NO HOLDS BARRED

 My latest piece, "Boing Is Stale, MMA Is Putrid, But Wrestling Is Fresh", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: Ali Act, boxing, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Real American Freestyle, Saudi Arabia, wrestling, Zuffa

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Ernesto Aguilar.

He is a writer and the program director of Pacifica radio station KPFT in Houston, Texas, and serves on the board of directors of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, the oldest community radio network in the United States.

This past week, an article he wrote for the Guardian of the U.K. was published, called "Ronda Rousey makes $3m a year but most UFC fighters don't get what they deserve".

We spoke with Ernesto Aguilar by phone Friday.

"I've been a follower of mixed martial arts for a long time, and I think from the time I started to watch, I began to have some questions about it," he said.

"I grew up as a boxing fan here in Texas. Houston has been a big fight town for many, many years. George Foreman is of course from here, and so I've always been a fan of combat sports. And when I got into MMA, I was curious about what the outcomes and the futures for fighters were. It was something that's always been in the back of my mind. And thinking about the sponsorship deal and just some of the fallout of that, seeing the issues that so many mixed martial arts fighters are facing, not just post-career, but during their careers and having to figure out ways to make ends meet, and also just realizing frankly that when these deals end up happening, as we saw with the Eddie Alvarez contract a few years back, and that was a pretty lucrative contract, these contracts seem to tend to favor the promoters."

All these types of conditions have led to a brewing MMA fighter rebellion. This is seen in many ways, including numerous fighters filing class-action lawsuits against Zuffa's anti-competitive practices, and a torrent of public statements and interviews by fighters condemning UFC's new multimillion dollar sponsorship deal with Reebok as robbing the fighters of thousands and thousands of dollars of sponsorship money which up until now they have relied upon to a great degree as income, especially with the small percentage of overall revenue going to the fighters, a percentage which is far less than in other comparable sports, and even less than the historically corrupt sport of professional boxing. This Reebok ripoff has been a turning point in this incipient fighter rebellion, and there is now open talk of fighters banding together to form some type of union or association.

"You brought up this thing about class struggle, and about fighters getting organized," Ernesto Aguilar said. "This also is going to require, I guess in my opinion, that fans more actively push promoters to see the benefits of fighters being organized as well."

While fighters may rightly have a fear of retaliation from the promoters for trying to protect their long-term interests and organizing, fans do not.

"We as fans need to be pushing that envelope, pushing promoters to more actively step up and provide the labor protections that they should. And if they're not willing to, we need to ask representatives and politicians to get involved," he said.

We discussed the legal fiction that these MMA fighters under exclusive contracts are individual contractors; how there are comparisons between this fighter rebellion and the grape boycott and strike activities of farm workers organized by Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers union; why the UFC-Reebok deal is "a very bad deal for fighters"; the issue of traumatic brain injury in combat sports and how a relatively more dangerous style of fighting has been emphasized by MMA promoters than in the past; the role of many members of the media as shills for promoters; 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.

Labels: Eddie Goldman, Ernesto Aguilar, fighter, Houston, inequity, KPFT, labor, MMA, No Holds Barred, Reebok, UFC, Zuffa

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses how much the decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to eliminate therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is related to the attempt by Zuffa, the parent company of UFC, to get its amateur organization into SportAccord, the international federation of sports federations. SportAccord, along with the International Olympic Committee, requires federations to follow the protocols of the World Anti-Doping Agency, and all of these very, very rarely hand out TUEs for TRT for all sports, far less frequently than Zuffa and the Nevada commission have for just their own MMA events.

Also discussed is even more new information on the dangers of brain injuries and the risks of dementia and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in sports where there is head trauma, and how this remains the Achilles Heel of these sports. What happened to dueling in the 19th century, and smoking in the 20th century, is compared to what might happen to these combat sports with head strikes in the 21st century.

The month of March also marks several milestones, including the eighth anniversary of No Holds Barred as a podcast. Some of the plans for the show are discussed as well.

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.

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, CTE, Eddie Goldman, International Olympic Committee, IOC, MMA, Nevada State Athletic Commission, No Holds Barred, SportAccord, testosterone, therapeutic use exemptions, TRT, TUE, UFC, wrestling, Zuffa

Bob Meyrowitz. Photo by Eddie Goldman, Feb. 1, 2008.

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reposts an interview with Bob Meyrowitz which was originally posted on July 19, 2006. This is the original description of this show:

On this week's edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Bob Meyrowitz, former CEO of eYada.com and Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG), which started and produced the original Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) shows from 1993 to 2000.

Bob offers his take on what he thinks of the current UFC product and the level of talent in it under its present owner, Zuffa. He also refutes the many factually incorrect articles that have appeared mainly in newspapers claiming that when SEG put on UFC shows, there were no rules, that the company ran from sanctioning by state athletic commissions, and that the level of athlete in the early UFC's was low. He recounts how UFC was sanctioned by the New York State Athletic Commission in late 1996, but how the commission double-crossed UFC at the last moment. He discusses UFC's attempt in 1999 to get sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and who on that commission opposed its sanctioning. Plus, he tells us who among the mainstream media and numerous boxing writers now commenting on UFC and its history have actually bothered to contact him to find out his views and what occurred.

Plus, Bob talks about his plans to run a new mixed martial arts event in the very near future, plans which have not been completely finalized yet but are expected to be so in a very short time. And he tells us what his attitude is towards the mixed martial arts and fight media, as well as other promoters, an issue which has again come to the fore.

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.

GrappleGnostic, sponsored by Defense Soap. Where the will to win meets the power of knowledge. Features, interviews, analysis, health tips, and information on wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and all the grappling arts, written by some of the best writers and experts in the world. Check out their web site, a http://defensesoap.com/grapplegnostic.

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 http://defensesoap.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: Bob Meyrowitz, boxing, Eddie Goldman, eYada.com, media, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, SEG, Semaphore Entertainment Group, UFC, ultimate fighting, wrestling, Zuffa

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman returns after an unplanned hiatus due to a major computer problem, but that is all repaired now and we are back bigger, faster, stronger, and more No Holds Barred than ever.

We start by catching up on some recent developments in mixed martial arts, most notably the signing of the top heavyweight and pound-for-pound fighter in that sport, Fedor Emelianenko, with Strikeforce. We explain why he made the correct choice for him, and why this is also a good move for the sport. We counter the double standard many fans and supposed members of the media have taken to Fedor, as opposed to their attitudes to Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar.

This past week, Fedor Emelianenko and Vadim Finkelchtein, the president of M-1 Global, of which Fedor is also part, participated in a media conference call to discuss this historic signing with Strikeforce. We had a chance to ask questions of both men, and you can hear that unedited on this edition of No Holds Barred.

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/.

Gracie Magazine, with news, commentaries, analysis, and photographs from around the world, from the masters of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and grappling. Gracie Magazine is published in English and Portuguese, and is also online at GracieMag.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: Brock Lesnar, Eddie Goldman, Fedor Emelianenko, Ken Hershman, M-1 Global, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Randy Couture, Scott Coker, Showtime, Strikeforce, UFC, Vadim Finkelchtein, Zuffa

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our correspondent Bob Carson, who is also the host of the Carson's Corner podcast.

Bob had the misfortune of having viewed the latest Zuffa spectacle, UFC 100, this past Saturday night, July 11. The atmosphere and the direct imitation of the fake pro "wrestling" left him and many others, as he put it, "outraged." He requested to be come on No Holds Barred to explain just why, and we were more than willing to oblige him.

So sit back and listen to UFC 100 be deconstructed, to hear how and why the Zuffa owners are treating their fans like marks, and to learn why we advise people not to watch or report about their events anymore.

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: Art of War, Bellator, Bob Carson, boxing, Brock Lesnar, Carson's Corner, Dream, Eddie Goldman, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Pride, roller derby, Sengoku, Strikeforce, UFC, UFC 100, Zuffa

I was contacted by a mainstream journalist Wednesday, Feb. 27, who is researching and writing an article on mixed martial arts.

Being somewhat familiar with the fact that I have long been a major critic of the current owners of the UFC, he asked me, since he would be interviewing UFC president Dana White, to prepare a list of questions for White. Those questions have been posted on the ADCC News.

I put together the list rather quickly, so if you have more questions or comments, you can post them here.

Labels: Dana White, Eddie Goldman, mixed martial arts, MMA, UFC, ultimate fighting, Zuffa

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

Labels: Bob Meyrowitz, boxing, Eddie Goldman, eYada, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, pit fighting, UFC, ultimate fighting, YAMMA, Zuffa

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman plays an exclusive interview conducted Saturday, Jan. 19, in Los Angeles by Todd Hester, the publisher and editor-in-chief of Gladiator Magazine, and our correspondent on this show, with Fedor Emelianenko, the top pound-for-pound mixed martial arts fighter in the world.

Fedor discussed his background, how and why he started training in the combat sports, the advantages of his sombo background for MMA, his thoughts on some of his past fights, the fighters he admires, his thoughts on Pride, why he didn't sign with UFC, why he did sign with M-1, 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: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Fedor Emelianenko, Gladiator Magazine, IFL, International Fight League, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Randy Couture, Todd Hester, UFC, ultimate fighting, Zuffa

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman begins by discussing the disgraceful lawsuit filed Monday in Clark County District Court in Nevada by Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, against their most popular fighter, Randy Couture. As usual, this commentary is no-holds-barred.

We next discuss the card scheduled for this coming Saturday, January 19, at Madison Square Garden in New York, headlined by the clash between boxing legends Roy Jones. Jr. (51-4, 38 KOs) and Felix "Tito" Trinidad Jr. (42-2, 35 KOs). This card will be telecast in the U.S. on HBO Pay-Per-View.

We got comments from Roy Jones. Jr. about why he is so confident that he will win this fight. We spoke with promoter Don King to get his response to criticisms by some in the media of this card. And we spoke with 20-year-old rising junior welterweight prospect Devon Alexander (13-0, 8 KOs), who has the toughest assignment of his young pro career when he faces former world champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley (31-7-1, 17 KOs).

We also begin to preview the EliteXC mixed martial arts card scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 16, at the BankUnited Center on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, FL. That card will be shown live in the U.S. on Showtime. The main event of that card pits Internet street fighter Kimbo Slice, who is now a professional MMA fighter training with Bas Rutten, against the MMA veteran David "Tank" Abbott.

We spoke with both Tank Abbott and Kimbo Slice about this fight on a media teleconference call Wednesday. We also spoke with promoter Gary Shaw, the EliteXC Live Events President, about how his view on what EliteXC is and will do, and about how they treat their fighters.

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: boxing, Devon Alexander, Don King, Eddie Goldman, EliteXC, Felix Tito Trinidad, Gary Shaw, Kimbo Slice, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Randy Couture, Roy Jones, Tank Abbott, UFC, Zuffa

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman introduces a new commentary series which will appear from time to time on this show. It is called WhiteWatch, and it examines some of the public utterances of the former boxercise instructor-turned-UFC president, Dana White.

We examine the tone he has set in the UFC regarding issues of race, class, and nationality; some of his critiques of boxing while emulating W"W"E; his comparison of the overall skills of UFC fighters with top pro boxers; and his writing off pro boxing as a dying if not dead sport.

We do also expect to post some interviews with athletes on NO HOLDS BARRED later this week.

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, Dana White, Eddie Goldman, Ian Carpenter, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, UFC, Ultimate Fighting Championship, WhiteWatch, wrestling, Zuffa