vietnamese-American and how she got her nickname "The CrAsian"; her future plans to be a promoter, commentator, trainer, and even a ring girl again; 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 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.

Labels: Andy Nguyen, CrAsian, Eddie Goldman, Japan, Miyuu Yamamoto, MMA, No Holds Barred, Rizin, women

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Bellator MMA and American Top Team fighter King Mo Lawal.

King Mo is fresh off a major victory, having won the 2015 Rizin FF World Grand-Prix heavyweight tournament. To do so, he had to win three fights. On December 29, 2015, in the opening round of this eight-man tournament, he scored a knockout over British fighter Brett McDermott. Just two days later, on December 31, he won two more fights. In the semifinals, he defeated Teodoras Aukstuolis of Lithuania by unanimous decision. In the finals, he scored a knockout over Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic at 5:09 of the first round to win the tournament. This inaugural Rizin event was held at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

We spoke with King Mo by phone Tuesday.

His approach to this tournament, he said, was "to go out there and try to take no damage, have good defense, and get my takedowns" when he wanted.

On the advice of former UFC heavyweight and Pride Grand Prix champion Mark Coleman, who also was an NCAA Div. I wrestling champion and 1992 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestler, he was able, under Rizin's rules, to fight while wearing wrestling shoes. King Mo said Mark Coleman told him, "You're a wrestler. I wore wrestling shoes when I won it. You wear wrestling shoes and you'll win it."

He also said, "I knew my boxing will be on point because I sparred with Michael Hunter," a 2012 U.S. Olympian who is currently 10-0 as a pro. "I sparred with Eddie Chambers," a former heavyweight title challenger. "I went to Philly for a day actually, and sparred with Eddie Chambers for 30 minutes." He also continued his training with Jeff Mayweather.

"I was ready, man. I was ready. I felt sharp."

We discussed each of his three victories in the Rizin tournament, as well as the Rizin rules, their use of a ring rather than a cage, and fighting three fights over three days.

In addition, we discussed how his plans for fighting in 2016 in Bellator and/or Rizin have yet to be determined; the wide-open heavyweight division in boxing with the Wilder-Szpilka and Glazkov-Martin fights coming up January 16 as well as the ascension of Anthony Joshua; his use of social media; 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:

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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Labels: Bellator, boxing, Eddie Goldman, King Mo Lawal, MMA, No Holds Barred, Rizin, wrestling