NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with martial artist, catch wrestler, and freestyle wrestler Qin Yunquan.

She is an instructor for women's and children's self-defense at the Kapap Academy Singapore.

While based in Singapore, she is currently in the U.S. to further her training, including in catch wrestling with Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance in Los Angeles, and at the Certified Catch Wrestler Training Camp, February 7-8, in San Diego, California, with catch wrestling legend Billy Robinson and Jake Shannon of ScientificWrestling.com. She will also be training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.

We spoke with Qin Yunquan by Skype Tuesday.

Speaking about the participation of herself and her students in submission grappling and MMA tournaments, she said, "Whenever we go into tournaments, local tournaments like grappling tournaments, especially in submission grappling, we go in, not under the premise that we are submission grapplers, but we go in and we publicly tell people, 'We are catch wrestlers.'"

This leaves an impression on those who are not catch wrestlers, especially after they win their fights.

"It strikes fear into the people, because they have heard about catch wrestling, but they don't know enough about it. So it's like fighting an unknown opponent, and you don't know what they're going to do," she said.

"And so when we win these local tournaments, whether it's a standalone catch wrestling or a submission grappling tournament, it raises the profile of catch wrestling, because you go in, publicly telling people that we are catch wrestlers."

While BJJ and MMA are much bigger than catch wrestling in Singapore and all of Southeast Asia, she noted that it is growing there. But she added that there is "not enough credit given to catch in MMA."

We discussed how she and those in her academy got involved with catch wrestling; the origins of the Kapap Academy Singapore, which was started by Teo Yew Chye, and how it was born out of tragedy; her training of women in self-defense; her participation in freestyle wrestling with the Wrestling Federation of Singapore; her own earlier training in Wushu; why wrestling doesn't have "cultural boundaries to it" and "anybody can do it"; and many other topics.

"Stay tuned for the growth of catch wrestling in Southeast Asia, because our school is definitely going to be set to showcase more catch wrestling in all parts of the world," she said. "And stay tuned for more fighters from our gym coming to compete, because we will definitely showcase catch wrestling and what it can do in various martial arts contests."

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: BJJ, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, freestyle, grappling, Kapap Academy Singapore, MMA, No Holds Barred, Qin Yunquan, Singapore, submission, Teo Yew Chye

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the ex-pugilist, lifelong martial artist, former UFC and Battlecade Extreme Fighting matchmaker, TV commentator, and our senior correspondent, John Perretti.

We spoke with him by phone Monday.

With the growing awareness of the health and safety dangers in MMA, a sport in which he played a key role in establishing, he has now revised his original view that MMA is safer than boxing.

"Quite frankly, we were wrong," he said. "I sense that the tide is turning." With more and more MMA fights, he argued that there is now more of a basis for making a judgment on this issue.

"If we really start looking at it outside of the mixed martial arts media universe, and we start to have autopsies, we're going to find out some really nasty things about repetitive trauma and vertebral concussion and compression and how that affects someone in later stages of life," he said.

As for what can be changed in MMA to make it safer and more acceptable, he spoke of eliminating what he calls "the anvil effect," where fighters get struck in the head while on the ground.

"For MMA, I think one of the greatest catalysts for improving the health and welfare of the animal involved is to not allow any blows of any kind to the head on the ground."

We discussed these issues in depth, as well as the lawsuit by over 4,500 players against the National Football League over covering up the real health dangers of playing American football, how the health of some aging former MMA fighters is deteriorating, what the future might hold for sports with repetitive head trauma, why he is happy that his sons are not involved with any martial arts but are competing in weightlifting, injuries and bad training techniques in sports like grappling and wrestling, 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: anvil effect, ban head blows, Battlecade Extreme Fighting, concussions, CTE, Eddie Goldman, football, grappling, John Perretti, mixed martial arts, MMA, NFL, No Holds Barred, UFC, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Carlos Carvalho, the executive officer of the USA ADCC Federation, about the ADCC Virginia Beach Nationals 2014.

This event will be held Saturday, February 22, at the Fort Monroe Recreation Center, 100 Stillwell Road, Hampton, Virginia 23651. It is the first in a series of tournaments, under ADCC rules, to be held in the U.S. in 2014. The next ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships, the most important and prestigious grappling tournament in the world, will be held in 2015, at a date and location to be announced.

To register or for more information about the ADCC Virginia Beach Nationals, click here.

We spoke with Carlos Carvalho by phone Thursday.

"We are having a plan for a series of tournaments this year," he said. "Last year, we held four. This year we're doubling up. We are looking to between eight and ten events."

For the first one this year, the ADCC Virginia Beach Nationals 2014, between 300 and 500 hundred competitors, including children, adults, and masters, and male and female grapplers, are expected. There will also be superfights.

"It's looking awesome, the competition," he said.

We also discussed how these events help grapplers get used to the ADCC rules and advance to the world championships, and how the winners of these national tournaments will have expenses paid to compete in the 2015 trials for the world championships.

In addition, we discussed the next ADCC national tournament, which is scheduled for April 6 at Queens College in Queens, New York; how the ADCC rules of no-gi grappling differ from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and are attractive to grapplers from all disciplines and styles; 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: ADCC, BJJ, Carlos Carvalho, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Hampton Roads, jiu-jitsu, No Holds Barred, no-gi, Virginia Beach Nationals, World Submission Fighting Championships, wrestling

(Photo credit of Canelo and Angulo: Esther Lin/Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the issues of transgender athletes and concussions in combat sports, and previews the Canelo Alvarez-Alfredo Angulo fight and the return to Bellator of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

The commentary begins with a brief examination of the issues in the ESPN Grantland article "Dr. V's Magical Putter" about a transgender woman who invented a controversial but popular golf putter. Recommended reading are two essential replies. ESPN writer Christina Kahrl wrote "What Grantland Got Wrong". MMA fighter Fallon Fox wrote, also in reply, "The Wrong Way To Write About Trans People".

Also noted are the different reactions in boxing and MMA to the issue of transgender athletes, and how the fight for rights for transgender people has become a major focus in the general battle for human rights.

Next is a discussion of the issues of concussions in contact and combat sports, the recent string of deaths in MMA, and recreational and performance-enhancing drugs.

Major fights are already being announced for 2014. In boxing, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, following the first loss of his professional career in September to Floyd Mayweather, returns March 8 to face slugger Alfredo Angulo, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fight will headline a Showtime pay-per-view in the U.S.

We spoke with both Canelo Alvarez and Alfredo Angulo on a media conference call this week.

In MMA, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will be entering the four-man Bellator light heavyweight tournament, beginning February 28 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. He will face former Bellator light heavyweight champion Christian M'Pumbu in the opening round. The other bracket has "King" Mo Lawal facing Mikhail Zayats. These fights will be telecast live in the U.S. on Spike TV.

We spoke with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on a media conference call this week.

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: Alfredo Angulo, Bellator, boxing, concussions, Eddie Goldman, Fallon Fox, MMA, No Holds Barred, Quinton Rampage Jackson, Saul Canelo Alvarez, transgender

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 once again spoke with the Agon Wrestling Championships' matchmaker and wrestler, undefeated ONE FC fighter, U.S. Olympian, and two-time NCAA Div. I national wrestling champion Ben Askren.

His next competition will be in the main event of Agon 3 on Sunday, January 26, when he will be wrestling Mike Poeta, who is an assistant coach at the University of Illinois, a three-time NCAA All-American, and a two-time NCAA finalist for Illinois. Agon 3 will take place at the Williams Center in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and will be webcast live on the Agon web site. The Agon Wrestling Championships is one of several organizations bringing back real professional wrestling, and uses a mix of American folkstyle and freestyle wrestling rules.

In addition, he has recently signed to fight in Asia's largest MMA promotion, ONE FC, and expects to debut there this spring.

We spoke with Ben Askren by phone Friday.

Speaking of his many roles, including Agon matchmaker, he said, "I always just look for opportunities like this that I think fit me well and that I'm passionate about, and this is something that fits both those categories. I would love, just like most wrestling fans would, to see an authentic professional wrestling succeed and thrive in America."

He added, "It's definitely something new in my career, and something that I'm really passionate and looking forward to helping."

We discussed some of what has to occur for this new incarnation of real professional wrestling to succeed. While he is happy with what has been done so far, he said that there still is "a long way to go," mentioning the need for improvements in production of events, building a steady audience, and working with the media. While specific plans for Agon are still being worked out, he would like eventually to see a belt system for champions established like other combat sports have.

Ironically, he noted that Agon seems to have received a more positive response from the MMA media than the wrestling media, which he said is often "resistant to change."

As for ONE FC, he said, "I think it's going to be a good fit." He has already trained at Evolve MMA in Singapore, which he said had "great facilities" which are better than American gyms, and plans to train there again before his first ONE FC fight.

In addition, he has followed the history of catch wrestling, the style utilized a century ago by wrestlers like Frank Gotch and Farmer Burns, where you could only win by pin or submission. This was the last time that real professional wrestling was a major sport, and he knows that there are lessons to be learned today from catch wrestling, both in terms of essential techniques and promotion. He said he hopes to follow some of the main matches in catch, as catch wrestling is also being rebuilt as a legitimate sport.

We also discussed more about his busy life and dual careers in wrestling and MMA, where he sees it headed, 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: Agon Wrestling Championships, Ben Askren, Eddie Goldman, Mike Poeta, MMA, No Holds Barred, One FC, real professional wrestling

(Photo of Ben Askren vs. Quentin Wright from Agon 1 courtesy of Agon Wrestling Championships.)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the audio of the January 16 media conference call hosted by the Agon Wrestling Championships.

Participating on this call were Agon matchmaker and wrestler, undefeated ONE FC fighter, U.S. Olympian, and two-time NCAA Div. I national champion Ben Askren; NCAA Div. I national champion and Agon wrestler Max Askren; and Agon co-founder Mike DiSabato.

Agon 3 will be held Sunday, January 26, at the Williams Center in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It will be webcast live on the Agon web site.

Ben Askren will headline Agon 3 with a bout against Mike Poeta, who is an assistant coach at the University of Illinois, a three-time NCAA All-American, and a two-time NCAA finalist for Illinois. Max Askren will face Michigan native Ben Bennett. NCAA champion Craig Becker is slated to face John Mesenbrink. And college coaches Luke Smith and Chris Heilman will complete the card.

Agon 3 is being billed as the "Festival of Funk" because of the unorthodox and popular wrestling style utilized by the Askren brothers.

The Agon Wrestling Championships is one of several organizations bringing back real professional wrestling, and uses a mix of American folkstyle and freestyle wrestling rules.

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: Agon Wrestling Championships, Ben Askren, Eddie Goldman, Max Askren, Mike DiSabato, MMA, No Holds Barred, One FC, real professional wrestling

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 opens with a commentary on the resignation of Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer, how this relates to the suspension of baseball drug cheat Alex Rodriguez, how most sports and those regulated by North American athletic commissions are moving in opposite directions on the issue of doping, and the continuing dangers of concussions and brain injuries in combat sports.

On Saturday, January 18, American Top Team fighter Jessica Aguilar, who is the world's top-ranked MMA fighter in the women's 115-pound division, will make her debut in the World Series of Fighting promotion. Her opponent will be Alida Gray, 4-0 in MMA, in a bout for World Series of Fighting's inaugural women's strawweight title. This fight will be on the WSOF 8 card at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and will be telecast live in the U.S. on NBC Sports Network.

We had a chance to ask questions of both Jessica Aguilar and Alida Gray on this past week's WSOF 8 media conference call, and play the audio from that discussion.

In addition, also discussed are the continuing failures of the sport of wrestling to market and promote the sport, especially through television, and the emulation of many in combat sports of the worst elements in them, rather than striving for positioning them as real sports.

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: A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, Alida Gray, concussions, CTE, doping, drugs, Eddie Goldman, Jessica Aguilar, Keith Kizer, MMA, No Holds Barred, PED, steroids, World Series Fighting, wrestling, WSOF

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Jake Shannon of Scientific Wrestling.

A pioneer in reviving catch wrestling through his books, tournaments, seminars, and camps, he now sees that a decade of work is resulting in a steady growth of the sport.

We spoke with Jake Shannon by phone Wednesday.

"We've kind of created a culture where people are holding it to a higher standard," he said. "There's no more b.s. We want people out on the mats. We want people learning the real history of it, not some made-up ad copy on the Internet to sell DVDs or something."

He stressed, "It's an exciting time. It really is exciting. It is beginning to blossom. So it's kind of 'Springtime for Catch Wrestling', if I can steal, if I could paraphrase a Mel Brooks movie title. I think it's a springtime for catch wrestling right now."

Coming up in 2014 are more events, including Scientific Wrestling's Certified Catch Wrestler Training Camp Winter 2014, February 7-8 in San Diego, California.

We also discussed the need for grassroots development of catch wrestling, the King of Catch tournaments which he started in 2007, the need for a professional level of catch wrestling, why investors should be involved with the sport, the sport's simple and fan-friendly rules, 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: catch wrestling, catch-as-catch-can, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Jake Shannon, No Holds Barred, scientific

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with wrestling coach Carlin Yetts.

He is very busy in the sport of wrestling, serving as head wrestling coach of the Cbus Wrestling Club in Columbus, Ohio, as well as wrestling coach for Dodge Knights Wrestling, a recreational youth program also in Columbus.

On the international level, he is a board member of the Federation of Gay Games, which every four years organizes the Gay Games, an international sporting and cultural event, which, according to its web site, invites "participation from everybody, regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, political beliefs, athletic or artistic ability, age, physical challenge or health status." The Gay Games is open to anyone 18 years or older, and "About 10 percent of participants are from outside the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community."

Carlin Yetts is also a board member of Wrestlers WithOut Borders, which, according to its web site, is "a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the noble Olympic wrestling sports of Freestyle Wrestling, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Beach Wrestling, and Non-Gi Grappling, as defined by WWB & FILA."

Wrestling is the only sport that has been officially sanctioned in every Gay Games since their inception in 1982.

Gay Games 9 is scheduled for August 9-16, 2014, in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio.

The wrestling and grappling at Gay Games 9 will take place August 11-13 at Case Western Reserve University in the Horsburgh Gymnasium, 2138 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106. On Monday, August 11, there will be sign-in, clinics, weigh-ins, and skin check. On Tuesday, August 12, there will be freestyle wrestling, using slightly modified international rules (such as no head-over-head throws). On Wednesday, August 13, there will be grappling. The competition will be held for both men and women and in numerous weight classes. The wrestling and grappling at Gay Games 9 will be organized by Wrestlers WithOut Borders. The bulk of the wrestlers and grapplers expected to compete are recreational athletes.

We spoke with Carlin Yetts by Skype Sunday.

Gay Games 9, he said, "is probably going to be one of the biggest. With wrestling kind of leading the helm, you're going to see probably 150-plus wrestlers. And that's probably going to be the biggest from the Gay Games in 30 years." Since the Ohio and neighboring areas are hotbeds of wrestling, he expects a big crowd at Case Western for the wrestling.

At Case Western, which has a Division III wrestling team, their head wrestling coach has had "wide-open arms to us. It's going to be a pretty big event. They've given their facilities to us for free."

He added that today, most people feel that for sport, one's sexual or gender identity "doesn't matter."

"I feel like in our sport, if you can wrestle, then you go on the mat and prove it. Everything else comes second."

We also discussed more about the youth programs he coaches, the role of the Gay Games and Wrestlers WithOut Borders in breaking down stereotypes of LGBT athletes, how acceptance of LGBT athletes is growing but will still take time and education, how he as a gay man and wrestler and coach has faced these issues, and much, 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: Carlin Yetts, Eddie Goldman, Gay Games, grappling, LGBT, No Holds Barred, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance.

Based in the Los Angeles, California, area, and working with the Snake Pit Wigan in the U.K., which is the home of catch-as-catch-can wrestling, he has set his sights on hosting a major international catch wrestling event this year in Los Angeles.

We spoke with Raul Ramirez by phone Wednesday, New Year's Day.

"Everyone who's involved with catch wrestling, it's their dream to really help revive it as a real, maybe even professional sport, hearken back to the glory days of catch wrestling," he said.

"So basically this past year I've been working hard with the Snake Pit Wigan and reaching out to other people in the United States who have been involved with catch wrestling for a long time. A lot of them want to work together to try to provide wrestlers for a big event that we plan on having, most likely June of this year."

Many of the details of this event are yet to be finalized, but the basic rules of catch wrestling will be in place: you can only win by pin or submission.

Among the many issues facing catch wrestling as it is being revived is governance. The building of regional, national, and international infrastructures is already taking place, with the hopes of holding events to determine credible national and world champions "who earned" these titles. At the same time, he also stressed the need to guard against corruption. This is what killed real professional catch wrestling a century ago, when it completely degenerated and left the realm of sport.

At this point, this Catch Wrestling Alliance event is planned to be held on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, where many sumo wrestling and jiu-jitsu events have taken place. Wrestlers will be invited from several countries, including some of those who have competed at the Snake Pit Wigan's annual International Catch Wrestling Tournaments.

The aim, he said, is "a real international event."

We also discussed why catch wrestling has as its basics the fundamentals of wrestling; possible different rule sets which include or exclude chokeholds; other catch wrestling events already planned for 2014, including the Virginia Shooter's Challenge, which is the North American Catch Wrestling Association's regional qualifier, on April 5 in Amherst, Virginia; the eventual need for an international federation to govern catch wrestling; 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: Catch Wrestling Alliance, Eddie Goldman, Los Angeles, No Holds Barred, Raul Ramirez, Snake Pit Wigan

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Dr. Sherry Wulkan, who is the Medical Chair of the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC), the lead MMA and muay Thai physician of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, and the Medical Director of Long Island Sports Care Group Inc. in Bayport, New York.

In 2012, Dr. Wulkan presented the policy proposal to the Association of Boxing Commissions on transgender fighters, which was based on what had already been adopted by the International Olympic Committee and many other major sports organizations. With the coming to prominence in 2013 of Fallon Fox, the first openly transgender MMA fighter, this policy has been much debated.

We spoke with Dr. Wulkan by phone Tuesday.

Dr. Wulkan worked on this policy towards transgender athletes with Eric Vilain, M.D., Ph.D., who is a Professor of Human Genetics, Pediatrics and Urology at UCLA, the Director of the Institute for Society and Genetics, the Chief of Medical Genetics, and an attending physician in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Vilain was also instrumental in developing the IOC's policy on transgender athletes.

"What we found out," said Dr. Wulkan, "was in fact when an athlete undergoes [male-to-female] sexual reassignment, that the hormones, the male advantage in this case, is mitigated, after some say one year, but we were very conservative and made it two years."

She continued, "Testosterone, which can cause what we call male aggression and also increases muscle mass, is mitigated if the hormones are removed. After a two-year interval there is really no advantage that we know about at this point from having a sex change."

Dr. Wulkan also worked with the Florida commission on this issue, where Fallon Fox was licensed and fought three times in 2013.

We discussed the scientific reasons for this policy and why more education is needed on this issue. "There is a learning curve for everybody," she said.

We also moved on to the issues of concussions, head injuries, brain damage, and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). "We're ahead of the game because of everything the NFL has gone through," she said, including the major media coverage on this issue for American football, and the settlement of a lawsuit brought by over 4000 former NFL players against the league for allegedly covering up information about the risks of playing that sport.

While the relative safety of sports like American football, boxing, MMA, and muay Thai can be debated, they all pose the risk of brain damage for at least some of their athletes. Much more research needs to be done to understand fully those risk factors, she said, but today the regulators like her are "trying to make it as safe as possible" by seeing their role as "fighter advocates".

In addition, we also discussed where fighters can get more information on these health and safety issues, the growing awareness about them by the members of the Association of Boxing Commissions, 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: Association Boxing Commissions, athletes, combat sports, concussions, CTE, Eddie Goldman, Eric Vilain, Fallon Fox, MMA, muay Thai, New Jersey, NFL, No Holds Barred, Sherry Wulkan, transgender