NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with fighter manager Bill Eng.

Bill was born in New York but has lived in China for many years, and was visiting New York this week. We spoke with him Sunday in New York's Chinatown.

The MMA and combat sports scenes are booming in China today, but not a lot about them is known by many people in the West.

"There are a lot of organizers, organizations local in each province, in each major capital city itself," he said, running fight events.

"There is a disconnect between the Western world and them, because they don't Facbook it, they don't Twitter it, but in Chinese media, they are there."

Many shows feature both MMA and Sanda fights on the same card. Sanda is a standup style of fighting which also allows throws, but no grappling.

"There's a lot of top Chinese talent that are in the Sanda circle and also in the MMA circle," he said.

"Just alone I have 100-something fighters. We have events almost every week. That's how busy we are."

One of the most popular shows in China is Chinese Kung Fu, or CKF. It features both MMA and Sanda fights in a Sanda ring. CKF airs on Tuesday nights on CCTV-5, China's national sports channel, and has a huge audience.

"We've got top talent there," he said. "You fight on that show, and you win a title, basically everybody is going to know you. You walk down the street and people are going to know you. Because that's what everybody is watching. That's what the middle class, that's what the proletariat, everybody."

CKF is "a main Chinese show because it's on CCTV. It reaches all across China. It's on public TV. It's in the public newspapers and media."

There are also many other popular shows. King of Combat, or Bojiwang, also features a hybrid of MMA and Sanda. Beijing Fight Night is on CCTV as well, featuring four MMA fights and four Sanda fights on its shows. Wulingfeng (The Martial Path) is, he said, the most popular show in China, featuring mostly Sanda and also some MMA fights. It airs on Hunan Cable.

With the use of the Internet, Wi-Fi, set-top boxes, and smartphones, many fights can be seen all throughout China.

We also discussed how Sanda is still far more popular in China than MMA, how many fighters in China are relatively well-paid, the rules used in MMA events in China, how non-Chinese MMA companies are not well-known in China and have had mixed success at best, how grappling is still not that big but is growing in China, and much, much more.

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

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

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 12 and 13, 2015, for the sixth annual MMA World Expo, featuring two days of the Renzo Gracie Open 2015 no-gi and gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, 2015, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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Labels: Bill Eng, CCTV, China, CKF, Eddie Goldman, kung fu, MMA, No Holds Barred, Sanda

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