Tuesday, October 20, 2015
No Holds Barred: Wallid Ismail on Rizin and Jungle Fight
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Wallid Ismail, who is the founder of the Brazilian MMA promotion Jungle Fight Championship.
Jungle Fight 82 takes place Saturday, October 24, 2015, in Clube Sírio in São Paulo, Brazil. The main event is Ciro "Bad Boy" Rodrigues vs. Eric "Parrudo" Barbosa. Jungle Fight shows are televised on the Band broadcast network in Brazil and ESPN Deportes in the U.S.
Beyond Brazil, Jungle Fight is gaining more international recognition. Wallid has just returned from Japan, where he was part of the inaugural press conference held October 8 introducing the newest Japanese MMA promotion, the Rizin Fighting Federation.
This new organization was founded by former executives of the Pride Fighting Championships, which from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s had been the largest and most important MMA promotion in the world. Unlike other organizations, Rizin will work with many other companies around the world, without requiring fighters to sign exclusive contracts with them and leave their promotions. Jungle Fight is one of those companies.
We spoke with Wallid Ismail by Skype this past Tuesday.
Speaking of Rizin and its head, Nobuyuki Sakakibara, he said, "I think it's going to be great for the sport. It's going to be great for Japan, because no matter what, to doing good in Japan needed to be a Japanese. Because he understands the market, he understands everything about the TV deals, the sponsorship deals in Japan, is very different [from] the United States."
Unlike many others, however, he does not see Rizin as competing with UFC.
"UFC do a great job all over the world. And I think Rizin's coming to help the sport," he said. Rizin is "going to be another organization can help the sport, especially in Asia and Japan." He thus described UFC as sort of a "World Cup" of MMA, while Rizin will be a "World Cup of Clubs." And he said he and Jungle Fight plan to continue working with UFC as well as now also working with Rizin.
Much of the fight card for Rizin's debut show, the Rizin Fighting World Grand-Prix 2015, a three-day extravaganza scheduled for the week of New Year's Eve from December 29 to December 31, remains to be finalized. But he plans to have fighting on that show the Jungle Fight bantamweight champion, Maike Linhares, as well as also possibly a heavyweight.
We also discussed how Jungle Fight's ratings dramatically increased when its shows moved to broadcast TV on the Band network in Brazil from cable, plans for an English-language telecast aimed at the U.S., how many fights on Jungle Fight's cards end in knockouts or submissions and have lots of action, 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:
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.
Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.
Labels: Brazil, Eddie Goldman, Japan, Jungle Fight Championship, MMA, No Holds Barred, Rizin Fighting Federation, Wallid Ismail
Friday, December 12, 2008
No Holds Barred: The Grappling Revival
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses an important development in the combat sports: the revival and resurgence of numerous important events in various styles of grappling.
As has been reported on the ADCC News, not only are plans moving forward for the 2009 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championship, which will likely be held in late summer at a site to be determined, but there also has been an announcement that a new International Professional Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IPJJF) will start running events in 2009. The World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup will take place in April 2009, with trials in Brazil, the U.S., Canada, Japan, Europe, and Australia. More information on that will also be announced shortly.
In college wrestling in the U.S., a new all-time attendance record was set Saturday, December 6, when 15,955 fans jammed into Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City to see the top-ranked University of Iowa Hawkeyes defeat their intrastate rivals, the second-ranked Iowa State Cyclones, by a score of 20-15. That broke the old record of 15,646, set on Feb. 1, 2002, when Minnesota hosted Iowa at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
In the sport of sumo wrestling, a new professional company called the International Sumo League plans to run a tour of the U.S., starting Sunday, April 5, 2009, at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, and culminating with a planned championship tournament in Madison Square Garden Saturday, November 7, 2009. Organized by some of the same people who ran the World Sumo League in 2005 and 2006, they are in talks with CBS Sports about televising their shows.
Taken together, it is clear that there is a grappling revival going on, and that is what we discuss on this edition of No Holds Barred.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here or 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.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Labels: Abu Dhabi, ADCC, BJJ, college, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State Cyclones, jiu-jitsu, No Holds Barred, Submission Wrestling World Championship, sumo, Wallid Ismail, wrestling
Saturday, December 06, 2008
No Holds Barred: John Perretti on the Devolution of Mixed Martial Arts
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins with some comments on the new college wrestling season, and the important development of the formation of the College Wrestling Network, a joint effort of several wrestling media outlets designed to expand the coverage of college wrestling on the Internet and to promote the sport.
In the main segment of this show, we speak with the legendary mixed martial arts matchmaker, promoter, and commentator, John Perretti.
Among the many topics covered in this spirited and frank discussion were why the Brock Lesnar-Randy Couture fight at UFC 91 was a "debacle", why UFC is a "fossil" in terms of what is once was, the devolution of mixed martial arts, the importance of people like Wallid Ismail to the sport, the recent controversy over the promotion by UFC of anti-social behavior on "The Ultimate Fighter" television series, the issue of sportsmanship, and what the combat sports ought to be about.
In addition, we both openly and enthusiastically endorsed the need for the formation of a fighters' union for mixed martial arts.
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.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts
Labels: BJJ, Brock Lesnar, college wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Extreme Fighting, fighters union, grappling, jiu-jitsu, John Perretti, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Randy Couture, UFC, Wallid Ismail
Monday, May 14, 2007
NO HOLDS BARRED: Wallid Ismail and the Mixed Martial Arts World League (MMAWL)
On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with mixed martial arts and jiu-jitsu legend Wallid Ismail.
Wallid is the driving force behind the newly-formed Mixed Martial Arts World League (MMAWL). This organization has recently begun offering webcasts of many MMA fight events from around the world put on by various promoters. Using the latest technology from the Internet TV provider wavelit.com, these shows are being offered both as pay-per-views and for free.
The next live pay-per-view webcast will be the Gracie Fighting Championships MMA event, which will be held this coming Saturday, May 19, at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Among those headlining that card will be ADCC and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and 2007 ADCC champion Damian Maia.
We spoke with the always-outspoken and colorful Wallid about all these topics and how he sees the MMAWL developing.
To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here or here and just press the play button on the player. (Please note that if one of these sites has a technical problem, please use another one.) You can also listen to it through this blog and my MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player. (And if the player does not display the latest episode, please go directly here or here or here.)
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:
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. You can also catch the IFL's newest show, "IFL Battleground", every Monday on MyNetworkTV from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, GFC, Gracie Fighting Championships, Ian Carpenter, mixed martial arts, Mixed Martial Arts World League, MMA, MMAWL, No Holds Barred, Wallid Ismail, wavelit, wrestling
