NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents Monday's telephone press conference held by the lawyers for Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, who became a key whistleblower exposing Russia's state-sponsored doping program for Olympic and other elite athletes. The main speakers, both representing Dr. Rodchenkov, were attorneys Jim Walden of Walden Macht & Haran, and Derek Borchardt of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler.

This press conference was held to announce that Dr. Rodchenkov, through his lawyers, had filed a motion to dismiss a libel case brought in the names of three Russian biathletes: Olga Zaytseva, Yana Romanova and Olga Vilukhina. Dr. Rodchenkov also filed his own lawsuit against Russian oligarch and Brooklyn Nets' controlling owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who Dr. Rodchenkov's lawyers said is "the self-confessed financier of the biathletes' claims", for violation of New York's anti-SLAPP statute (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation), which could entitle Dr. Rodchenkov to punitive damages and legal fees.

On this call, Jim Walden denounced the International Olympic Committee for not supporting such an important whistleblower as Dr. Rodchenkov.

"It's very clear that they are not going to support Dr. Rodchenkov," he said. "We have called them, emailed them, publicly admonished them, and they refuse to stand up for him, and they refused to stand strong against Russia. So we hope that clean athletes and the media will hold their complicity, hold them to account for it."

More information on these legal actions can be found here.

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Labels: doping, Eddie Goldman, Grigory Rodchenkov, Jim Walden, lawsuit, Mikhail Prokhorov, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Russia, whistleblower

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with MMA pioneer and fighter Carlos Newton.

He is one of the many people working with those who have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) alleging illegal market monopolization. This lawsuit was filed December 16 by fighters Cung Le, Nate Quarry, and Jon Fitch, who seek "to represent a class of similarly situated current and former UFC professional combatants". A virtually identical lawsuit was filed December 22 by fighters Dennis Hallman and Javier Vazquez, with more fighters expected to join these legal actions.

The original suit is entitled Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, Jon Fitch, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, v. Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship and UFC, Defendant. It can be read, in a PDF file, here.

We spoke with Carlos Newton, who attended the December 16 news conference in San Jose, California, announcing this lawsuit, by phone Tuesday.

Although he is not a plaintiff in this suit, Carlos Newton played a key role behind the scenes for some time in getting this suit filed.

"The suit that is being filed is a culmination of my hard work, and getting it filed was a great milestone and I was able to witness it," he said.

"It's something I pretty much decided I was going to do a couple of years back, and I just had to figure out how I was going to do it. And getting Cung Le, Jon Fitch, and Nate Quarry to file that suit on behalf of all of us was the first step in doing that. I thank those guys for coming forward."

Calling these three fighters "the face of this whole endeavor", he stated that the overall aim of this suit is to "fix this sport and get it on the right path on behalf of all the fighters in the industry."

We discussed how other sports are not structured like MMA, how MMA promoters are not legally held "in check" like boxing promoters are, why UFC is the "fastest growing monopoly in the world", why public perception of this suit will be favorable to it, 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:

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: Carlos Newton, Cung Le, Eddie Goldman, Jon Fitch, lawsuit, MMA fighters, monopoly, Nate Quarry, No Holds Barred, UFC

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the complete audio from the news conference held Tuesday, December 16, in San Jose, California, announcing a class-action lawsuit by three current and former MMA fighters against the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) alleging illegal market monopolization.

We expect to cover this more in depth shortly. Here is the official news release announcing this suit:

Mixed Martial Arts Fighters File Class-Action Lawsuit Against Ultimate Fighting Championship Alleging Illegal Market Monopolization

(SAN JOSE, Calif. –Dec. 16, 2014) Three current and former high-profile Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters filed a multi-million-dollar class-action lawsuit today against the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) organization, accusing the $2-billion outfit of illegally maintaining monopoly and monoposony power by systematically eliminating competition from rival promoters, artificially suppressing fighters’ earnings from bouts and merchandising and marketing activities through restrictive contracting and other exclusionary practices.

The civil action – Cung Le, et al. v. Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship and UFC – filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose, seeks treble damages and injunctive relief under the Sherman Antitrust Act stemming from the UFC’s alleged “over-arching, anti-competitive scheme to enhance its monopoly power” in the market for promotion of live Elite Professional MMA bouts, and monopsony power in the market for live Elite Professional MMA Fighter services in the U.S. Monopsony refers to when there are many “sellers” and few “buyers” in the marketplace.

The lawsuit filed by fighters Cung Le, Nathan Quarry and Jon Fitch, who seek to represent a class of similarly situated current and former UFC professional combatants, alleges that the plaintiffs are victims of the UFC’s illegal scheme to eliminate its competition in the sport of MMA and suppress compensation for UFC Fighters from bouts and fighter identities and likenesses.

According to plaintiffs’ counsel Benjamin Brown, of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, “The UFC was built on the battered bodies of MMA fighters who have left their blood and sweat in the Octagon. Those fighters are entitled to the benefits of a competitive market for their talents.”

The lawsuit targets defendants Zuffa LLC, the Las Vegas-based company that conducts business as the UFC. Zuffa is primarily owned by billionaires Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, along with the UFC’s front-man, President Dana White. White has publicly boasted about the success of the UFC’s alleged illegal scheme, allegedly claiming that “there is no competition” because “I am the grim reaper[.]”

The lawsuit claims that the UFC’s alleged anti-competitive acts, in particular its actions over a period of years, have made and maintained the UFC as the only option for MMA fighters who want to earn a viable living in the profession.

“All UFC Fighters are paid a mere fraction of what they would make in a competitive market,” said Brown. “Rather than earning paydays comparable to boxers – a sport with many natural parallels – MMA fighters go substantially under-compensated despite the punishing nature of their profession.”

Above all, the lawsuit alleges that the UFC prevents fighters from working with other MMA promoters, mounting self-promotional efforts of their own or signing with outside sponsors – monopolistic practices that suppress fighters’ incomes.

According to named plaintiff Cung Le, of San Jose, Calif., an internationally acclaimed MMA combatant, “Because of the UFC’s coercive practices, competitive market forces have been strangled, future earnings power of the athletes is stripped away, and purses to the fighters are artificially depressed.”

Plaintiffs’ co-counsel and sports law specialist Robert Maysey, of Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC, added, “As a result of the UFC’s illegal conduct, they have become the only game in town and locked down the entire sport. It is ironic that the fiercest combat athletes in the world have, until now, been powerless to take on the UFC.”

The lawsuit alleges that the UFC has pursued an aggressive strategy of depriving key inputs to potential rival promoters or merging with them to maintain its monopoly position. The complaint alleges “exclusionary scheme” to impair and foreclose competition, whereby the UFC deprives potential competitors in the fight promotion market access to elite MMA fighters, premium live event venues and sponsors.

According to plaintiffs’ co-counsel Michael Dell’Angelo, of Berger & Montague, P.C., “the lawsuit alleges that the UFC has engaged in an illegal scheme to eliminate competition from rival MMA promoters by systematically preventing rivals from gaining access to ingredients critical to successful MMA promotions, including by imposing extreme restrictions on UFC Fighters’ ability to fight for rivals during and after their tenure with the UFC. The UFC also takes the rights to fighters’ names and likenesses in perpetuity. As a result of the UFC’s scheme, we allege that UFC Fighters are paid fraction of what they would earn in a competitive marketplace.”

The lawsuit alleges that as a result of these and other anti-competitive acts, including the UFC’s acquisition of rival Strikeforce, the UFC has maintained control of more than 90 percent of the revenue derived from live MMA bouts nationwide.

The lawsuit also alleges that the UFC has retaliated against fighters who have worked with or who have announced intentions to work with rival promoters or sponsors by refusing to book their bouts and/or eliminating them from key UFC promotional activities such as advertising campaigns and video games.

“UFC’s threats are taken seriously by fighters because they know that a UFC ban will substantially diminish, if not end, their ability to earn a living at their chosen profession,” said plaintiffs’ co-counsel Joseph Saveri of Saveri Law Firm, Inc. “These MMA professionals deserve the right to take back their careers.

The plaintiffs are represented by nationally respected antitrust litigation firms Cohen Milstein Sellers and Toll PLLC, Berger & Montague, P.C., Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc. and Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC.

For more information about Cung Le, et al v. Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship and UFC, visit http://www.cohenmilstein.com/news.php?NewsID=742.

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: Cung Le, Eddie Goldman, Jon Fitch, lawsuit, MMA fighters, monopoly, Nate Quarry, No Holds Barred, UFC

On this edition of No Holds Barred, the tables were once again turned, as host Eddie Goldman was interviewed by Scott Casber, host of Takedown Wrestling Radio.

This discussion, which was recorded Tuesday, covered the major controversies and the latest developments in the world of wrestling and grappling.

Here is the description of the show by Scott Casber:

"Godfather" Eddie Goldman of No Holds Barred Goes 1 on 1 with Takedown Radio

From head injuries, to pro-style and amateur wrestling, the IOC vote, and more, the "Godfather", Eddie Goldman of No Holds Barred, goes one-on-one with Takedown Wrestling's Scott Casber. This extensive interview is proof positive of Eddie's passion for the sport and his ability to get under the skin of major issues we face 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.

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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: BJJ, brain injuries, concussion, CTE, Eddie Goldman, FILA, football, grappling, head trauma, IOC, lawsuit, NFL, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Scott Casber, Takedown Radio, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the settlement last week between the National Football League and over 4000 players who sued them claiming that the league had concealed information and misled them regarding the dangers of head trauma and concussions.

There is a new and moving documentary called The United States of Football about these issues, which is currently playing in select theaters in the U.S. This film is highly recommended as it graphically shows the suffering of many former football players from these brain injuries.

The many styles of grappling and wrestling provide tough competition without the intentional hitting, and with much less head trauma than sports like American football. Football is still by far the most popular sport in America. But will these sports be able to take advantage of what many expect to be a gradual decline of football, similar in some ways to what happened to smoking, and what must they do to accomplish that?

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: brain injuries, concussion, CTE, Eddie Goldman, football, grappling, head trauma, lawsuit, NFL, No Holds Barred, wrestling