NO HOLDS BARRED

 

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our colleague Chris Baldwin on the WAAR Room on Angry Afro Radio. A video of this discussion has also been posted on the Angry Afro Radio YouTube page.

Labels: Andrew Moloney, Angry Afro Radio, boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Joshua Franco, karate, No Holds Barred, superspreader, Tokyo Olympics, WAAR Room, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with former kickboxer and current member of the Irish karate team Caradh O'Donovan.

We spoke with her by Skype Sunday.

With karate being included on the program of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she had hoped to represent Ireland there. Now, in light of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, she and athletes in all sports and all countries may not be able to realize their dreams of competing in the Olympics. Most Olympic qualifying events have either been cancelled or postponed, and when or even if they will take place are at best uncertain.

Speaking about the Olympic qualifying events, she said, "My personal view is that everything should be stopped." Even if the European karate championships, which were cancelled, were still going on, she said she would have pulled out of them.

"I think that people who are making the decisions should be taking the health and safety of people first, not just the fans, but every single person that's involved in the sport. And sometimes that means making calls that means, yes, will probably cost a lot of money and upset people, but it might be for the greater good," she said.

While most Olympic qualifying and other sporting events are now off, still, as of Monday, March 16, the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 have been insisting that the 2020 Olympics will start on time as planned on July 24.

"It just seems to be a really out of touch position to take on it," she said, "because this is a serious virus that's going around, and it's killing people in so many different corners of the world. I just think the attitude is very flippant and maybe it trivializes what's going on."

She added, "Obviously you can't say for sure, but it does appear to be that the bottom line is money, and those decisions will kind of be based around protecting that and protecting the organization."

Perhaps it will take athletes and fans speaking up to get the IOC and Tokyo 2020 to change their position, but "I just don't see it going as smoothly as they want it to be."

She said all this as someone who is 35 years old and is competing in a sport, karate, that is on the Olympic program for 2020 but not for 2024.

"This is coming from me, who wants to go. This has been my dream forever to get to these Games," she said.

"The entire world is shutting down. Businesses are being impacted. Yet the Olympic Games is just going to come through this unscathed? It just doesn't seem realistic."

We also discussed what she has been doing while training facilities are closed down due to the coronavirus pandemic, the great likelihood of transmission of the virus in combat and contact sports, her new role on a weekly sports radio show at a time when there are no sporting events, and much, much more.

(Photo of Caradh O'Donovan at 2018 Irish Kenpo Karate Union Open by Noel Bergin.)

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 at Apple Podcasts.

No Holds Barred is also available on Spotify.

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:

LenneHardt.com, the home of Lenne Hardt, the legendary MMA and sports announcer, voice actor, singer, actress, and comedienne. Lenne is also known for her jazz vocals with her Lenne Hardt Jazz Cabaret Band. For more information, to book her, or to order a custom message from her, go to LenneHardt.com.

Skullz Combat Sports Equipment, creator of the patented Skullz Double-End Bag, is the perfect punching bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve speed, distance, and timing skills. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. Skullz Combat Sports Equipment - Advancing combat sports equipment for the next generation of fighters. For more information, go to https://instagram.com/skullzcombatsports and https://facebook.com/skullzcombatsports.

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Labels: Caradh O'Donovan, coronavirus, COVID-19, Eddie Goldman, International Olympic Committee, IOC, karate, kickboxing, No Holds Barred, Tokyo Olympics

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with former kickboxer and current member of the Irish karate team Caradh O'Donovan.

She is also a member of the start-up group of the new international athlete-led movement Global Athlete.

We spoke with her by Skype Thursday.

Previously an amateur kickboxing world and European champion, Caradh O'Donovan recently made the transition to karate, and has become an Irish national karate champion. With karate being included on the program of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she hopes to represent Ireland there.

But her road to qualifying for the Olympics was almost derailed when a split and dispute between two rival governing groups prevented her and other athletes from competing in major karate events. It was then that she and these athletes contacted Global Athlete, who, along with the World Karate Federation, assisted them in finally being allowed to compete in these events.

"I didn't know anything about them until I got it touch," she said about Global Athlete. "When they asked me to come onboard the start-up group, I was delighted."

What she soon learned was that the kind of governance issues which were plaguing karate in Ireland were far from rare.

"I wouldn't even say it's so much an eye-opener, but I've had a lot of issues," she said. "I struggled with sport over the years. I've always kind of been labeled as a troublemaker, because I would say things that I didn't agree, speak up with things I didn't agree with."

In the past, "I always thought it was just me, I always thought it was just my sport. And I thought, 'Well, maybe it's because we're not really a professional sport and other sports seem to have it all together, because nobody has been saying anything.' So I genuinely thought I was a troublemaker and I'm the only one with issues, because that's what I've been told."

Now as part of the Global Athlete start-up group, it is clear that there are "other issues and it's the same across every sport. So it's kind of nice to know you're not on your own."

But the scope of these problems is daunting.

"Obviously it's not a good thing that there's so many people with issues in sport and there's that kind of dark side." Now working with Global Athlete has given her more power to deal with these kinds of issues, and "I'm happy to be part of that."

We discussed the adjustments in technique and training she has had to make in transitioning from kickboxing to karate; the rules under which she has been competing; her best techniques in karate; dealing with injuries and illness; why this will likely be her only shot at qualifying for and competing in the Olympics; the Olympic qualifying events in karate in which she will be competing; her background in sports management and sports psychology; how ethics in sport are important to her; life as a full-time athlete; and much, much more.

(Photo of Caradh O'Donovan at the 2018 Irish Kenpo Karate Union Open by Noel Bergin.)

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 at Apple Podcasts.

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:

Skullz Combat Sports Equipment, creator of the patented Skullz Double-End Bag, is the perfect punching bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve speed, distance, and timing skills. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. Skullz Combat Sports Equipment - Advancing combat sports equipment for the next generation of fighters. For more information, go to https://instagram.com/skullzcombatsports and https://facebook.com/skullzcombatsports.

Adolphina Studios. Original art prints and handcrafted fine jewelry. For more information, go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/AdolphinaStudios.

Labels: Caradh O'Donovan, Eddie Goldman, Global Athlete, karate, kickboxing, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reposts a commentary from May 2013 about the legacy of Malcolm X and its meaning for the martial arts and combat sports.

Plus, added is a new introduction which discusses Malcolm X's emphasis on continuing to learn, adapt, and change, and how this applies to the martial arts and combat sports, especially for the reviving sport of catch wrestling and for those sports which produce repetitive head trauma and brain injuries.

On March 29, 1964, at a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York, Malcolm X repeated what he had said many times about the importance of the martial arts: "If you're interested in freedom, you need some judo, you need some karate, you need all the things that will help you fight for freedom."

That building now houses the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, at 3940 Broadway, New York, NY 10032, where one of the many celebrations of the 89th anniversary of Malcolm's birth will take place this Monday, May 19.

Malcolm X also explained the importance of martial arts training in "The Autobiography of Malcolm X", and how the values they teach are part of the overall training in values which "are vital in a person, a home, a community, a nation, and a civilization," and not only the aspect of training in self-defense. The book also discussed his relations with Muhammad Ali, when he won the heavyweight boxing championship of the world from Sonny Liston in 1964.

But the type of positive values which Malcolm advocated are today often not being promoted, particularly in combat sports like MMA and wrestling, and this is discussed.

So the lessons taught by Malcolm X about the martial arts and combat sports are still valid. It is up to us to learn this legacy, and to apply it to what we do today.

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:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth. This invitational event will be held under catch wrestling rules, where you can only win by pin or submission. It will take place Saturday, June 7, in Collins Court in the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.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/.

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 http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: autobiography, boxing, combat sports, Eddie Goldman, judo, karate, Malcolm X, martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, wrestling

Journalist and martial artist Gretchen Malalad and Eddie Goldman, Jan. 17, 2014, at Havana Central, formerly known as The West End.

Columbia head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer.

Columbia heavyweight Wyatt Baker going for pin over Buffalo heavyweight James Benjamin. Baker won, 10-4.

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with journalist and martial artist Gretchen Malalad, and Columbia University head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer.

We spoke with each of them Friday night, shortly after Columbia scored a 24-9 win over Buffalo in a dual meet at the University Gym on the campus of Columbia in New York.

Coach Fronhofer, now in his third year as head coach at Columbia after serving as an assistant coach, was himself an NCAA Div. I runner-up in 2003 at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the U.S. national team in freestyle wrestling in 2009. We spoke with him right after the meet about how he evaluated his team's performance and prospects as we get closer to this year's NCAA national championships in March. Columbia has the oldest college wrestling program which has been continuously running in the U.S., dating back to 1903.

Gretchen Malalad is a woman of almost countless talents. She is from the Philippines, where she was a karate champion, a beauty queen, a TV news reporter, a reality TV star, and a member of the Philippines Air Force. In addition, she has trained with Alvin Aguilar, the founder of the URCC, the long-running MMA promotion in the Philippines which also works with ONE FC.

Despite her fame and many accomplishments, she is now in New York as a student at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. The topic of her master's thesis is on why MMA is illegal in New York.

We spoke with Gretchen Malalad shortly after the Columbia-Buffalo meet, the first college wrestling meet she had ever attended live, at the Havana Central bar and restaurant, which was formerly known as The West End, right across the street from Columbia.

"We're here for the truth, as every journalist wants it," she said. "It's the goal of every journalist, I think."

We discussed why she decided to return to school, why she chose MMA in New York as the topic of her master's thesis, how she views the tasks of journalists, her career plans, why there are things in life which are far more important than money, 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.

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: Carl Fronhofer, Columbia, Eddie Goldman, Gretchen Malalad, journalism, karate, MMA, New York, No Holds Barred, Philippines, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Sensei Sonny Williams about the Battle of Bushido 4.

The Battle of Bushido 4 is a family-friendly martial arts event featuring demonstrations and fights in many styles of the martial arts, including kumite, continuous fighting, and weapons competition. It will take place this Sunday, October 27, from 9 AM to 6 PM, at the world-famous Hotel Pennsylvania in New York at 7th Avenue and 33rd Street, right across the street from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. The morning and early afternoon will feature the kids' events, while the adult events start in the afternoon.

We spoke with Sensei Sonny Williams about the Battle of Bushido 4 by phone Saturday.

"One of the main things that I'm featuring on this year is having a children's Grand," he said. "A lot of promoters are now implementing that for their tournaments, to try to give the youth a little more edge, something more to inspire them to stay with the martial arts. So I'm offering the same this year."

He added, "Also, I'm putting emphasis on the kung fu and wushu divisions."

We also discussed fundraising efforts for Grandmaster Kevin Thompson, who is suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

In addition, this edition of No Holds Barred opens with a commentary on the growth of the World Combat Games, currently taking place in St. Petersburg, Russia, through October 26.

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: Battle of Bushido, Eddie Goldman, karate, kung fu, martial arts, No Holds Barred, Sensei Sonny Williams, World Combat Games, wushu

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the now-retired MMA fighter Nick Denis.

In November 2012, the 29-year-old Denis, from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and with a pro MMA record of 11-3, surprised many by announcing his retirement from the sport.

"I guess the main issue was my worry over potential brain injury," he said in this interview, which was recorded over Skype on Friday.

He explained that the main danger of brain injury in MMA comes from "blows to the head from training, not necessarily from fighting. Because when you're competing in the ring, it's only 15 minutes, and there's only so many times you can get hit. What it is, it's all the training, the months and months and weeks of training and hard sparring, and all these things that add up. It was really the training."

Already feeling some early effects of the blows he had taken, he said. "I basically just pictured myself, whether I was 60 or 70 or whatever, with some sort of form of dementia or neurological problems." His conclusion: "I don't want to not be able to recognize my friends and my family. It's not really that important to me. It's not worth risking my health and my mental health over, so I decided it was time to retire."

Since then, he has not even watched much MMA on television, saying, "I just kind of grew out of it." But that did not end his involvement with the sport.

Recently he was contacted by New York State Senator Brad Hoylman about the issue of brain injuries in MMA. Hoylman had read about his retirement, and was in the process of introducing legislation in New York to create a fund for MMA fighters to handle the long-term health effects of fighting.

Together, they wrote an opinion piece dated May 12, 2013, for the New York Daily News, entitled Protect cage fighters before it’s too late.

In that piece, they wrote, "Before we take additional steps to roll out the red carpet for this sport, we must ensure that MMA fighters have the resources to deal with the health effects as a result of their time in the ring. That's why we support legislation recently introduced in the state Senate mandating that the UFC and other promoters contribute to a state-coordinated fund -- similar to funds already created for horse jockeys and New York City cab drivers -- to cover long-term job-related injuries sustained by fighters. If cage fighting is ever going to be legal here, the least we should require is that the businesses that profit from the sport take financial responsibility for its health consequences."

Hoylman, a Democrat from Manhattan who interestingly enough has also voted to oppose the re-legalization of MMA in New York, has introduced S5055-2013. This bill "Establishes protocols for combative sports; authorizes mixed martial arts events in this state; establishes the New York Mixed Martial Arts Injury Compensation Fund, Inc.; establishes procedures for applications for licenses; establishes penalties for violations; imposes taxes on gross receipts of such events."

Our discussion with Nick Denis focused on these issues and the lessons from his fighting career for the future of the combat sports. We discussed how his devastating first-round knockout loss in 2009 in Sengoku to Marlon Sandro, his first-ever pro defeat after seven victories, started to change the direction of his career. While doing graduate study in biochemistry at the University of Ottawa, he discovered that not only concussions had long-term neurological effects on fighters, but repeated sub-concussive blows as well.

We also discussed whether it can any longer be said that MMA is safer than boxing, his own knockout slam victory over Nick Mamalis in 2011 in Wreck MMA, the need for people to be more educated on the issue of brain injuries and these sports, whether parents should allow their children to participate in them, the role of the traditional martial arts in teaching discipline, his own background in karate, and more.

"Anything that helps people start discussing the brain injury and the concussions and sub-concussive trauma and stuff like that aspect of MMA, or really any sport, I guess I really am appreciative for," he concluded. "As long as people are talking about it, then at least it's in people's consciousness and it's in people's psyche. And then whatever they chose to do with that information, it's up to them."

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: BJJ, boxing, Brad Hoylman, brain injuries, combat sports, concussions, Eddie Goldman, grappling, karate, MMA, Nick Denis, No Holds Barred, retiring

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the legacy of Malcolm X and its meaning for the martial arts and combat sports.

On March 29, 1964, at a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York, Malcolm X repeated what he had said many times about the importance of the martial arts: "If you're interested in freedom, you need some judo, you need some karate, you need all the things that will help you fight for freedom."

That building now houses the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, at 3940 Broadway, New York, NY 10032, where one of the many celebrations of the 88th anniversary of Malcolm's birth will take place this Sunday, May 19.

Malcolm X also explained the importance of martial arts training in The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and how the values they teach are part of the overall training in values which "are vital in a person, a home, a community, a nation, and a civilization," and not only the aspect of training in self-defense. The book also discussed his relations with Muhammad Ali, when he won the heavyweight boxing championship of the world from Sonny Liston in 1964.

But the type of positive values which Malcolm advocated are today often not being promoted, particularly in combat sports like MMA and wrestling. This is discussed, including how this may be affecting the bid by wrestling to be restored to the Olympic program.

So the lessons taught by Malcolm X about the martial arts and combat sports are still valid. It is up to us to learn this legacy, and to apply it to what we do today.

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: autobiography, boxing, combat sports, Eddie Goldman, judo, karate, Malcolm X, martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, wrestling

Labels: Battle of Bushido, CCNY9, Eddie Goldman, karate, martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Sensei Sonny Williams

Labels: blaxploitation, Dan Curry, Eddie Goldman, Holly, humor, karate, Kung Fu Lesbian, martial arts, No Holds Barred