NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Steve Koepfer, the owner and head coach of New York Combat Sambo.

He also serves as the Secretary General of USA Combat Wrestling.

USA Combat Wrestling is the official governing body for combat wrestling in the U.S. and the U.S. delegate of the International Federation of Combat Wrestling (FICW).

On Saturday, July 29, USA Combat Wrestling will be hosting its 2017 Nationals and U.S. Team Trials, along with the first annual FICW Pan American Open Championship.

This event will take place at the Parkway West High School, 14653 Clayton Road, Chesterfield, Missouri 63011, near St. Louis.

The winners at the U.S. Team Trials will represent the U.S. at the 2017 World Combat Wrestling Championships, October 21-22, in Honjo, Japan.

We spoke with Steve Koepfer by phone Monday.

Since USA Combat Wrestling was started in 2014, "It definitely is bringing a wide variety of people together under a ruleset that offers a little bit to everyone. So there's something familiar to everyone in there," he said.

"You can win with wrestling if you're a wrestler, because unlike catch wrestling there are points, there's s spectrum of points for the quality of takedown. So if that's you game, you can win using that game.

"You can win using submissions. If you're coming from a jiu-jitsu, BJJ background, we do give points for back takes and mounts, so that's something that they're familiar with.

"So there's something that everybody will be familiar with. It's not a completely unfamiliar environment, which is nice. So it's less intimidating for people to try if they're looking to step outside the box of what they're used to."

These rules have thus attracted a mixed group of athletes who have trained in various styles of wrestling, jiu-jitsu, grappling, sambo, judo, and MMA.

Among the competitors in this year's tournament are Niko Koliastasis, who was a gold medalist at 90 kg at last year's combat wrestling worlds, and Aaron Butler, who was a silver medalist at 82 kg at last year's worlds. Team USA also won the team title at last year's worlds, and is currently ranked second in the world.

We also discussed much more detail on the rules, how this event is a "dry run" for the 2018 worlds which will be held in the U.S., the structure of USA Combat Wrestling as a nonprofit national governing body for combat wrestling, the importance of video and live streaming in the growth of combat wrestling, and much, 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.

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: combat wrestling, Eddie Goldman, FICW, International Federation, No Holds Barred, Steve Koepfer, USA

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Steve Koepfer, the owner and head coach of New York Combat Sambo.

Among the many types of events in which he is involved is combat wrestling. He also serves as the Secretary General of USA Combat Wrestling.

USA Combat Wrestling is the official governing body for combat wrestling in the U.S. and the U.S. delegate of the International Federation of Combat Wrestling (FICW).

We spoke with Steve Koepfer at New York Combat Sambo Tuesday.

While tournaments were held in Japan in combat wrestling as a form of submission wrestling in the 1990s, run by its founder, Mr. Noriaki Kiguchi, it was only in 2013 that the FICW was created.

In just two short years of fully operating, FICW has held one world championship last year and is preparing for its second world championship October 15-16 in Tamasi, Hungary. There are a growing number of national federations in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Australia.

Plus, following the accepted norms for good governance for international sports federations, FICW is a nonprofit organization.

USA Combat Wrestling is also a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. "We're very transparent. All our finances are transparent," he said. "People can look us up."

In fact, he also noted that this nonprofit status has proved to be key for USA Combat Wrestling to gain sponsors. This year the trips of all members of the USA Combat Wrestling 2016 National Men's Team to the 2016 world championships will be paid for by sponsors, with these sponsors thus receiving a tax break.

Thus both internationally and in the U.S., combat wrestling has made remarkable progress in a relatively short period of time.

"Look what we've done in two years of combat wrestling," he said. "When you have a group of like-minded people who will actually do what they're going to do and make sacrifice and agree that, hey, I don't have to be the top dog in this organization. I can be the secretary and not the president of USA Combat Wrestling, and in fact I don't have to be on the board of FICW. I don't care about that. I just want to see the sport grow."

The USA Combat Wrestling 2016 National Men's Team includes:

62 kg - Tim Setala (American Top Team, Savage, MN)

68 kg - Craig Chiles (Katame-do Jiu JItsu/UFC GYM/Gracie Humaita, St. Charles, MO)

74 kg - Mitchell Hall (Westside MMA, Little Rock, AR)

82 kg - Aaron Butler (Westside MMA, Little Rock, AR)

90 kg - Niko Koliastasis (Championship MMA, Fort Smith, AR)

100 kg - Anthony Pastorello (Legion X Grappling, Colorado Springs, CO)

The Master's Team includes:

74 kg - Stephan Goyne (Bay JiuJitsu/RDojo, CA)

82 kg - Cody Clayton (Quincy, CA)

We also discussed in depth the rules of combat wrestling, where matches are won by submission or points, including points for a pin; the Combat Wrestling Canada Open, which takes place this Saturday, July 9, at the College Notre Dame in Montreal, Quebec; what the disparate and scattered catch wrestling organizations can learn from combat wrestling; how the growth of jiu-jitsu in recent decades has helped the development of many other grappling and wrestling styles and rulesets, including combat wrestling; plans for more tournaments to be held; and much, 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 TheBoxingTribune.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.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

Labels: combat wrestling, Eddie Goldman, FICW, International Federation, No Holds Barred, nonprofit, Steve Koepfer, USA

My latest blog for the Defense Soap site, "Give Mark Schultz An Award", is up at http://blog.defensesoap.com/news/give-mark-schultz-an-award/.

Labels: award, college, Dave, Defense Soap, du Pont, Eddie Goldman, film, Foxcatcher, freestyle, Mark Schultz, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, USA, wrestling

(Photo of Dave and Mark Schultz, courtesy of Mark Schultz.)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the 1984 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion in freestyle wrestling for the U.S., a three-time NCAA Div. I wrestling champion at Oklahoma, and 1-0 MMA fighter, wrestling legend Mark Schultz.

The book of his life story, Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold, written with sportswriter David Thomas, has just been released.

The film Foxcatcher, which is a dramatization based on that book and focuses on the events surrounding the 1996 murder of his brother, fellow Olympic, world, and national champion wrestler Dave Schultz, by the crazed multi-millionaire John du Pont, was released in New York and Los Angeles November 14, and will be released in many more cities around the world in the coming weeks and months.

We spoke with Mark Schultz by Skype Wednesday.

The movie has already been widely mentioned in the film media as a major candidate for numerous Academy Award nominations. In particular, the performances of actors Steve Carell (du Pont), Channing Tatum (Mark Schultz), and Mark Ruffalo (Dave Schultz) have all been singled out as extraordinary, as well as the directing of Bennett Miller. The film is already being recognized as a major work of art, and easily the most important film ever made involving wrestling.

Speaking about the film, he said, "It's like epic. There are so many themes and undertones and metaphors."

He noted, "It's like a Greek tragedy about what happens when everything can be had at a price. And it teaches people, too -- it's about what happens when these worlds collide."

Stressing that the film's story has lessons which go far beyond the particulars of this one tragic tale, he said, "It's a movie for people who like to think."

But the film will also have an effect on the sport of wrestling, since the murder of Dave Schultz took place on du Pont's Foxcatcher estate while Dave was employed there as a wrestling coach.

The film, Mark said, "is going to make wrestling a part of pop culture."

But besides showing the countless benefits of wrestling, such as building character, molding one's body and mind through hard training, etc., the film, along with Mark's book, also demonstrates the weaknesses in the governance of the sport of wrestling. The result has been that wrestling legends like Mark and Dave Schultz, in Mark's own words in his book, "were having to stoop to rely on a lowlife like John du Pont to survive."

He also said that the most important thing to him in this whole project of this book and film is "immortalizing my brother." Few will argue that he has not succeeded in doing precisely that.

We also discussed more on what wrestling needs to do in order to become self-sustaining, the appeal of submission wrestling and catch wrestling, his training in jiu-jitsu and his one pro fight in UFC in 1996, his experience seeing his project bloom from a draft of his book into a major motion picture and autobiography, his connecting with the actors in the film and in particular with Channing Tatum, his current activities of doing public speaking and conducting seminars, and much more.

The No Holds Barred recommendation: For Mark's whole story, get the book. It is a must-read, whether or not you know much about wrestling. For a dramatization which will also go down in history, watch the film. It is a must-see.

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: BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, catch, college, Dave, du Pont, Eddie Goldman, film, Foxcatcher, freestyle, Mark Schultz, MMA, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, submission, USA, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reviews "Foxcatcher", both the upcoming film and the book of the same name. The film will be publicly released in the U.S. November 14, with the book coming out November 18.

The full title of the book is Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold. It was written by wrestling legend Mark Schultz, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion in freestyle wrestling for the U.S., a three-time NCAA Div. I wrestling champion at Oklahoma, and who was 1-0 in MMA, along with David Thomas. More information, including how to order it, can be found here.

The book is an autobiographical account of Mark Schultz's life, including the events surrounding the murder in January 1996 of Mark Schultz's older brother and fellow Olympic gold medalist wrestler, Dave Schultz, by the multimillionaire John du Pont. The film is a dramatization of the events surrounding Mark's experiences with du Pont at the Foxcatcher wrestling facility, and Dave's murder by du Pont.

The review of the film is based on a media screening of it which was part of the New York Film Festival on Friday, October 10. The review of the book is based on an advance reading copy sent by the publisher, Dutton.

My recommendation: If you want to know all about what happened at Foxcatcher, pre-order the book by Mark Schultz. It is a must-read, whether or not you know a lot about wrestling.

As for the movie, while the acting was superb, well, if you want to know all about what happened at Foxcatcher, pre-order the book by Mark Schultz.

All these points are discussed on this edition of No Holds Barred, including what this story says about the continuing crisis in the sport of wrestling, 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.

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: BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, college, Dave, du Pont, Eddie Goldman, film, Foxcatcher, freestyle, Mark Schultz, MMA, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, submission, USA, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with wrestling and sports historian and author Mike Chapman.

Our main focus was the future of wrestling in light of the vote Sunday by the International Olympic Committee to retain wrestling for the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, but only as a provisional sport.

In our discussion, recorded Tuesday by phone, Mike Chapman noted that when the IOC members began questioning the representatives of FILA, the international wrestling federation, about their reinstatement, the very first question was about widespread allegations of corruption in the sport.

"The genie's out of the bottle," he said. "It's right up there for everybody to know about. And they simply have to deal with it. They can't look the other way, because it's going to haunt them and bring them down."

We also discussed some of the ongoing problems which nearly led to the demise of Olympic wrestling, including failures in marketing and media.

"The number one thing that I learned through all my business associations is: marketing, marketing, marketing," he said. "You can have the greatest movie, the greatest book, you can have the greatest sport, but if you're not marketing it, it doesn't really matter, because nobody's going to know what you're producing."

He added, "That's just the absolute key, and that's where wrestling has always, always, stumbled and fallen down."

There are a number of wrestling events outside the wrestling establishment which are being organized, including the Tour ACW on October 20 in Pittsburgh and the Agon Wrestling Championships on October 27 in Las Vegas, as well as numerous catch wrestling events.

In particular, the revived catch wrestling, once the style used a century ago when pro wrestling was still in part a real sport, is in its infancy but is seeking to reclaim its place as a major sport.

To revive catch wrestling, he said, "They have to have a plan, and it has to be well thought out." All that requires "a great deal of courage, it takes a great financial plan, and it takes marketing."

In addition, we also discussed the need for good leadership in wrestling, what else international and American wrestling need to do in the coming months after the IOC reinstatement, and much, 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: catch-as-catch-can, corruption, Eddie Goldman, FILA, IOC, leadership, marketing, Mike Chapman, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, pro, real, USA, wrestling

(Photo courtesy of Mark Schultz)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with wrestling legend Mark Schultz, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion in freestyle wrestling for the U.S., a three-time NCAA Div. I wrestling champion at Oklahoma, and who was 1-0 in MMA.

He is being portrayed by the actor Channing Tatum in the upcoming film "Foxcatcher", which will focus on his life as well as the murder in January 1996 of his older brother and fellow Olympic gold medalist wrestler, Dave Schultz, by the multimillionaire John du Pont.

"Foxcatcher" is scheduled to be released in the U.S. December 20, 2013. The film is directed by the highly regarded Bennett Miller, and also stars Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz and Steve Carell as du Pont. It will be distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.

In what was an epic discussion, we spoke with Mark Schultz by phone Saturday.

"In 1996, I was the head coach at Brigham Young University. And I got a call from my dad, and he said my brother had been murdered by du Pont. And it just infuriated me to just no end. And I think I destroyed everything in my office," he said.

We went on to discuss his 1993 meeting with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Rickson Gracie and their submission grappling matches, which Rickson won. That inspired Mark to begin training in jiu-jitsu, which he did under Pedro Sauer and Walt Bayless. We also discussed his one and only MMA fight, in 1996 at UFC 9, which was arranged on less than 24 hours notice and where he defeated Gary Goodridge.

His entry into wrestling in his high school years, however, was inspired by something else. He was already training in gymnastics, which he called very useful for wrestling, but had not yet hit the mat. At that time, he would regularly tangle with older brother Dave, who was even then one of the best wrestlers in the US. Mark would always lose. To "learn how to beat him up," he tried tang soo do, but after a brief and unsuccessful stint learning that, he took up wrestling. His accomplishments on the mat speak for themselves. And his win in the 1982 NCAA finals at 177 pounds over Ed Banach of Iowa is still called by many the greatest college wrestling match ever.

His love of wrestling is still evident. "Wrestling is the ultimate martial art," he said.

But the numerous problems in the sport of wrestling have continued to eat away at it, and we discussed those in depth.

"Wrestling will never die. There will always be guys out on the front lawn wrestling each other, no matter what the administrators do, no matter what the committees do. Wrestling will be around forever. It's been around thousands of years. It's going to be around till the end of time," he said.

"It's just, the people in power are the problem. They're just making dumb decisions. They just don't think big enough." He talked about the reaction by some in the wrestling establishment to this upcoming movie, with its major stars and such a highly regarded director.

"It's not big enough for them. So, blackball me."

He explained how when he wrestled, there was no money in it, even for the top wrestlers in the world in the US, and many were "forced into poverty." There was little or no help from USA Wrestling or elsewhere, so "That's why I went to Foxcatcher," du Pont's team and training facility, because they were the only ones at that time paying people to wrestle. He added that if he had been supported by USA Wrestling, he might have competed for five more years.

And there are more problems, with many college wrestling programs, including the one at BYU where he had coached, being closed down. Add to this the problems international wrestling is facing by being threatened with being dropped from the Olympics, and it is obvious that wrestling is reeling from one crisis to another.

He has proposed some solutions over the years, including asking the NCAA to add submissions to college wrestling. That advice, of course, was not heeded, and the diminution of college wrestling, partially fueled by a misapplication of Title IX, continues to this day.

But he did add that he does have a lot of support in the wrestling community, and that "only a small group of people don't support me."

We also discussed a lot more about his life and the movie, including his upcoming autobiographical book, and the potential for growth for some form of submission wrestling, with Mark Schultz.

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: BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, college, Dave, du Pont, Eddie Goldman, film, Foxcatcher, freestyle, Mark Schultz, MMA, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, submission, USA, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Carlos Carvalho, the executive officer of the USA ADCC Federation.

Carlos is in New York to compete at the New York Summer International Open IBJJF Championship this Saturday, July 13. Returning recently to competition after taking a break, Carlos had a very successful trip to Rome, Italy, winning gold at the Rome International Open IBJJF Championship on June 29 in the black belt male senior heavyweight division, and also winning gold at the European Open No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2013 on June 30, also in the black belt male senior heavyweight division. He hopes to return home to Columbus, Ohio, with another medal from New York.

We spoke with him Friday at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York.

Besides discussing his own return to the mat, we focused on the seemingly unstoppable growth of grappling virtually everywhere in the world. He noted the great improvement in the level of competition he had seen in Europe, and how he expects this trend to continue.

In the USA, the ADCC Federation has a busy schedule of events coming up, with the next tournament set for Saturday, August 3, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Mountain Pointe High School. More ADCC tournaments are planned for the USA this year in the Denver, Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, and Miami areas. The 2013 ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships will take place October 19-20 in Beijing, China.

"There's a lot of tournaments that are trying to figure out a formula to make this sport interesting to be watched by the general public," he said. "In some different rules in some organizations, the fights take too long. In some other ones, it takes too short. In some other ones, it's not fair this. In some other ones, it's not fair there."

He sees the ADCC rules, where the first half of the match is submission-only and the second half has points, as the best.

"In particular, the rules of ADCC are the most fair and the most active set of rules for the grappling that we have today."

We also discussed a program which is being organized with UAE Jiu Jitsu to bring both black belt and brown belt instructors to the United Arab Emirates to provide instruction in jiu-jitsu.

Besides discussing grappling, we also continued our examination of the mass protests in Brazil against the out-of-control public spending for the FIFA World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, while the basic needs of the bulk of the people are not being met. After nationwide mass demonstrations erupted in June all over Brazil, on Thursday, July 11, there was a ''National Day of Strikes, Stoppages and Protests'' led by labor unions. Tens of thousands of workers marched in the streets and held a one-day strike in dozens of cities to demand workers' rights, better working conditions, and more investment in many areas such as public health, education, and transportation. We discussed the importance of these ongoing struggles by the people of Brazil, some of the lessons which the combat sports can teach those involved in these struggles, 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:

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: ADCC, America, BJJ, Brazil, Carlos Carvalho, Eddie Goldman, grappling, IBJJF, jiu-jitsu, No Holds Barred, North, protests, strikes, USA, World Submission Fighting Championships

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Carlos Carvalho, the executive officer of the USA ADCC Federation.

As the sport of grappling expands, so does the ADCC Federation. A series of ADCC tournaments are planned in the USA for the rest of this year and beyond. The next one will be held August 3 in the Phoenix, Arizona, area, with registration set to start Friday.

We spoke with Carlos Carvalho by phone Tuesday about the expansion of ADCC and the plans for events in the USA.

"We want to grow," he said in this interview. "We are the largest organization of grappling. We definitely have the most prestigious no-gi tournaments from the world. We are the only tournament that can bring together the best of the best from all over the world in one place."

The planned tournaments in the USA will primarily aim at involving amateur competitors, who will then become familiar with the ADCC rules, and have the opportunity to advance to the ADCC North American qualifiers to earn a spot in the ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships in 2015. The 2013 ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships will take place October 19-20 in Beijing, China.

After the Arizona tournament, the plans for 2013 include holding events in the Denver, Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, and Miami areas.

We also discussed a program which is being organized with UAE Jiu Jitsu to bring both black belt and brown belt instructors to the United Arab Emirates to provide instruction in jiu-jitsu. And we discussed why grappling can become bigger than MMA, and how grappling could become part of the Olympics.

In addition, in his home country of Brazil, there have been massive popular protests against the spending by the Brazilian government on the FIFA World Cup, while neglecting the needs of the people for good jobs, health care, education, housing, etc. Carlos presented an impassioned explanation of the toll that the corruption in government and this wild spending by the politicians has had on the people of Brazil. So while we both know and advocate about the benefits people get from competing in sports, especially combat sports, there is no separation of sports and politics.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

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American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: Abu Dhabi, ADCC, BJJ, Brazil, Carlos Carvalho, Eddie Goldman, grappling, No Holds Barred, Olympics, protests, USA, World Cup, World Submission Fighting Championships