Sunday, April 08, 2012
No Holds Barred: Jussi Saloranta of DARE Championship on MMA Ban in Thailand and Their Future
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Jussi Saloranta, the founder of the mixed martial arts promotion, DARE Championship.
Based in Thailand, DARE began running MMA shows there in 2011. They soon garnered a lot of media attention, both internationally and in Thailand, and were regarded as one of the hottest new MMA companies in Asia.
In late March of this year, however, reports began coming from Thailand that the Sports Authority of Thailand, which regulates combat sports in that country, had decided to ban MMA. These reports were eventually confirmed as being true, both by the media and the MMA community.
The exact reasons for this ban are up for debate, but nonetheless it leaves DARE in a quandary. Their next show had been scheduled for June 24 in Bangkok, but now its fate is uncertain.
To find out what is going on with DARE, we spoke with Jussi Saloranta by Skype Saturday (Friday in New York).
"It's an interesting situation from many ways, but from our point of view, from the point of view from DARE, we're seeing it at the same time as a very positive one," he explained in this interview, "as we have been receiving more popularity and media attention, and got the mixed martial arts to people's lips that have never been actually involved with the sport before. So it's a situation with good and bad elements, but we still see the future of MMA very positive here in Thailand."
We thus discussed why that all is, what has happened, what their plans are for the future of DARE, who their biggest target market is, and much more.
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.
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.
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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/.
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: ban, DARE Championship, Eddie Goldman, Jussi Saloranta, MMA, No Holds Barred, Thailand
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
No Holds Barred: Vaughn Anderson, More on King Mo
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with mixed martial arts and muay Thai fighter Vaughn "Blud" Anderson.
Based in Thailand and training at the Legacy Gym in Ubon Ratchathani, Vaughn "Blud" Anderson has competed under numerous rules and in many diverse organizations, including K-1, Art of War, and Martial Combat. He also has been a television commentator for Legend FC MMA telecasts around the world. His next fight, on Saturday, February 4, in Thailand, will be under K-1 rules on a card called MVM, which stands for "muay Thai vs. martial arts".
We spoke with Vaughn "Blud" Anderson by Skype Tuesday about his upcoming fight and his fascinating career fighting in Asia in many different styles. We discussed his one-night tournament victory on December 18, 2011, on a PRO Fighting MMA card in Taiwan, where he won all three fights by first-round knockout or TKO. He explained why fighting is so important to his life. We also discussed his experiences fighting in so many organizations, the enormous growth of MMA in Asia, issues related to governance and regulation of combat sports in Asia, and much more.
We also open with an update on the situation regarding MMA fighter "King" Mo Lawal, who tested positive for the banned steroid drostanolone following his January 7 Strikeforce fight, but maintained that he never knowingly took any banned substances. He and his manager Mike Kogan now believe they have found the culprit for this positive test: an over-the-counter product called S Mass Lean Gainer by Rock Solid, which was recommended to him by a store employee to help deal with leg pain. We also stress that athletes should try to use the services provided by various anti-doping organizations, including the Banned Substances Control Group, set up by renowned anti-doping expert Dr. Don Catlin, and the National Center for Drug Free Sport.
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 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: Asia, Eddie Goldman, King Mo Lawal, MMA, muay Thai, No Holds Barred, steroids, Thailand, Vaughn Blud Anderson
Thursday, January 19, 2012
No Holds Barred: Ole Laursen
(Photo by Lee Li)
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the former world and European muay Thai champion and now a noted mixed martial arts fighter, and the owner of the Legacy Gym in Thailand, Ole Laursen.
He will next be fighting in the main event of the ONE FC 2 "Battle of Heroes" card on Saturday, February 11, in Jakarta, Indonesia. His opponent will be the Swiss-based Japanese fighter Felipe Enomoto of the Enomoto Dojo.
We spoke with Ole Laursen by Skype Thursday as he was training for this fight while building a new gym on Boracay Island in the Philippines. He talked about his recovery from neck and knee injuries, which had forced him to pull out of a planned fight at the first ONE FC card in September against URCC champion Eduard Folayang. We discussed his return to the Philippines to train for this fight, what he knows about and how he is preparing to fight Felipe Enomoto, his transition to mixed martial arts from muay Thai, his growth as a mixed martial artist including his five-fight winning streak following losses to Genki Sudo and Caol Uno, how he has incorporated grappling into his arsenal, what led him to becoming a professional fighter, the enormous potential for growth of MMA in Asia, how ONE FC is taking MMA in Asia to a new level, why 2012 will be his year, and more.
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/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: Asia, Eddie Goldman, Felipe Enomoto, Indonesia, MMA, No Holds Barred, Ole Laursen, One FC, Philippines, Thailand
