NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the captain of the 2011 Michigan State University wrestling team and current catch wrestler, Curran Jacobs.

There has been a lot of discussion about the finish of the January 21 Bellator 170 MMA fight between Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen. Sonnen tapped out in the first round to what was said to be a rear naked choke, but a closer look at the actual hold Ortiz had applied says otherwise and shows that it was a neck crank.

Infuriatingly, many MMA fans who are ignorant of catch wrestling holds like neck cranks, and whose knowledge is limited to what they know, rightly or wrongly, of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, charged that this showed the match was "fixed" because the winning submission hold was not one which they had seen, a rear naked choke.

To discuss all this, we spoke with Curran Jacobs about this by phone Monday.

"You hear it constantly right now. 'It was fixed. It was fake. His arm wasn't even sunk. It wasn't even a rear naked choke. He didn't even have a choke,'" he said.

"That just proves how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, how popular it is and how heavy it is in the grappling world. And it really, what it really did was show how, it revealed the lack of knowledge people have on catch wrestling.

"I was just working out with my gym, Murcielago MMA, today, and all the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guys were like, 'Yeah, that was fake. That was fake.'

"And I said, 'Well, let me show you exactly why Chael tapped.'

"And I applied the same position that Tito Ortiz had, and it took them less than three seconds and they tapped.

"It's a very painful, painful neck crank."

Curran Jacobs also posted a video demonstrating this hold, which can be seen here.

We also discussed the need to educate people about neck cranks and other catch wrestling holds; why "catch wrestling is BJJ's Kryptonite"; the purposeful downplaying and denigration of wrestling and grappling by many MMA promoters; the second annual Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament, which is scheduled for the weekend of July 15, 2017, in Humboldt, Iowa; and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

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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 TheBoxingTribune.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

USA Combat Wrestling, the official U.S. governing body for combat wrestling and U.S. delegate of the International Combat Wrestling Federation (FICW), which was founded by the legendary wrestler Noriaki Kiguchi of Japan. For more information, go to CombatWrestling.us.

Labels: alliance, Bellator, catch wrestling, Chael Sonnen, Curran Jacobs, Eddie Goldman, MMA, neck crank, No Holds Barred, Tito Ortiz

(Note: This article was originally written on May 23, 2008, for ADCC News. It is reposted here in full.)

When the owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship bought the assets of the now-defunct Pride Fighting Championships of Japan last year, they thought that it was the start of a new era in the mixed martial arts. They believed that now almost all the best MMA fighters in the world would be promoted exclusively by them, and that they would have a virtual monopoly on the top fights and fighters not seen in a combat sport since the days of the notorious International Boxing Club in the 1950's, which was later broken up by the U.S. government.

The Pride purchase did mark the dawn of a new era, but not the one envisioned by the billionaire Fertitta brothers, who are the majority owners of the UFC.

The top heavyweight and pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world was, until recently anyway, almost universally regarded as Fedor Emelianenko, who had fought for Pride until that company folded. While Pride's contractual complexities meant that Fedor's contract was not automatically transferred to the UFC as a result of the sale, the UFC bosses did try to sign him to a new contract. Fedor refused, citing "disrespect" and their onerous exclusivity clauses. He even called this type of contract "disgusting."

Fedor's rejection of the UFC led their then-heavyweight champion, Randy Couture, to resign from that company in October. The reason was that Couture, who turns 45 this June, wanted to defend his belt against the best heavyweight in the world, Fedor, and that fight was now impossible unless Fedor signed an exclusive contract to be promoted by the UFC. So Couture quit in hopes of having that fight promoted by another entity.

The UFC-Couture contract dispute is still tied up in court, but it appears obvious that there is no way that Couture will ever fight for the UFC again.

Now UFC's former top star, Tito Ortiz, has said that he will leave after the final fight on his contract, which is this weekend against Lyoto Machida. UFC president Dana White has responded with torrents of profanity-filled insults directed at Ortiz, who wasn't even invited to the event's final prefight press conference.

On top of this, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia has left the company, and is scheduled to fight Fedor on the July 19 Affliction card in Anaheim, Calif. Sylvia is enjoying his free agency, noting at the Affliction news conference in New York Thursday, "No one wants to do exclusive contracts anymore." He said that he will fight this year for both the Affliction and Adrenaline promotions, and hopes to fight in Japan this year as well.

Even some in the mainstream media are beginning to lose their patience with Dana White. Ed Graney in the Las Vegas Review-Journal recounted some of this history, and wrote of a "dictatorship, which is what happened with the growth of UFC under the leadership of its president, who a friend of mine fittingly described Wednesday as 'the white Don King who happens to be bald.'" He also talked of fighters "who exist under White's authoritative thumb." (http://www.lvrj.com/sports/19169329.html)

While White continues to attack the upcoming EliteXC May 31 card, which will be telecast for free to over 100 million homes in the U.S. on CBS, UFC events are only available on the relatively small Spike TV network and on pay-per-view, for those willing to fork over a one-time fee to watch those shows. At the same time, these pay-per-views are more and more widely available for free on pirate sites, such as SopCast, which are committing copyright violations but are nonetheless reaching growing audiences. So the entire pay-per-view business model, which has been a key source of revenue for companies which have relied on it, is now in danger of being wrecked by the advance of technology.

With fighters jumping ship and their business model in question, we now also see more and more people discussing the very legality of the UFC's contracts. This may be decided, at least in part, by the courts hearing the Zuffa-Couture case.

I raised this issue in December 2007 in the article "It's Time for Federal and State Investigations of UFC Contracts." (http://www.adcombat.com/Article.asp?Article_ID=14555 - New link: http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/2016/01/from-december-2007-its-time-for-federal.html) Now it is more common for the issue of whether or not these contracts violate either the letter or spirit of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act to be discussed.

So yes, we are indeed entering a new era. It is not, however, the era of an unchallenged monopoly, but of a fighters' rebellion. Unlike failed attempts to rally athletes in other sports such as boxing, the key players in this loose but growing rebellion are some of the sport's top stars and fighters.

And in Japan, where just a year ago UFC seemed to be in a position of dominance, UFC is running no shows, either under the Pride name or their own name. At the same time, various forces in the mixed martial arts world in Japan have regrouped to form companies such as Dream and World Victory Road, and are attempting (with mixed results) to fill the void left by the collapse of Pride.

Ah, the perils of dictatorship. If you study history, you know the eventual fate of all tyrannies. This one may be in an eight-sided cage, but the signs are all there that it getting ready to be overthrown.

Labels: Eddie Goldman, Fedor Emelianenko, Fighters Rebellion, MMA, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, UFC

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our longtime colleague and correspondent, Chris Thomas.

Chris covered the historic Bellator 131 card on November 15 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. Besides taking place in a packed arena, the main event between Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar drew 1.8 million viewers in the U.S., peaking at two million, on Spike TV, making it the most-watched and highest-rated MMA fight on cable in 2014, and the sixth-highest rated cable show of all types that night in ages 18-49 in the U.S.

In that fight, the ever-popular Tito Ortiz won by split decision over Stephan Bonnar. Will Brooks, coming in as the interim lightweight champion, scored a fourth-round TKO over a former champion, Michael Chandler, to capture the Bellator lightweight belt. "King" Mo Lawal dominated Joe Vedepo and won by third-round TKO. And in what was, as expected, a slugfest, Joe Schilling survived a first-round knockdown and onslaught from Melvin Manhoef to win by knockout in the second round.

We spoke with Chris Thomas by phone Tuesday.

"It was really interesting seeing this be the first real, in my opinion, Scott Coker show," he said, referring to new Bellator president and former Strikeforce head Scott Coker. "And he put his stamp on it like he is going to make a statement. And you could tell that he is ready to take the next step."

He continued, "Everything was on par. I mean everything. The production, the look, the feel, the fans were there, it was a sold-out show. It was pretty amazing. It was pretty exciting. I felt like MMA is about to take another step in the right direction."

We also discussed the fights themselves, the emergence of Will Brooks as a bona fide star and top-level MMA fighter, Bellator's plans for 2015, and more.

In addition, this coming Saturday, November 22, two legends hit the mat, as Renzo Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba have a grappling match at Metamoris 5 in Long Beach, California. We discussed how this match, unlike their Pride 10 MMA fight in 2000, is being positioned as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs. catch wrestling, and what that says about the growth of the prestige of catch wrestling. We also discussed some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Metamoris organization.

This past week saw the release of the highly-acclaimed "Foxcatcher" movie as well as the book of the same name, which inspired the film, by Olympic, world, and national champion wrestler Mark Schultz. We discussed some of the lessons of this tragic tale of the 1996 murder of Mark's brother, fellow Olympic, world, and national champion wrestler Dave Schultz, by the crazed multi-millionaire John du Pont, for the sport of wrestling.

Plus, we discussed some of Chris's business ventures, and a lot 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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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 TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Bellator, catch wrestling, Chris Thomas, Eddie Goldman, Foxcatcher, Kazushi Sakuraba, Mark Schultz, MMA, No Holds Barred, Renzo Gracie, Scott Coker, Tito Ortiz, Will Brooks

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our longtime colleague and correspondent, Chris Thomas.

He will be covering this Saturday's Bellator 131 card at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California, headlined by the Tito Ortiz-Stephan Bonnar, Will Brooks-Michael Chandler, "King" Mo Lawal-Joe Vedepo, and Melvin Manhoef-Joe Schilling fights.

We spoke with Chris Thomas by phone Wednesday.

Besides discussing the fights on the Bellator 131 card, we also noted how MMA legend Wanderlei Silva had originally been scheduled to appear at a pre-party kickoff event for that card the night before the fights, but was pulled from that, reportedly because of contractual obligations.

"For anybody to begrudge someone like Wanderlei Silva, who's given so much of himself to this sport for so many years, and to not allow him to make a living, is ridiculous in where the sport is today in 2014," he said. "That's horrible."

We also had a wide-ranging discussion on numerous topics, including the potential for robot fighting to become the future of combat sports, even in the wake of the poor ratings for the Robot Combat League TV show last year; the WSOF 15 card with three title fights, also on November 15; the proposal to have same-day weigh-ins in MMA and boxing, as is done in wrestling; in boxing, last Saturday's Bernard Hopkins-Sergey Kovalev light heavyweight title fight, and this coming Saturday's Wladimir Klitschko-Kubrat Pulev heavyweight title fight; the success of the Baltimore Orioles and failures of the New York Yankees in baseball, along with the reasons for the sharp increase in injuries in that sport; the issue of doping in sports; 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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

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.

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 TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Bellator, Chris Thomas, Eddie Goldman, fighting, King Mo Lawal, Michael Chandler, MMA, No Holds Barred, Robot Combat League, Stephan Bonnar, Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva, Will Brooks

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with MMA legend and Bellator fighter Tito Ortiz.

With a storied MMA career that began in 1997, Tito Ortiz made his Bellator debut May 17, 2014, on that organization's first pay-per-view. He was matched up with Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko, who was fighting at light heavyweight in this non-title bout.

Despite a layoff of almost two years, Tito Ortiz used his wrestling background to dominate Shlemenko, who is known primarily as a striker, and take him down and submit him with an arm triangle choke in just 2:27 of the first round.

We spoke with Tito Ortiz July 30 at a Bellator media day at Dave and Buster's in New York.

Discussing his reinvigoration as a fighter, he said, "I think that's what it really came down to, just kind of re-inventing the wheel, and I be the wheel. Just being in a positive environment and not being cut down and bullied upon as I did with my last organization I was with, and now it's just being respected for the champion and the fighter that I am."

He added, "It's nice to be where I am right now, and that's Bellator."

We discussed how he defeated the smaller Shlemenko with technique and not power, how he hopes to be back fighting around October or November, and whom he'd like to fight next.

"I'd like to fight for the world title," he said.

The Bellator light heavyweight belt is currently held by Emanuel Newton, who is scheduled to defend it September 12 against Joey Beltran.

Although his next fight is not yet set, Tito Ortiz said, "I'd love to be a world champion again. And I'm going to do it before I'm done with my three fights with Bellator."

We also discussed his training in Thailand with Thailand Top Team, why he believes that new Bellator president Scott Coker will make Bellator a lot better than it was previously, his other plans outside MMA, why he loves his kids more than fighting, his putting on wrestling camps, and how he still follows wrestling.

"It saved my life, and I know it saves a lot of other kids' lives," he said of wrestling.

He noted also that, in his opinion and the opinion of many others, the best MMA fighters have a wrestling base.

In addition, we discussed the potential for some form of submission wrestling to grow, why he has a "lot more chapters" left in his MMA career, hoe he does his own social media, and 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 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.

Scientific Wrestling, igniting a revolution in grappling based on the pursuit of traditional Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Our people are legitimate Scientific Wrestling practitioners united around training, competition, innovation, grueling physical conditioning, camaraderie, and the sharing of reliable resources. For more information, go to ScientificWrestling.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 TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Bellator, Eddie Goldman, MMA, No Holds Barred, Tito Ortiz, wrestling

(Photo of Rampage and Tito by Dr. Raul Ramirez)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Dr. Raul Ramirez of Catch Wrestling Los Angeles.

He was in attendance at Monday's Bellator MMA news conference at the Bellator offices in Newport Beach, California, to announce their debut pay-per-view on November 2 featuring a fight between MMA veterans Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Tito Ortiz, with more fights to be announced. We discussed what happened there, and issues related to this fight, the pay-per-view, and Bellator's approach to MMA.

Both fighters had a lot to say at this news conference, insisting that they are not through as fighters. They praised the "positive environment" at Bellator, contrasting it to their rocky relations, especially in recent years, with UFC management.

"Actually, I really believe that this is the beginning of a possible change in labor relations in MMA, because that's basically what Rampage and Tito talked about the majority of the time," Raul Ramirez said in our interview, which was recorded by phone Tuesday.

"Hopefully other fighters, if they're feeling taken advantage of, so they also come out and speak up, and follow Rampage and Tito's examples."

We also play an excerpt from the media conference call part of this press conference, with questions for Rampage, Tito, and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney.

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: catch, catch-as-catch-can, Eddie Goldman, Los Angeles. Bellator, MMA, No Holds Barred, pay-per-view, Quinton Rampage Jackson, Raul Ramirez, Tito Ortiz, UFC, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the implications of the July 31, 2013, Bellator MMA card held at New Mexico's Santa Ana Star Center and shown live in the US on Spike TV. There were five TKOs in the five live televised fights, with champions Michael Chandler and Ben Askren retaining their belts, "King" Mo Lawal and Vitaly Minakov winning their respective tournament finals, and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire winning as well.

Bellator also announced its first pay-per-view, which will take place November 2 and will feature a fight between two former UFC champions, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Tito Ortiz, with more fights to be announced.

The commentary includes considering the significance of all five TV fights ending in TKO, why their two champions on this card may be the top MMA fighters in the world in their weight classes, how the wrestlers-turned-fighters and others could benefit from training in catch wrestling, the misinformation spread by some claiming that Rampage would be boxing Roy Jones Jr., the problems with head trauma and brain injuries in MMA and why this may be Bellator's biggest problem, 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/.

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: Bellator, Ben Askren, boxing, catch, Eddie Goldman, grappling, King Mo Lawal, Michael Chandler, MMA, No Holds Barred, pay-per-view, Rampage Jackson, Roy Jones, Tito Ortiz, UFC, Vitaly Minakov, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reviews what many regard as the greatest fight in UFC history, the showdown between Frank Shamrock and Tito Ortiz at UFC 22, held September 24, 1999, at the Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

We spoke about this fight with the man who won that fight with a come-from-behind, fourth-round TKO, the mixed martial arts legend himself, Frank Shamrock.

Not surprisingly, the current owners of the UFC have been trying to rewrite history by staging an online poll for fans to choose the best fights ever in UFC. Along with Spike TV, they presented a list of 181 UFC fights from which to choose. Absent from that long list was the Frank Shamrock-Tito Ortiz fight at UFC 22, and any fights involving Frank Shamrock, even though true historians and honest commentators of mixed martial arts regarded Frank Shamrock as the top mixed martial arts fighter in the world in the decade of the 1990s.

To set the record straight, and to counter the propaganda of those who want to keep their fans ignorant, simple-minded, and obedient, we spoke at length with Frank Shamrock about this fight itself, why it was so important and significant, and how it was received before the present bunch bought UFC. We also discussed the possibility of a long-awaited rematch between Frank Shamrock and Tito Ortiz.

A video of this fight might still be found by searching for it online.

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.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Labels: Eddie Goldman, Frank Shamrock, Lake Charles, Louisiana, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Spike TV, Tito Ortiz, UFC, UFC 22

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with the legendary mixed martial arts fighter, Frank Shamrock.

The next fight for Frank is on Saturday, April 11, against Nick Diaz in the main event of a Strikeforce mixed martial arts card at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. This card will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime. This fight will be at a catch-weight of179 pounds.

In another lengthy interview, we discuss what to expect in this fight with Nick Diaz, the role and level of striking in mixed martial arts today, why Frank desires to move on from MMA to professional boxing, the possibility of a long-awaited rematch with Tito Ortiz, his experiences in Pancrase, the appeal of the art of that style, the EliteXC debacle, 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.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Frank Shamrock, mixed martial arts, MMA, Nick Diaz, No Holds Barred, Pancrase, Strikeforce, Tito Ortiz, UFC

Just posted is the latest essay on a key issue facing the mixed martial arts, the growing and more vocal opposition of many fighters to the treatment they have been accorded by their promoters, and in particular the UFC.

It is called "The Fighters' Rebellion" and is posted on the ADCC News. You can read it here.

Labels: ADCC News, boxing, combat sports, Eddie Goldman, Fedor Emelianenko, Fighters Rebellion, mixed martial arts, MMA, Pride, Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Tito Ortiz, UFC, ultimate fighting, wrestling

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting on the announcement Tuesday that Bob Meyrowitz, the former CEO of Semaphore Entertainment Group, which produced the original, classic UFC events from 1993 to 2001, is returning to mixed martial arts. His new league is called YAMMA Pit Fighting (YPF), and will be debuting Friday, April 11, 2008, at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with a pay-per-view show.

In the main part of this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, we speak with mixed martial arts legend Frank Shamrock.

In a lengthy interview, Frank discusses why he has not signed and will not sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC); the need for fighters to defend their rights, embrace their own brands, and be built as stars; how mixed martial arts is regressing in technique; art and professional athleticism in MMA; how good a fighter he believes he is today; his upcoming fight with Cung Le March 29; the likelihood of a fight with his older brother, Ken Shamrock; the future of the latest wave of MMA companies; the possibility of a rematch with Tito Ortiz once his contract with UFC is over; Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Willie Nelson, and country music; and more.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here and just press the play button on the player.

You can also download it by scrolling down that page and clicking on the download link (right-click to save it).

You can also listen to it through the player on this blog and the NO HOLDS BARRED MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Art of War, the undisputed arena fighting championship, promoted by SUN Sports and Entertainment, producing world class mixed martial arts events. For more information, check out their web site, ArtOfWarLive.com.

IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.

Gladiator Challenge, shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Labels: Bob Meyrowitz, boxing, Cung Le, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, Frank Shamrock, IFL, Ken Shamrock, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Strikeforce, Tito Ortiz, UFC, ultimate fighting, YAMMA