On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Rose Gracie, the president of the Gracie U.S. Nationals and the Gracie Worlds.

The 2012 Gracie U.S. Nationals jiu-jitsu tournament, featuring both gi and no-gi divisions, takes place Saturday, January 28, and Sunday, January 29, at the Los Angeles Fitness Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

But unlike other jiu-jitsu and grappling tournaments, including this event in previous years, the 2012 competition has a new set of rules: you can only win by submission. There are no points, no advantages, and no judges in these 15-minute matches.

Rose Gracie, who is the granddaughter of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu co-founder Helio Gracie and the daughter of UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie, had become dissatisfied with the lack of offense, scoring, action, and technique she had seen in many jiu-jitsu and grappling tournaments.

"People can win a match without even attempting a technique at all, and they're proud of it," she explained. "It's not jiu-jitsu anymore."

In addition, there will be drug-testing at the 2012 Gracie U.S. Nationals, a first for such an event.

We spoke by phone on Wednesday with Rose Gracie about this event and these innovative new rules. She also discussed the changing role of women in the Gracie family, and in jiu-jitsu and grappling as well.

It will indeed be very instructive to see how these new rules work out at this event, so expect a follow-up soon after the event.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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.

DARE Championship. Based in Thailand, DARE is a mixed martial arts event where fighters from all over the world compete to become the DARE Champion. DARE is one of the first MMA promotions in Thailand, and has been televised in many countries and online. For more information, go to their web site, at DareFightSports.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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with mixed martial arts and muay Thai fighter Vaughn "Blud" Anderson.

Based in Thailand and training at the Legacy Gym in Ubon Ratchathani, Vaughn "Blud" Anderson has competed under numerous rules and in many diverse organizations, including K-1, Art of War, and Martial Combat. He also has been a television commentator for Legend FC MMA telecasts around the world. His next fight, on Saturday, February 4, in Thailand, will be under K-1 rules on a card called MVM, which stands for "muay Thai vs. martial arts".

We spoke with Vaughn "Blud" Anderson by Skype Tuesday about his upcoming fight and his fascinating career fighting in Asia in many different styles. We discussed his one-night tournament victory on December 18, 2011, on a PRO Fighting MMA card in Taiwan, where he won all three fights by first-round knockout or TKO. He explained why fighting is so important to his life. We also discussed his experiences fighting in so many organizations, the enormous growth of MMA in Asia, issues related to governance and regulation of combat sports in Asia, and much more.

We also open with an update on the situation regarding MMA fighter "King" Mo Lawal, who tested positive for the banned steroid drostanolone following his January 7 Strikeforce fight, but maintained that he never knowingly took any banned substances. He and his manager Mike Kogan now believe they have found the culprit for this positive test: an over-the-counter product called S Mass Lean Gainer by Rock Solid, which was recommended to him by a store employee to help deal with leg pain. We also stress that athletes should try to use the services provided by various anti-doping organizations, including the Banned Substances Control Group, set up by renowned anti-doping expert Dr. Don Catlin, and the National Center for Drug Free Sport.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with mixed martial arts fighter and former elite freestyle and college wrestler "King" Mo Lawal, and his manager, Mike Kogan.

On Tuesday, January 17, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that "King" Mo has tested positive for the banned steroid drostanolone, also known as Masteron, following his January 7 Strikeforce fight, a TKO victory over Lorenz Larkin. Since then, both "King" Mo and Mike Kogan have maintained that he has never knowingly taken any performance enhancing drug.

After carefully reviewing the supplements he had been taking, all purchased through public retailers, and investigating the history of all of them, they now believe that this positive drug test was the result of taking a mislabeled over-the-counter supplement. They plan to name publicly this supplement as soon as possible.

We spoke with both "King" Mo Lawal and Mike Kogan by phone late Sunday night about this terrible situation. They stressed that they have nothing to hide, want to be one hundred percent transparent, and will abide by the decision of the Nevada State Athletic Commission when they have a hearing on this matter, which will probably be in March. "King" Mo described how this mess has affected him, although he said that the outpouring of support for him and his background in wrestling have helped him get through this. He also said that he is willing to work with VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, which conducts random and unannounced urine and blood tests of athletes, unlike the weaker testing done by the various athletic commissions. We discussed what could be done to deal with this problem of unregulated supplements being so widely available, the need for some type of independent certification and testing of these supplements, what fight promotions can do in the battle against doping, and more.

In addition, we open with a commentary on one of the key sources of this problem: the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), which prohibits the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from testing and approving these types of supplements before they reach the market. This law, passed by politicians of both major U.S. political parties following extensive lobbying by the supplement industry, never should have been passed and needs to be changed now before it does any more harm to the public, athletes of course included.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the journalist, writer, and our Hong King-based Asian correspondent, Lee Li, who publishes the web site MMA in Asia.

After the festivities are over for the traditional Lunar New Year, which begins January 23, there will be an explosion of mixed martial arts events throughout Asia. ONE FC has an event on Saturday, February 11, in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Legend FC has an event the same day in Macau. The following week there are two cards in the Philippines. There are numerous other events scheduled all over Asia.

We spoke by Skype with Lee Li on Sunday about this upcoming series of events. She began by discussing the Dream card from December 31 in Japan, and went on to examine the many events and fighters in these upcoming shows, including ONE FC, Legend FC, ROAD FC, URCC, PXC, RUFF, and many more. We discussed the importance of establishing effective and professional governance of MMA in the many countries of Asia, the issues related to regulation and self-regulation of these promotions, the announcement of the formation of the Super Fight League in India, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo by Lee Li)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the former world and European muay Thai champion and now a noted mixed martial arts fighter, and the owner of the Legacy Gym in Thailand, Ole Laursen.

He will next be fighting in the main event of the ONE FC 2 "Battle of Heroes" card on Saturday, February 11, in Jakarta, Indonesia. His opponent will be the Swiss-based Japanese fighter Felipe Enomoto of the Enomoto Dojo.

We spoke with Ole Laursen by Skype Thursday as he was training for this fight while building a new gym on Boracay Island in the Philippines. He talked about his recovery from neck and knee injuries, which had forced him to pull out of a planned fight at the first ONE FC card in September against URCC champion Eduard Folayang. We discussed his return to the Philippines to train for this fight, what he knows about and how he is preparing to fight Felipe Enomoto, his transition to mixed martial arts from muay Thai, his growth as a mixed martial artist including his five-fight winning streak following losses to Genki Sudo and Caol Uno, how he has incorporated grappling into his arsenal, what led him to becoming a professional fighter, the enormous potential for growth of MMA in Asia, how ONE FC is taking MMA in Asia to a new level, why 2012 will be his year, and more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with John Barr, a reporter in ESPN's Enterprise Unit.

On the ESPN web site, he wrote, along with Josh Gross, the article "UFC fighters say low pay simply brutal". He also reported on this issue and interviewed numerous people on the ESPN television show "Outside the Lines".

We spoke with John Barr by phone at length Tuesday afternoon about these controversial reports. He explained why ESPN became interested in this topic after UFC parent company Zuffa purchased Strikeforce, and how they arrived at their estimate of what percentage of UFC's gross revenue UFC fighters receive. We discussed the absence of transparency and disclosure to the fighters of UFC's finances, how and why they interviewed numerous fighters on and off camera, the private reaction of many fighters to their reports, the role of discretionary bonuses as a means of control of fighters, and the lack of protections for mixed martial arts fighters afforded to boxers under the Muhammad Ali Act. He also answered charges that ESPN ran this story because of some vendetta against the UFC, that positive comments from fighters about the UFC pay structure were edited out of the story, that the reports were filled with lies and did not give all the facts, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Mark Ribowsky, author of the new biography Howard Cosell: The Man, the Myth, and the Transformation of American Sports.

Howard Cosell was not only a "cultural icon", a highly insecure and (thus) highly pompous man, and an always controversial sportscaster, but also a pioneer in developing independent sports journalism and critiques of the powers-that-be in the world of sports. Although he eventually became a major part of the sports establishment through his decades of work for the ABC television and radio networks from the1950s through the 1980s, his main legacy is that he strove to "tell it like it is" and stand up for what he believed was right in sports.

We spoke with Mark Ribowsky by phone Monday afternoon about his important new book and the legacy of Howard Cosell. Before Cosell, he argued, sports broadcasting was "a forum for Ken dolls to parrot the company line". After Cosell, who passed away in 1995 at the age of 77, in sports, and particularly in what passes today for sports journalism, "people have gotten way too soft".

This book provides an important and critical analysis of the life of one of the pioneers of sports journalism, and is a must-read for all those, journalists or not, who stand for truth and justice in the world of sports and in the world in general.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with former mixed martial arts and muay Thai fighter Gina Carano, who is the star of the new spy film "Haywire".

In this film, directed by Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh, she plays Mallory Kane, a covert operative who is betrayed by her cohorts.

We spoke with Gina Carano by phone Wednesday afternoon about her widely-acclaimed starring role, her first, in this movie. She discussed her training in weapons and fighting for this movie, in which she performed almost all of her own stunts. She commented on her character, which was not the stereotypical, one-dimensional role usually given to fighters, and her transition from fighting to acting. She also discussed the battle to legalize mixed martial arts in New York; her reaction to her last opponent in MMA, Cris "Cyborg" Santos, who defeated her in August 2009, testing positive for steroids after her December 17, 2011, Strikeforce fight; her explanation about a report that her voice was altered in this new film; and more.

"Haywire" opens in theaters in the U.S. on January 20.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo: Esther Lin, Strikeforce)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the numerous cases of corruption and bad governance in the combat sports which have already cropped up in this brand new year.

Among the topics discussed are the statement by heavyweight boxer Dereck Chisora that boxing is "the most dodgy and corrupt sport in the world"; what we know about Mustafa Ameen, the so-called "mystery man" who was ringside at the controversial Lamont Peterson-Amir Khan fight; the positive doping test for Strikeforce fighter Cris "Cyborg" Santos, her excuses, and how this all once again illustrates the inadequate drug testing in the combat sports; the important steps taken by the International Olympic Committee and the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association in the battle against dope cheats; the late stoppage in the one-sided Strikeforce fight on Saturday, January 7, where "King" Mo Lawal scored a second-round TKO over Lorenz Larkin; new developments in the fight against corruption in FIFA; and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the 2012 season opener for the Professional Bull Riders at Madison Square Garden in New York, January 6-8, as well as the Strikeforce MMA card in Las Vegas on January 7. Also discussed are the drama outside the ring in boxing involving Floyd Mayweather (whose jail sentence from a domestic violence case was just postponed until June) and Victor Ortiz. And previewed is the showdown Saturday night, January 7, between the number one college wrestling team in the U.S., the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, and the number two college wrestling team, the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Also noted are the similarities between bull riding and MMA, including the success in both sports of athletes from Brazil; how bull riding is legal in New York but not MMA; how New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to legalize casino gambling which requires a state constitutional amendment, but has said nothing about legalizing MMA; and more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with mixed martial arts fighter and former elite freestyle and college wrestler "King" Mo Lawal.

"King" Mo, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, will be returning to action this Saturday, January 7, against the unbeaten but less experienced Lorenz Larkin. This Strikeforce card will be televised in the U.S. on Showtime and take place in Las Vegas, Nevada.

We spoke with "King" Mo on Thursday about what to expect in this fight with Lorenz Larkin. "King" Mo predicted that it will be reminiscent of the 2001 boxing match, also in Las Vegas, between Marco Antonio Barrera and "Prince" Naseem Hamed, in which Barrera dominated the unorthodox Hamed en route to a unanimous decision win. "King" Mo, of course, expects to emulate Barrera with Larkin performing like the "Prince", although "King" Mo does expect it to be a competitive fight.

We also discussed numerous other topics with "King" Mo, including why his legendary ring entrances now have to be toned down; his contract status; why he wants to win a regional boxing title and fight Ola Afolabi, who is the number-one ranked WBO cruiserweight contender; the ever-changing rules in international wrestling; why he wants to include knees to the head of a downed opponent in the MMA unified rules; why Andre Ward is the 2011 boxer of the year; and more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reviews the fights and some of the issues arising from the New Year's weekend cards, and presents the 2011 No Holds Barred Awards.

The boxing card on Showtime Friday night, December 30, only re-raised questions about the neurological health of returning fighters Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell. The UFC card, also on Friday night, again exposed Brock Lesnar, who was blown out by Alistair Overeem in the first round and subsequently announced his retirement from MMA, as the worst UFC heavyweight titleholder in history.

But the spiraling contractual and legal issues facing Overeem, which led to him being sued by his former management and his purse being held up for this victory, also highlighted the need for MMA fighters to have their own association like athletes in other sports do, and to get the same protections as boxers do under the Muhammad Ali Act in the U.S.

Also addressed is the decline of submissions and of grappling in MMA, particularly in the U.S., and what this says about the relative safety and level of technique of MMA compared to boxing and other combat sports.

Dream held its annual New Year's Eve card at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, featuring a mix of MMA and kickboxing fights with several fake pro "wrestling" acts. This says a lot about the weakness of the governance of this event. On the other hand, the real matches on the Dream card, held in a ring, featured numerous fights displaying a wide variety of grappling and striking techniques. The main event saw a first-round knockout by Fedor Emelianenko over Satoshi Ishii. The co-feature saw a great fight loaded with superior grappling where Shinya Aoki won a unanimous decision over Satoru Kitaoka to win the Dream featherweight title.

Next is the announcement of the very selective and purposely non-comprehensive 2011 No Holds Barred Awards, to highlight some of the good and the bad in the combat sports in 2011. Among the awards are the combat sports athlete of the year, combat sport of the year, boxer of the year, grappler of the year, sports organization of the year, comeback sport of the year, worst state regulation of combat sports in the U.S., best combat sports vlog, best wrestler and boxer in MMA, best MMA ring announcer, best MMA TV announcer, best new MMA journalist, MMA journalist of the year, and a few more awards of varying degrees of historical importance.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Heath Sims, who has just been named to head the wrestling program at the top martial arts training organization in Asia, the Singapore-based Evolve MMA.

Heath joins the Evolve staff with a long history of success in wrestling. He won numerous championships and tournaments in wrestling, culminating with earning a berth on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team in Greco-Roman wrestling. Afterwards he turned to fighting in MMA, including a successful stint in Pancrase in Japan. More recently he has been an instructor at Team Quest in Murrieta, California, and has been lead cornerman for one of the legends of MMA and also a former Greco-Roman Olympian, Dan Henderson.

We spoke with Heath Sims by phone Wednesday about his new position. He explained why he decided to accept it and move to Singapore, and the growth of both wrestling and MMA in Asia. We discussed the transition that fighters without wrestling backgrounds must make to learn wrestling for MMA. We also discussed some of the problems facing wrestling and how it has not fully taken advantage of the success so many wrestlers have had in MMA.

Heath will be departing for Singapore in February, and explained how his involvement with Evolve MMA is an important and historic step forward for MMA in Asia.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Steve Nelson, the founder and owner of the USWF (Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation).

In the 1990s, the USWF ran a series of successful events, mainly in Amarillo, Texas, using shoot wrestling rules which allowed open-handed strikes, submissions, kicks, and knees. In essence, it was a real style of pro wrestling, having been derived from the worked style seen in Japan in companies like the UWFi. Steve Nelson, who had wrestled at Oklahoma State, won two world silver medals in sambo, had a judo background, came from a family of pro wrestlers, and fought in MMA, had also participated in UWFi and trained in real catch wrestling prior to founding the USWF. Steve is also the longtime head wrestling coach for both the boy's and girls' wrestling teams at Palo Duro High School in Amarillo.

We spoke with Steve by phone Monday afternoon about the history of the USWF and the lessons from it which we can utilize today. He explained how he positioned the USWF to be a real sport which promoted the athletes as role models and not trash-talkers. We discussed with Steve why the USWF produced such exciting events, including his historic rematch with Ralph Gracie at USWF 11 on August, 22, 1998, a great fight which earned Fight of the Year honors.

We also discussed the potential for a revival of real catch wrestling, what it must do to become popular once again, who would be its initial base of fans and participants, and more.

The videos from the USWF shows are also available on DVD on the USWF web site.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Dr. Margaret Goodman, the president and board chairman of, and Ryan Connolly, the chief legal counsel of, VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

VADA, which is just beginning its activities, was set up as an independent organization that will offer and promote effective anti-doping practices and programs in boxing and mixed martial arts. By providing more comprehensive testing than the various athletic commissions, and enlisting athletes to participate in its programs on a voluntary basis, VADA will create an opportunity for these athletes to demonstrate their commitment to clean sport.

We spoke with Dr. Margaret Goodman and Ryan Connolly by phone on Friday about VADA. They explained why this new organization is necessary in the fight against doping, what it will do, and how it will do it. They discussed the first major fight which will have VADA testing, the rematch between the two former welterweight boxing champions, Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto, scheduled for February 11, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada. They also reiterated why the substances which are banned pose major health risks. And they also commented on the attitude towards VADA from many athletes, the media, and various promoters, and much, much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the "Brooklyn Monk ", Antonio Graceffo.

Born in Brooklyn, raised in Tennessee, and living for many years in Asia, Antonio Graceffo has written books, hosted the "Martial Arts Odyssey" web TV show, studied traditional martial arts and boxing, and more recently has fought in mixed martial arts events in Asia, even though he is now 44 years old. He is also now adding wrestling to his repertoire of martial arts.

We spoke with Antonio while he was visiting New York last week. He has been bringing to the rest of the world information on Bokator, a traditional martial art from Cambodia, which is similar to muay Thai. We spoke about how he ended up living in Asia, the martial arts and its culture in Asia, and how that differs from the culture of Western MMA. He explained which styles and techniques are practiced in which countries and regions of Asia, and where some styles like wrestling are not. He discussed MMA in Asia, and especially Malaysia, as well as the emergence of the ONE Fighting Championship and its network, and much, much more.

Antonio Graceffo is a fascinating and unique individual, and we hope this lengthy interview is just the start of many discussions with him on No Holds Barred.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with the former kickboxer, an original Gene LeBell black belt, the former UFC and Extreme Fighting matchmaker, and our senior correspondent, John Perretti.

Now age 55, John Perretti is feeling the effects of a life in the martial arts and combat sports. While he is still active in many endeavors, various ailments, some the results of concussions he suffered while fighting, teaching, and training, have slowed him down.

What are the lessons of all this for young athletes competing or hoping to compete in the combat sports or other violent sports? Are there rules changes which could make these sports reasonably safe while still leaving them compelling and exciting? And, looking back and knowing what we do now, was competing and training in these sports worth it? Those are some of the issues we discussed with John Perretti in a phone interview last week.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo by Paula Romero)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Randy "The Natural" Couture.

Randy has just put out a new book, along with photographer Sara Levin, called "The Last Round". The book chronicles the final fight in his career, and includes numerous observations on his many years of competition in both wrestling and MMA.

In the book, despite indicating that he will likely devote a large part of his time to working in a new position in MMA, he wrote, "I will always be a wrestler."

So when we spoke with Randy right after the news conference for the MMA World Expo on Friday in New York, we focused on the implications of that statement. As a four-time U.S national champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and a two-time runner-up in the NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships, he still wants to help the sport which laid the basis for his success in mixed martial arts.

We thus discussed some of the problems facing college wrestling, the recent revival of catch wrestling including the holding of catch tournaments at his Xtreme Couture training facility in Las Vegas, the recent rule changes in Greco-Roman wrestling, and much more.

In addition, that news conference at which Randy Couture spoke included discussion about why MMA is still illegal in New York and other issues. We begin this show by commenting upon these issues.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Alvin Aguilar, the founder and president of the URCC.

Founded in 2002 and running events regularly since then, the URCC (Universal Reality Combat Championship) is the first and largest mixed martial arts promotion in the Philippines. The URCC is thus one of the longest-running MMA promotions in the world. The URCC has also formed a mutually exclusive partnership with the ONE Fighting Championship, and is a key part of the ONE Asia Partnership Network.

We spoke with Alvin Aguilar by Skype on Tuesday about the development and growth of the URCC. We discussed the history of the URCC, how it is regulated by the government of the Philippines through the Games and Amusement Board, why the URCC is working so closely with ONE FC and other mixed martial arts organizations throughout Asia, who some of their top fighters are, their plans to run an event in the U.S. in 2012, their busy schedule of events in the Philippines, the effects of the UFC coming to the Philippines, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo by: Tom Casino / Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Super Six World Boxing Classic finalists Andre Ward and Carl Froch, and discusses why the bad governance in boxing made this super middleweight tournament necessary.

On Saturday, December 17, WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (24-0, 13 KOs) will face WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (28-1, 20 KOs) in the finals of the two-year-long Super Six World Boxing Classic. This fight will take place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime and in the U.K. on Sky Sports. The winner will earn the right to be called the best super middleweight in the world.

We spoke with both Andre Ward and Carl Froch at the kickoff news conference in August for this fight, which had originally been scheduled for October 29 but had to be postponed after Ward suffered a cut during training. We discussed what to expect in this fight, as well as the need for a boxers' union. We also previewed this fight with New York TV host Kristal Hart, whose show airs on Manhattan Neighborhood Network.

In addition, we open with a commentary on why it took an American television network, Showtime, to organize a tournament of the top fighters in the world in this division, when legitimate sports regularly have competitions pitting the best against the best.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, and MMA legend Renzo Gracie.

On Saturday, December 17, Renzo will be hosting the Renzo Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 2011 Open tournament at the MMA World Expo in New York. We spoke with Renzo on Friday at his New York academy about this tournament, the tremendous growth of his academy, his recent trip to Abu Dhabi to help plan the expansion of ADCC grappling events around the world, the emergence of the ONE Fighting Championship as the largest MMA promotion in Asia, and more.

We open by discussing the latest fiasco involving the political appointees of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. They held a public hearing on Monday, December 12, which included discussion of their so-called "random" drug testing, where athletes are given prior notice, and the licensing situation of Alistair Overeem. While training in his home country of the Netherlands, Overeem could not complete the tests the Nevada commission wanted in the time frame they wanted. The Nevada commission does not directly work with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), has far weaker standards than WADA, never contacted their Dutch affiliate of the Anti-Doping Authority Netherlands, and did not even seem to know who conducts such drug testing in that country. Instead, they tried to put the onus of the results of their refusal to be a part of the world anti-doping movement and to follow the international protocols of WADA on the fighter Overeem and his assistants. They did issue a conditional license to Overeem and ordered him to take some of their "random" tests, but appeared either clueless or uninterested in solving a problem which has long been addressed in international sport by responsible authorities.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with catch wrestling legend Billy Robinson and Jake Shannon of ScientificWrestling.com.

Although he is in his seventies, Billy Robinson is still traveling the world to conduct seminars to pass on the art and science of catch wrestling, as he learned it in places like the legendary Riley's Gym in Wigan, England. Jake Shannon is also a key part of this movement to revive catch wrestling, organizing seminars and training sessions as well as writing books and using the Internet to promote the revival of this sport.

We spoke at length with both Billy Robinson and Jake Shannon by phone on Friday about the past, present, and future of catch wrestling. We discussed what catch wrestling is, some of the problems in the rules of other styles of wrestling, how the old rules of catch wrestling included winning by pin or submission but often varied greatly and were sometimes even negotiated before a match, the Wigan theory "to learn how to learn wrestling", how catch wrestling teaches you how to learn and to open your mind, why catch wrestling today needs a "united marketing front" like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu had in mixed martial arts, the influence of catch wrestling in mixed martial arts, how numerous wrestlers and fighters for years have been training in catch wrestling, and much, much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Jens Sejer Andersen, the international director of Play the Game.

Based in Denmark, Play the Game is an international conference and communication initiative aiming to strengthen the ethical foundation of sport and promote democracy, transparency, and freedom of expression in sport.

We spoke with Jens Sejer Andersen on Friday via Skype about some of the latest developments in the battle against corruption in sport. He explained how a "culture of silence" towards the many facets of corruption characterizes sport worldwide. We discussed the latest scandals involving members of the international football federation FIFA, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the now-defunct marketing agency ISL, which was accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to top sports officials around the world. In October, the Play the Game conference called on the IOC to lead the struggle against corruption in sport. However, by failing to act and speak decisively on the ISL scandal, Jens Andersen now argued that the IOC "has disqualified itself" from a leadership role in this struggle. We discussed how what happens in world football, the most popular sport in the world, affects world sport as a whole, including the combat sports. And we examined some ideas about what those of us who stand against corruption in sport must do.

In the combat sports, recent attention has been given to a series of "jokes" made about rape by UFC fighters Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, and Miguel Torres. We comment on the implications of that, and read a statement about this issue by journalist, writer, activist, and sexual abuse survivor Emmily Bristol.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Steve Koepfer of the American Sambo Association (ASA) and Kris Iatskevich of the International Submission Wrestling Alliance (ISWA) about the North American Throwdown.

The North American Throwdown will be held Saturday, February 25, 2012, in Joliette, Quebec, Canada, near Montreal. It will feature both the ASA's Eighth Annual North American Freestyle Sambo Championships and the ISWA's Catch Wrestling Open tournament, also known as the Carpentier Open. Grapplers from all styles and affiliations are encouraged to compete.

We spoke with Steve Koepfer and Kris Iatskevich by phone Thursday about this historic event. We discussed the shared history of sambo and catch wrestling, the rules of each of these tournaments, why this is such an important step forward for both styles of grappling, and much, much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the Amir Khan-Lamont Peterson 140-pound title fight and the Seth Mitchell-Timur Ibragimov heavyweight fight. These bouts will take place Saturday, December 10, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., and will be telecast live in the U.S. on HBO, with the Khan-Peterson fight also being shown live on Sky Sports in the U.K.

Khan (26-1, 18 KOs), from Bolton, Lancashire, U.K., will be defending two major titles against Peterson (29-1-1, 15 KOs), who is fighting in his hometown. Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KOs) will have the highest profile fight of his career against Ibragimov (30-3-1, 16 KOs).

We spoke with Amir Khan, Lamont Peterson, Peterson's trainer Barry Hunter, Seth Mitchell, and Timur Ibragimov on recent media conference calls. They each revealed their mindsets and told us what to expect in these fights.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(cartoon from revista-amauta.org)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the similarities and differences between boxing and bacon (hint: both involve pigs and are bad for you, but at least bacon smells and tastes good), in light of the major fights of Saturday, December 3.

Analyzed are the breakout performance by WBA bantamweight champion Anselmo Moreno, who earned a lopsided unanimous decision over Vic Darchinyan, and IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares, who decisioned Joseph King Kong Agbeko in their rematch, this time without much controversy. But also discussed are the disputed decision win by heavyweight Robert Helenius over Dereck Chisora, and the disgraceful farce at Madison Square Garden in New York, where Miguel Cotto won by a tenth-round TKO over a fighter who should not have been licensed by the New York State Athletic Commission, Antonio Margarito. The reasons why this was a disgraceful farce are explained on this show, and remedies to this disgrace are proposed.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with American Top Team mixed martial arts fighter and two-time ADCC world champion Jeff Monson.

On Sunday, November 20, Jeff Monson fought MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in the main event of an M-1 Global mixed martial arts card at the Olympic Arena in Moscow, Russia. Fedor dominated the fight, winning a three-round unanimous decision. Afterwards, Jeff required some medical attention, especially from injuries caused by the numerous kicks and punches landed by Fedor.

We spoke with Jeff Monson by phone Wednesday night about what really happened on this trip to Russia. He said that despite the loss in the fight, he was treated "great", including by Fedor, who actually apologized to him after the fight, although he had done nothing outside the rules. We discussed his recovery from these injuries, what happened in the fight, why there was almost no action on the ground, the enormous support he received from the Russian fans, his desire to return to fight in M-1 Global, how he wants to move down to light heavyweight, his busy schedule of fighting and seminars, his desire to be more involved with catch wrestling, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Victor Cui, the CEO and owner of the ONE Fighting Championship.

Based in Singapore, ONE FC ran their first mixed martial arts card on September 3, 2011. They have led the establishment of the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which is a mutually exclusive partnership of mixed martial arts organizations and gyms across Asia and the Pacific which will co-promote events and share fighters. So far, ONE FC has partnered with Dream in Japan, URCC in the Philippines, Cage Fighting Championship in Australia, ROAD Fighting Championship in Korea, DARE Fightsports in Thailand, Team Lakay Wushu in the Philippines, Tiger Muay Thai and MMA in Thailand, Tigers Gym in India, Evolve Mixed Martial Arts in Singapore, Legacy Gym in Thailand, Tough MMA in Taiwan, Synergy Jiu-Jitsu in Indonesia, Juggernaut FC in Singapore, Fightworks Asia in Singapore, PAK MMA in Pakistan, Team Force in Korea, MuayFit in Malaysia, and Leverage MMA in Malaysia.

With numerous other partnerships and television deals in the works, ONE FC has already announced three events for 2012: February 11, 2012, in Jakarta, Indonesia, at the Kelapa Gading Sports Mall; March 31, 2012, in Singapore, Singapore, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium; and April 27, 2012, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the Stadium Negara.

Clearly, ONE FC has emerged as the largest mixed martial arts event in Asia.

We spoke by Skype with Victor Cui on Wednesday about the development of ONE FC and their plans. He explained that "the way to exponentially grow, and quickly, a sport is cooperatively." While he obviously is building his own MMA organization and this network, he stressed that MMA organizations should "work together." He said, "The goal here is the greater good."

Our lengthy discussion included topics such as their plans for televising their events throughout Asia, the issues of governance of MMA and fighter safety, the importance of the martial arts traditions in Asia and seeing MMA as part of that, the potential for Asia to become a mixed martial arts capital of the world, boxing and MMA, their attitude to other organizations such as M-1 Global and UFC, and much more.

We also open with a commentary on the widespread analysis of people like Professor Kishore Mahbubani of Singapore that we are now in the "Asian Century", and the future of the combat sports.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the highly-anticipated rematch between IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares and the former two-time IBF bantamweight champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko, and the fight between WBA bantamweight super champion Anselmo Moreno and former two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan.

These two fights take place Saturday, December 3, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and will be telecast live in the U.S. on Showtime.

The first fight between Mares (22-0-1, 13 KOs), who was a Mexican Olympian in 2004 and now lives in California, and Agbeko (28-3, 22 KOs), from Accra, Ghana, and now fighting out of the Bronx, New York, was held August 13, 2011, in Las Vegas. While it was officially ruled a majority decision win for Mares, it was marred by a major controversy since Mares landed numerous low blows but was not penalized by referee Russell Mora. Mares even dropped Agbeko with a clear-cut shot to the groin in the 11th round, but the referee ruled it a legal knockdown. This fight was the final bout in the Showtime bantamweight tournament, but since it generated so much heated controversy, an immediate rematch was scheduled.

Although Moreno (31-1-1, 11 KOs), from Panama City, Panama, holds a WBA bantamweight belt and is highly regarded as a skillful boxer, most of his fights have been in his home country, and he has never before fought in the U.S. The slugger Darchinyan (37-3-1, 27 KOs), originally from Armenia and now fighting out of Sydney, Australia, is coming off two straight wins after losing a split decision to Mares in the opening round of the Showtime bantamweight tournament.

With Nonito Donaire moving up to super bantamweight, the winners of these fights will stake a claim to being the best bantamweight boxer in the world.

We spoke with Abner Mares, Anselmo Moreno, and Vic Darchinyan on a recent media conference call (Agbeko was also scheduled for that call but never made it on). We got their views on what to expect in their fights. We also heard Abner Mares candidly discuss the controversy in his first fight with Joseph Agbeko, and what he would have done differently if the referee had taken points away from him for low blows.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo by Keisha Morrisey.)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Vadim Finkelchtein, the president and co-founder of M-1 Global.

In an interview conducted Saturday by Skype with Vadim Finkelchtein, we discussed the M-1 Global mixed martial arts card held Sunday, November 20, at the Olympic Arena in Moscow, Russia. In the main event, the legendary Fedor Emelianenko stopped a three-fight losing streak by dominating two-time ADCC champion Jeff Monson to take a three-round unanimous decision. Besides the 22,000 fans in attendance, Vadim said there were seven and one-half million people watching this fight on television in Russia alone, with numbers for the rest of Europe and North America still to come.

We discussed the importance of this event, how Fedor used a much more patient and deliberate strategy than he had in his last unsuccessful fights, what this victory means for Fedor's career, plans for a potential fight for Fedor in Dream in Japan on their traditional New Year's Eve card, the proposal to have Fedor fight former UFC heavyweight titleholder Cain Velasquez, whether or not Fedor would ever fight in UFC, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the North American Throwdown, a joint tournament combining the American Sambo Association's 8th Annual North American Freestyle Sambo Championships and the International Submission Wrestling Alliance ISWA Catch Wrestling Open tournament. This will take place Saturday, February 25, 2012, at the Joliette Sport Center near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Details will be announced soon, and we will be previewing this as well.

The world of catch wrestling also got another boost on Thursday, as it was announced that veteran trainer Roy Wood of The Snake Pit in Wigan in the U.K. had won the BBC North West Unsung Sport Hero award.

We also discuss some of the implications of the dominant performance last Sunday, November 20, by Fedor Emelianenko over Jeff Monson. After three consecutive losses, Fedor won a unanimous three-round decision over the two-time ADCC world champion Monson headlining an M-1 mixed martial arts card in Moscow, Russia.

The disgrace of the week in boxing goes to those who approved Antonio Margarito for a license to fight Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden on December 3 on an HBO pay-per-view. Margarito had undergone cataract surgery, where his own damaged lens in his right eye was replaced by an artificial lens. While there was no actual rule prohibiting fighters who have had this eye surgery from fighting, in the past the Association of Boxing Commissions had felt that lens implants were not conducive to boxing. So the New York State Athletic Commission, Madison Square Garden, HBO, and his promoters Top Rank, have successfully thrown this safety precaution out the window, just so they can rake in more bloody cash. And their shills in the boxing media have applauded this.

In addition, we preview the panel discussions on legalizing MMA in New York which will be held at the MMA World Expo on December 17 and 18 in New York.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the teleconference recorded Monday, November 21, of David Howman, the director general of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), discusses the current dispute over doping bans between WADA and the British Olympic Association (BOA), and comments on the weak anti-doping measures in the combat sports.

WADA held the teleconference to discuss with the international media their Executive Committee and Foundation Board meetings, which were held in Montreal on November 19 and 20. At these, WADA decided that they would impose a budget freeze for 2012 because of the continuing bad economic conditions. They also ruled that the BOA was "non-compliant" with the WADA code because the BOA is trying to impose a lifetime ban on any athlete who was suspended for six months or more for drug offenses. There is no doubt this dispute will end up in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

On the teleconference, David Howman also explained that discussions between organizations running mixed martial arts and boxing in the U.S., and USADA, the American arm of WADA, have "not been very successful to date", although he hopes that public pressure will play a role on the issue of anti-doping policy.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with filmmaker Bobby Razak about his new documentary on the history of mixed martial arts, which had its first screening on Friday. Still untitled, this worthwhile and interesting film includes rare footage from the 1990s as well as numerous new interviews.

We also comment on some of the latest developments in the battle against doping, including the news that Major League Baseball will begin blood testing for human growth hormone, and the view by World Anti-Doping Agency Director General David Howman that "We are catching the dopey dopers, but not the sophisticated ones."

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses a number of new developments and issues in the combat sports, including the co-operation between ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) and NAGA (North American Grappling Association), the Twitter voting for what fights should be added to the Bellator 58 telecast on November 19, the UFC lawsuit against the ban on MMA in New York, the fallout from the Marquez-Pacquiao 3 fight, the dimming prospects for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, Bob Arum vs. WBC, the problems of the disgraced Antonio Margarito in getting licensed in New York, Fedor vs. Jeff Monson in Moscow on Sunday, catch wrestling seminar in Cardiff on Sunday, the new MMA forums, how corruption should be fought in the combat sports, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with American Top Team and Bellator Fighting Championships mixed martial artist Jessica Aguilar.

She will be fighting Lisa Ellis this Saturday, November 19, at Bellator 58 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

We spoke Sunday afternoon by phone with Jessica Aguilar about this fight, which is a rematch from her first professional MMA fight in 2006, which she lost by submission after taking it with almost no MMA training. We discussed the state of women's mixed martial arts, her plans to compete for a title in Bellator, and much more.

We open by recalling some of the history of women in combat sports, including the training of women in Sparta in ancient Greece for wrestling and pankration, the forerunner of modern mixed martial arts. We note the legal and political battles many women had to wage in the U.S. in the 1970s and beyond to be allowed to compete in boxing and wrestling. As of 2012, women will be competing in all four of the combat sports in the Olympic Games: boxing, wrestling, judo, and taekwondo. But we also note that, despite the growth of women's participation around the world in numerous combat sports, HBO still has never aired women's boxing, the government of Iran still does not have women's wrestling, and UFC still has no women's fights.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Gi Open 2011 tournament, a signing of his new book by MMA legend Randy Couture, grappling and muay Thai action, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The third annual MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the view held by George Orwell that "sport is an unfailing cause of ill-will" in light of the events in the combat sports on Saturday, November 12. Orwell wrote this in his 1945 essay entitled "The Sporting Spirit".

First up is a discussion of some of the positives in the combat sports, including the world sambo championships in Vilnius, Lithuania, and the freestyle and catch wrestling events in Wigan, England, and Summerville, South Carolina, in the U.S. Next is an analysis of the horrifying child rape scandal at Penn State University, including a coverup by school administrators and those running the football program, and how it may affect college wrestling. There was also a rally held Saturday in Las Vegas protesting "a string of incidents involving violent, misogynistic and homophobic language" in MMA, including the infamous tweet by UFC fighter Forrest Griffin that "Rape is the new missionary". The protest also called for the establishment of a code of conduct for MMA.

Next discussed are the fights themselves. Bellator had two tournament finals, won by Alexander Shlemenko at middleweight and Douglas Lima at welterweight. A 64-second fight was the only one on the UFC debut card on Fox, as Junior dos Santos knocked out Cain Velasquez to take their heavyweight title. The tactics of that brief encounter are discussed.

The most discussed fight of the night was the third meeting between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao was awarded a highly-controversial majority decision in this one, which many observers believed was a robbery. Again, while boxing had a chance to make a good impression after the 64-second UFC blowout, many people left feeling cheated by the judges and ripped off by those running the sport.

So was Orwell right? That question was answered on this edition of No Holds Barred.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Gi Open 2011 tournament, a signing of his new book by MMA legend Randy Couture, grappling and muay Thai action, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The third annual MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the legendary wrestler and coach Roy Wood, and his daughter Andrea Wood, about the revival of catch wrestling and their running of The Snake Pit.

In the 1940s, Billy Riley opened Riley's Gym in Wigan, England. It soon became the worldwide home of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. It later also became known as The Snake Pit. Among many of the great wrestlers trained by Billy Riley were the late Karl Gotch, Billy Robinson, and Roy Wood. Today Billy Robinson and Roy Wood, along with a new generation of wrestlers, coaches, and others, are working to revive this great sport.

In recent years, Roy Wood has focused on training wrestlers in freestyle wrestling at the Aspull Wrestling Club in Wigan. With the international growth of interest in catch-as-catch-can wrestling, he has again started coaching wrestlers in catch as well as continuing to coach freestyle. Thus, The Snake Pit is back.

We spoke with both Roy Wood and Andrea Wood at length by Skype on Wednesday about The Snake Pit and the revival of catch wrestling. We discussed some of the background and history of catch wrestling, the influence of Billy Riley, the need for a united approach among those reviving this discipline, why the rules developed by Billy Riley did not permit either chokes or going to one's back, how the rules for this latest incarnation of catch wrestling can develop, the establishment of affiliate clubs for The Snake Pit, the use of their web site and social media to educate people about and expand the influence of catch, and much, much more.

Catch is back, and you can learn about it on this ground-breaking interview on No Holds Barred.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Gi Open 2011 tournament, a signing of his new book by MMA legend Randy Couture, grappling and muay Thai action, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The third annual MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reviews the fight and round of the year candidate between James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo. Also discussed are the fights between Guillermo Jones and Mike Marrone, Lucian Bute and Glen Johnson, Peter Quillin and Craig McEwan, and rising star Pier-Olivier Côté and Jorge Teron. And we explain why the upcoming pay-per-view between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez is not worth it.

The MMA world is paying close attention to the allegations by heavyweight star Alistair Overeem against his former management of Golden Glory. These were explained in a video on his web site, TheReem.com. The implications of these allegations are that MMA fighters must be afforded the same protections as boxers in the U.S. have under the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, and we explain why.

Bellator will be having two tournament championship fights this Saturday, November 12, and there is a full slate of college wrestling on tap for the coming weekend. We also discuss the upset losses on Sunday by Iowa State to Army and Boston University, and some of the obstacles facing college wrestling amidst the growing turmoil and reshuffling of conferences in the college sports world.

And we open with get well wishes to Smokin' Joe Frazier, who is suffering from liver cancer.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Gi Open 2011 tournament, a signing of his new book by MMA legend Randy Couture, grappling and muay Thai action, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The third annual MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Kevin Jackson, the Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion freestyle wrestler, who is starting his third season as head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.

While Iowa State did have an NCAA champion last season in senior Jon Reader at 174 pounds, the team finished a disappointing twentieth at the NCAA Championships, one of the lowest finishes since the team started competing in 1928. While some starters are returning this season, the 2011-12 Cyclones are a relatively young team which will feature several new wrestlers in their lineup, including freshmen, such as the highly-touted Kyven Gadson.

We spoke with Coach Jackson Friday afternoon by phone about his young team. We discussed who are the likely starters, the new recruits for the Cyclones, how competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is helpful for college wrestlers, possible changes in the Big 12 Conference, and much more.

In addition, we open by noting the continued revival of catch wrestling. This week saw the launch of the new web site of the world-famous Snake Pit. Much more is to come for this home of catch wrestling in Wigan, England, and around the world.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Gi Open 2011 tournament, a signing of his new book by MMA legend Randy Couture, grappling and muay Thai action, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The third annual MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with American Top Team mixed martial arts fighter and two-time ADCC world champion Jeff Monson.

On Sunday, November 20, Jeff Monson will be fighting Fedor Emelianenko in the main event of an M-1 Global mixed martial arts card at the Olympic Hall in Moscow, Russia. While Fedor had a ten-year winning streak and is regarded as the best heavyweight MMA fighter of all time, he has lost his last three fights. The stage is thus set for this showdown between these two veteran fighters on Fedor's home turf.

We spoke with Jeff Monson Wednesday night by phone about his approach to taking on this legend. We discussed the relative strengths of each fighter, who has the edge in grappling and striking, and what his basic game plan may be.

Jeff is also keeping a very busy schedule, as this will be his sixth MMA fight this year in addition to his competing in numerous grappling events. He also is traveling around the world conducting seminars. We discussed this, as well as his attitude to the recent revival of catch wrestling.

But Jeff is also a self-described anarchist and remains politically active. He was recently arrested at a protest in Olympia, Washington, although all the charges were soon dropped. We thus discussed the growing Occupy Wall Street movement, his views on the many problems in the world, how he has been viewed as a combat sports fighter participating in an avowedly non-violent movement, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Gi Open 2011 tournament, a signing of his new book by MMA legend Randy Couture, grappling and muay Thai action, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The third annual MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the James Kirkland-Alfredo Angulo and Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin-Craig McEwan fights of November 5, and issues a challenge to MMA fans about the MMA vs. boxing debate.

On Saturday, November 5, there will be three televised boxing cards in the U.S., and none of them on pay-per-view. Besides the Showtime card headlined by unbeaten IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute facing Glen Johnson, and the WealthTV card promoted by Don King headlined by WBA cruiserweight champion Guillermo Jones fighting Mike Marrone, HBO will have a doubleheader coming from Cancun, Mexico.

Two sluggers who very much need a big victory will face each other in the main event of the HBO card, as James Kirkland (29-1, 26 KOs) faces Alfredo Angulo (20-1, 17 KOs) in a 12-round, 154-pound WBC title eliminator. The first-round knockout loss earlier this year of Kirkland by little-known Nobuhiro Ishida, and the 2009 decision loss of Angulo to Kermit Cintron, halted the title quests of both these highly-touted fighters, so an impressive victory is essential for both Kirkland and Angulo. Most observers expect this one to be a memorable shootout, and it is not to be missed.

Also on that televised card, the unbeaten Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin (25-0, 19 KOs) makes his HBO debut against Craig McEwan (19-1, 10 KOs) in a ten-round middleweight fight. McEwan is coming off the first loss of his career, a tenth-round TKO by Andy Lee in March.

On a media conference call Monday, Kirkland explained how he has become a different fighter since his loss to Ishida. We also spoke with both Peter Quillin and Craig McEwan to get their takes on their fight.

In addition, we issue a challenge to those MMA fans who watched the UFC pay-per-view this past Saturday headlined by the Nick Diaz-B.J. Penn fight. Our challenge: watch any or all of these three non-pay-per-view boxing cards this coming Saturday, November 5, and let us know whether or not they were better than the UFC pay-per-view.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Gi Open 2011 tournament, a signing of his new book by MMA legend Randy Couture, grappling and muay Thai action, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The third annual MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the journalist, writer, and our newest correspondent, Lee Li. Based in Hong Kong, she publishes the blog called MMA in Asia.

In a lengthy and in-depth interview recorded on Friday via Skype, we discussed the recent phenomenal growth of mixed martial arts in Asia outside of Japan.

We previewed the Legend Fighting Championship 6 card, which takes place Sunday, October 30, in Macau, and is headlned by Legend lightweight champion Adrian Pang making the first defense of his belt against Sengoku veteran Jadamba Narantungalag of Mongolia. This card, which Lee Li will be covering, will be telecast in several countries.

This past week, the ONE Fighting Championship, based in Singapore, announced "mutually exclusive partnerships" with numerous MMA promotions and gyms throughout Asia. We discussed the enormous significance of this development and how, over time, it may possibly change the balance of power in world MMA.

We also discussed many other promotions in Asia, including URCC, Art of War, RUFF, PXC, Road FC, and many others. All these new organizations are already producing new heroes from amongst their fighters, and we mentioned some of the fighters who, both in the present and future, are emerging as the best in Asia and, potentially, the world.

In addition, we discussed the pressing issues of ethics, governance, sanctioning, regulation, and fighter safety facing these new organizations. The regulatory and legal situations vary from country to country, but the need for good, ethical governance does not. We also discussed the recent growth of interest in grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Asia, how that affects MMA, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Gi Open 2011 tournament, a signing of his new book by MMA legend Randy Couture, grappling and muay Thai action, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The third annual MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the one and only Don King.

Don King was in New York Tuesday, October 25, presiding over a news conference about the November 5 card he is promoting. Headlining that 11-fight show will be WBA cruiserweight champion Guillermo Jones (37-3-2, 29 KOs) defending his belt against Mike Marrone (20-3, 15 KOs), who is moving down from heavyweight. This card takes place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and will be televised in the U.S. and streamed for free online by WealthTV.

In a typically spirited, entertaining, and opinionated presentation at the news conference, Don King argued that boxing is in a "downward spiral" and in need of major change, including the way the television networks handle the sport. Besides hyping this card, he introduced Robert Herring and Charles Herring of WealthTV, which will be telecasting its first boxing card.

We spoke with Don King right after the formal news conference about this card, what changes he wants to make in boxing, how he views some other topics like the Occupy Wall Street protests, and more. We also spoke with Charles Herring to learn more about WealthTV and its plans.

In addition, we present the entire, unedited audio of this news conference. And we also explain why, despite there being two other major televised boxing cards in the U.S. that same night, this one is likely to be the best.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Gi Open 2011 tournament, a signing of his new book by MMA legend Randy Couture, grappling and muay Thai action, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The third annual MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the latest series of crazy and controversial decisions in boxing and MMA, and how this reflects the crisis of governance in the combat sports.

In boxing, we start by noting the growing chaos in the aftermath of the October 15 Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson fight, officially ruled a TKO victory for Dawson but which most people believe should have been declared a no contest/no decision after Dawson lifted and threw Hopkins to the mat. We discuss the highly controversial unanimous decision victory for Edwin Rodriguez over Will Rosinsky on Friday, October 21, in what was a very competitive fight, and the unanimous decision victory by Nonito Donaire over Omar Narvaez on Saturday, October 22, in what was supposed to be a showcase fight involving boxers from different weight classes.

In MMA, we discuss the controversial split decision victory by Alexis Vila over Marcos Galvao in the Bellator bantamweight tournament semifinals, also on October 22. We also discuss how the changing social and political climate in the West will affect the perceptions of the public about MMA, the repercussions of homophobia and misogyny in MMA, and how corporate sponsors might react to these issues. We comment upon the mafia-type culture that may end up being self-destructive for MMA, the standalone business model pursued by many MMA promotions, the growing number of injuries in MMA, the issue of monopolization, and much more.

In addition, we draw some of the lessons from the history of the development of the rules for MMA and apply them to the current discussion about the rules for catch wrestling. And we hear comments from 2011 freestyle wrestling and NCAA champion Jordan Burroughs, who will be competing in the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, on October 24.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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, featuring the Renzo Gracie Gi Open 2011 tournament, a signing of his new book by MMA legend Randy Couture, grappling and muay Thai action, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The third annual MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Craig Hummer, the veteran sports commentator who is the play-by-play broadcaster for the PBR (Professional Bull Riders).

Bull riding is the most popular and dangerous of the rodeo sports, and has also been called "America's original extreme sport". The PBR is the top bull riding organization in the world, with riders coming from Brazil, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Australia.

The highest-ranked rider during the 2011 regular season was Silvano Alves of Brazil, followed by fellow Brazilian Valdiron de Oliveira. They are among the 43 riders who have qualified for the 2011 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals, which will be held Wednesday, October 26, to Sunday, October 30, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the U.S., the PBR World Finals will be televised on Versus every day from October 26 to October 29, and on NBC on October 30.

We spoke with Craig Hummer by phone on Thursday to introduce us to bull riding, preview the PBR World Finals, and analyze the appeal of this sport. We discussed who are the favorites both among the riders and bulls at the PBR World Finals, how this sport exemplifies the cowboy culture, why so many Brazilians have been successful in it, issues relating to safety and injuries of the riders, how this sport respects the bulls and treats them as athletes, the role of the bullfighters, the structure and governance of bull riding, the similarities between bull riding and combat sports, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the scandalous governance in combat sports, especially in light of the latest disgrace in the Hopkins-Dawson boxing match of October 15. In that fight, Dawson was awarded a TKO victory after lifting Hopkins and depositing him on the canvas, injuring Hopkins's shoulder. It is the first known major boxing title fight won with a takedown.

Also discussed are the implications of the Cologne Consensus issued by the Play the Game conference calling for tougher measures to fight corruption and mismanagement in sports on an international level; the lessons of bad governance in combat sports for the re-emerging sport of catch wrestling; the governance of MMA and the battle to re-legalize MMA in New York; the call by Olympic athletes to strengthen penalties for doping; and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Boyd Ritchie of the International Submission Wrestling Alliance (ISWA) about the revival of catch, or catch-as-catch-can, wrestling.

The ISWA is sanctioning the CACC Southeastern Regional Championship. This event will be the first of several planned regional tournaments in catch-as-catch-can wrestling, leading up to a national championship in 2012. The CACC Southeastern Regional Championship takes place Saturday, November 12, from 2:00 PM to 6:30 PM ET, at the YMCA at 205 W. Richardson Avenue in Summerville, South Carolina, near Charleston. For those who compete in this tournament, there will be a free seminar with Kris Iatskevich of the ISWA on Sunday, November 13.

We spoke with Boyd Ritchie Thursday evening by phone about this tournament and the revival of the sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling, which was once enormously popular in the early part of the twentieth century. We discussed the rules of this style of submission wrestling, some of the history of this sport, how the future is beginning to look very bright for it, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the October 15 boxing card headlined by the light heavyweight title fight between Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson.

The 46-year-old Hopkins, the oldest boxer ever to win a major title, will be defending his WBC belt against the 29-year-old Dawson, a former WBC and IBF champion, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. This card will be telecast in the U.S. HBO Pay-Per-View.

We spoke with both Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson on media conference calls where both fighters stated their cases as to why they will prevail in this fight. The legendary Hopkins explained what he represents to people and how he wants to be known, besides being a champion boxer. Dawson argued that he has the tools and desire to beat his older opponent, and is highly motivated for this fight.

We also explain why you should never, ever, bet against Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins.

In addition, we also spoke with Kendall Holt and Danny Garcia, who fight in a junior welterweight bout, and Paulie Malignaggi, who faces Orlando Lora in a welterweight fight, on this show.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Coach George Hero, the legendary coach and founder of the Midwood High School wrestling team in Brooklyn, New York.

The 53-year-old Coach Hero will once again be wrestling this Saturday, October 15. Under NCAA rules, he will be facing NYU senior heavyweight Rudy De La Cruz in the main event of the Midwood Wrestling Exhibition 2011: Battle of the Warriors. This event takes place at the Midwood High School at Brooklyn College Campus Road Gymnasium at 2839 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, beginning at 11 AM. There will be a total of 12 matches held under folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling rules.

We spoke with Coach Hero Monday night by phone about this latest event, which aims to promote the sport of wrestling. We discussed his continuing participation in competition, which began at age 52 after an absence from the mat of two decades while he devoted his time to coaching wrestling. This event will also feature matches involving those he has coached and is currently coaching at Midwood, as well as many wrestlers from other schools. We discussed the ongoing efforts to promote wrestling, why this sport retains such a strong attraction to those who have ever competed in it, the need for former wrestlers to have a place to return to training and competition, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Rudy Gonzalez, the former personal bodyguard, chauffeur, and confidant of Mike Tyson. Rudy is the author of the explosive book about Mike Tyson, The Inner Ring. He is also working on making a film based on this book.

We spoke with Rudy on Thursday when he was in New York. We discussed many of the incidents and tragedies in the life of Mike Tyson both in and out of the ring, with Rudy providing many behind-the-scenes stories and offering his theories as well. We spoke about Tyson's disputed rape conviction and imprisonment, how his boxing career nosedived shortly after the death of trainer Cus D'Amato, his relations with and subsequent lawsuit against promoter Don King, the place of Tyson in boxing history and how great he may have become, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with one of the founders of the UFC, Art Davie.

He is back with a new organization, XARM, featuring a new combat sport which combines arm wrestling and mixed martial arts. XARM originally started in 2008, but for various reasons, as he explained in our interview, it discontinued running events. Now with a mobile game set to debut October 17 and a slate of live events planned to start January 2012, XARM is back.

We spoke with Art Davie Tuesday night by phone about what XARM is and why fight and sports fans should give this new sport, which is itself evolving as did MMA, a chance. He discussed the rules and format, how XARM is already preparing to approach the various athletic commissions for sanctioning, the prospects of a TV deal, how this sport is being tailored for digital and mobile devices, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with our colleague and correspondent Kid Peligro.

After covering the 2011 ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships, held September 24-25 in Nottingham, England, Kid has declared that this was the best ADCC event ever. Started in 1998, the ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships is the most important and prestigious grappling event in the world.

We spoke with Kid Peligro by phone Saturday about this event. He discussed why he was so positive about it, how the matches both were exciting and showcased an array of submission techniques, the significance of the successful use of many leglock and footlock submissions in this event, the incredible performances by Absolute champion Andre Galvao and many others, how this event helped fulfill the mission of ADCC, the relation between MMA and grappling, the predominance of lowest common denominator techniques in MMA today, what grappling can do to increase its popularity, where ADCC 2013 might be held, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with 2011 ADCC 99+ kg world champion and M-1 Global light heavyweight champion Vinny Magalhaes.

So far, 2011 has been an incredible year for Vinny Magalhaes. Fighting out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, on April 28, 2011, he captured the vacant M-1 Global light heavyweight title by submitting Viktor Nemkov with a mounted gogoplata which has been nicknamed a "Vinnyplata". Next, he was victorious in the two-day ADCC 2011 World Submission Fighting Championship in the 99+ kg division, defeating defending champion Fabricio Werdum in the finals on September 25.

On October 14, he will be defending his M-1 light heavyweight crown against Mikhail Zayats, a 2008 world combat sambo champion, who has won his last four MMA fights, three by submission and one by TKO. That fight will be the co-main event on the live M-1 Global telecast on Showtime in the U.S., which will be held at the Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

We spoke with Vinny Magalhaes by phone Saturday about winning these world titles in mixed martial arts and grappling during the same year. He explained how he has changed his mentality as a mixed martial arts fighter after starting off with a losing record, to win his last four fights and six out of his last seven, to up his record to 8-5. We discussed how he can compete on a world level in both these sports at the same time. He explained why in mixed martial arts, even though he is training in all techniques, his ground game is still his main weapon. We discussed his training with M-1 heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili, who will defend his title against Kenny Garner on that same October 14 card, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Marcus Holt and Steven Nightingale of Reps MMA.

Based in Preston, Lancashire, in the U.K., they were involved in organizing a mixed martial arts show, called Reps Retribution, on September 10 at the Greenlands Labour Club. Before the show, there was an exhibition grappling match in the event's cage between two young boys, both of whose parents were in attendance. There was no striking of any kind permitted in this exhibition, and no score was even kept in it.

After a video of their grappling match appeared online, some major mainstream media outlets in the U.K., including the BBC and Sky News, circulated hysterical reports that eight-year-old boys had been involved in "cage fighting", making it seem that they had a full-blown mixed martial arts fight. Much of the American mainstream media, including CBS News, MSNBC, the New York Daily News, and many others copied this story, inaccuracies and all.

While the mainstream media on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were wringing their hands and condemning this as "barbaric", they were entirely incapable of understanding and reporting the truth about this grappling exhibition. This, of course, is not the first time and certainly not the last time that they have tried to spread lies, smears, and distortions about the combat sports.

Thus, to get at the truth, we spoke with Marcus Holt and Steven Nightingale of Reps MMA about what really happened at this event, their plans for running more MMA and grappling events, the state of British wrestling, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman continues commentary on some of the recent controversies in the combat sports. We discuss the postponement of the Andre Ward-Carl Froch World Boxing Classic tournament final because of a training injury to Ward, and compare that to the handling of the injury to Alistair Overeem which caused him to request a postponement of his Strikeforce tournament semifinal. We hear comments from Ken Hershman of Showtime Sports on their relationship with Strikeforce. We analyze the HBO replay of the controversial Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz fight, where the instruction of referee Joe Cortez for both fighters to resume fighting after deducting a point from Ortiz for a head butt was shown on the fight replay, but edited out of the replays thereafter. We discuss the good and bad points of the Dream 17 mixed martial arts card in Japan this past weekend. We expose the U.K. and U.S. media hysteria over a supposed cage fight between young boys, which was really submission grappling with no striking. We discuss the allegations in a BBC report that 2012 Olympic boxing medals were for sale. And we exhort everyone to speak up against corruption in combat sports, lest the bad guys continue to win.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses some of the recent controversies in the combat sports in light of the attention brought to the battle against corruption and for better governance by the upcoming conference on October 3-6 in Cologne, Germany, of the sports reform organization, Play the Game.

We discuss the dispute between boxer Manny Pacquiao and his promoter, Top Rank, and the business and accounting company VisionQwest; the dispute involving K-1 and former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem, his management company Golden Glory, and UFC; the sanctioning of disgraced boxer Antonio Margarito by New York; problems in the new MMA organizations in Asia; controversies at the world wrestling championships; and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Team Takeover's Bloodstain Lane about the controversy in the September 17 Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz fight.

Late in the fourth round of that fight, which was telecast on HBO pay-per-view, referee Joe Cortez stopped the action to deduct a point from Ortiz for a blatant head butt. When they restarted, Ortiz chose to hug Mayweather and apologize. Mayweather hugged him back, but then Ortiz stood with his hands down. Mayweather next quickly landed a left hook and a solid right which dropped Ortiz. Referee Cortez, who was looking outside the ring and talking with someone when Mayweather threw that first punch, then counted during the knockdown, and subsequently counted Ortiz out, thus indicating that the punches were indeed legal. Mayweather was declared the winner by knockout at 2:59 of round four.

Many people, however, believe that Mayweather should not have attacked Ortiz, even though the fight had resumed. In any case, this has become one of the biggest controversies in the history of boxing.

We discussed this controversy with Bloodstain Lane and replied to the critics of Mayweather. The old boxing maxim of "Protect yourself at all times" was invoked. We also discussed the comments of Larry Merchant of HBO towards Mayweather after the fight, and that the HBO announcers did not criticize the referee. And we commented on the reluctance of the Manny Pacquiao camp to comply with Mayweather's stipulation that such a fight would only take place if Pacquiao agreed to undergo random and unannounced blood and urine drug testing. In addition, we commented on what appeared to be an early stoppage in the Canelo Alvarez-Alfonso Gomez fight on that telecast. In that bout, Alvarez was declared the winner by knockout in the sixth round, even though Gomez, while hurt, had not been knocked down in that round.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the legendary mixed martial arts referee, Big John McCarthy.

Big John is on a book-signing tour for his new autobiography, written with Loretta Hunt, called Let’s Get It On!

This book is a welcome, revealing, and entertaining addition to the library of anyone who is seriously interested in the real history and development of mixed martial arts and combat sports.

We spoke with Big John while he was in New York about his autobiography. We discussed some of what is covered in the book, including how he met Rorion Gracie and got involved with the creation of UFC, the problems today with officiating in MMA, what can be done to improve the refereeing and health and safety measures around the world, what his activities are now, and much more. He also called for an independent sanctioning body to control the belts in MMA.

"No promoter should be in charge of belts," he said during this interview. "It should be sanctioning bodies as what legally can have control of belts. Because when you have a promoter that has control of their belt, you really don't have the ability to put sometimes the best fighters together. You don't have that."

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with mixed martial arts fighter and former elite freestyle and college wrestler "King" Mo Lawal.

"King" Mo was victorious in his most recent fight, a first-round knockout over jiu-jitsu and grappling world champion Roger Gracie on the September 10 Strikeforce show in Cincinnati, in a light heavyweight bout.

In another candid interview, we spoke with "King" Mo by phone Tuesday night about this fight, which was his first in over a year because of a knee injury and subsequent surgery. He explained his strategy in this fight and why he, a world-class wrestler facing a world-class grappler, wanted it to stay standing. We discussed the interaction of grappling and striking in mixed martial arts, and the aesthetics of watching mixed-style fights vs. those with pure styles. We discussed his uncertain future in Strikeforce after this victory, and the poor attendance and TV ratings for what turned out to be an entertaining card. We also discussed the knockout victory on this same show by his longtime friend, teammate, and training partner, heavyweight Daniel Cormier, who stopped Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in the first round. Both "King" Mo and Daniel Cormier were also champions in the now-defunct Real Pro Wrestling organization, and we discussed what led to its demise. We also discussed how he might do in a fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, the recent controversies at the 2011 World Wrestling Championships, the upcoming Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz and "Canelo" Alvarez-Alfonso Gomez fights, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with fighters Victor Ortiz, Canelo Alvarez, and Alfonso Gomez.

The 24-year-old Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) will be making the first defense of his WBC welterweight belt against the contorversial but unbeaten 34-year-old Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) in Las Vegas this coming Saturday, September 17. The 21-year-old phenom Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (37-0-1, 27 KOs), will be defending his WBC super welterweight belt against the 30-year-old Alfonso Gomez (23-4-2, 12 KOs), who is on a five-fight winning streak. Alvarez and Gomez will fight that same night in Los Angeles, with both fights being featured on HBO pay-per-view in the U.S.

We spoke with Victor Ortiz, Canelo Alvarez, and Alfonso Gomez on prefight media conference calls to preview their fights.

In addition, we open by contrasting how two of the ancient combat sports, boxing and wrestling, are presently handling their televising of their world championship events.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the unedited and complete audio from the media conference call featuring Floyd Mayweather, recorded Wednesday, September 7. After an absence from the ring since May 2010, Mayweather will return this coming Saturday, September 17, to face WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, in Las Vegas, and on HBO pay-per-view.

We open with a review of the tenth-round TKO victory by WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (43-2, 40 KO's) over Tomasz Adamek (44-2, 28 KO's), which took place Saturday, September 10, in Wroclaw, Poland. This dominating and entertaining performance by the 40-year-old Klitschko adds to one of the most impressive records in the history of heavyweight boxing, and again demonstrates why he is one of the all-time greats in this sport.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski)

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the heavyweight boxing title fight between WBC champ Vitali Klitschko and former cruiserweight and light heavyweight champ Tomasz Adamek.

This fight takes place Saturday, September 10, at the 42,000-seat Municipal Stadium (Stadion Miejski) in Wroclaw, Poland, near Adamek's hometown. It will be televised on pay-per-view in Poland, on HBO in the U.S., and to many other countries around the world.

Along with his brother Wladimir, the 40-year-old Klitschko (42-2, 39 KO's) has been a dominant force in the heavyweight division for many years. Recently, however, Vitali has showed signs of slowing down. Adamek (44-1, 28 KO's) believes that he has the speed to counteract his much larger opponent and take his belt.

We spoke with Tomasz Adamek, his trainer Roger Bloodworth, and promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events on a media conference call last week to get their views on this important fight.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman and Gary Abbott, Director of Communications and Special Projects of USA Wrestling, preview the 2011 World Wrestling Championships.

This event takes place Monday, September 12, through Sunday, September 18, at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Ataköy, Istanbul, Turkey. It will feature the best wrestlers in the world in the three styles which will be contested: men's and women's freestyle wrestling, and Greco-Roman wrestling.

USA Wrestling has a special section on the World Championships on TheMat.com.

Our annual preview of the World Wrestling Championships included profiles of both American wrestlers and many of the wrestling stars from around the world. We discussed 2004 Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler Cael Sanderson of the USA, who returned to competition this year after a seven-year hiatus where he focused on coaching; two-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time world champion in women's freestyle wrestling Saori Yoshida of Japan, who has won every year since 2002; and 2008 Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, heavyweight Mijian Lopez of Cuba, who has won every year since 2007.

We also discussed the upcoming annual predictions of international wrestling journalists of gold medal winners (including both of us), how this event is a qualifier for the 2012 Olympics, how to follow 2011 World Wrestling Championships live, why this event is both so important and enjoyable, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with two-time U.S. freestyle wrestling Olympian and undefeated mixed martial arts heavyweight fighter, Daniel Cormier.

He will next be fighting in the semifinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. This fight will take place Saturday, September 10, at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, on a card televised in the U.S. on Showtime.

We spoke with him by phone Thursday about how he plans to face his much heavier and more experienced opponent, who is renowned as a black belt in both jiu-jitsu and judo, and defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko by second-round TKO in the quarterfinals of the Grand Prix in February. We discussed how he was added to the Grand Prix after it had started, the role of wrestling in mixed martial arts, why MMA fighters must learn how to wrestle, the lessons of his recent fights, his training with UFC heavyweight titleholder and former All-American wrestler Cain Velasquez, whether or not he plans to return to wrestling, what wrestling must do to promote itself better, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the September 3 fight between IBF welterweight champion Jan Zaveck and former WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto, and discusses the statement by Canadian and American pediatricians opposing youth and adolescent boxing.

Jan Zaveck (31-1, 18 KOs), based in Germany and born in Slovenia, will be coming to America to try to defend his IBF belt against an opponent, Andre Berto (27-1, 21 KOs), who is coming off the first loss of his professional career. This fight takes place Saturday, September 3, at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, and will be telecast live in the U.S. on HBO.

For the 27-year-old Berto, who lost his WBC belt to underdog Victor Ortiz in a wild fight in April, this fight against the lesser-known Zaveck is a must-win. Berto has already been involved in several action-packed fight-of-the-year candidates, and is expected to try to make a statement following his defeat by Ortiz. The 35-year-old Zaveck, who won his title against South African Isaac Hlatshwayo in South Africa in December 2009 with a third-round TKO and has successfully defended it three times, wants to make his own statement in his first fight in America.

We spoke with both Andre Berto and Jan Zaveck on a media conference call about what to expect in this fight.

We also comment on the policy statement issued this week by the Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics entitled "Boxing participation by children and adolescents".

In this statement, published in the journal Pediatrics, these organizations "oppose boxing as a sport for children and adolescents" because of "the risk of head and facial injuries", including concussions and other neurologic injuries.

As more people and organizations are becoming aware of the health dangers caused by concussions, we examine this statement and assess what it might mean for the future of the combat sports.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, and MMA legend Renzo Gracie.

The next several weeks once again will see a hectic travel schedule for Renzo, as he is now in Singapore for the debut show of the ONE Fighting Championship. This MMA card takes place on Saturday, September 3, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, and will feature 16 fighters who are present or former world or national champions in various disciplines in the martial arts and combat sports, facing one another. Renzo will be cornering his cousin, Gregor Gracie, who fights Seok Mo Kim of Korea.

On Saturday, September 10, Renzo will be cornering another cousin, multi-time ADCC and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Roger Gracie. Roger will be fighting on a Strikeforce mixed martial arts card against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, "King" Mo Lawal. That card takes place at the U.S. Bank Arena, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and will be televised in the U.S. on Showtime.

Next, on September 24, Renzo returns to the mat himself at the most prestigious and important grappling event in the world, the ADCC 2011 Submission Fighting World Championships. Renzo will be facing another BJJ and grappling legend, Mario Sperry, in a superfight. This year's edition of the ADCC event will take place September 24-25 in Nottingham, England, at the Capital FM Arena. Some tickets are still available.

We spoke with Renzo Monday evening at his New York academy, the day before he was set to fly to Singapore. As always, Renzo was enthusiastic about all these events coming up, and discussed them all with us.

In addition, we open with some comments on the explosive growth of mixed martial arts in Asia, and some of the lessons that these new and young promoters can learn from the history of MMA around the world.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with 1996 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist Kurt Angle. He also has an important role playing Koba, an undefeated Russian mixed martial arts fighter, in the new dramatic film, "Warrior".

We spoke with Kurt Angle on Friday on a media conference call about his role as Koba. The character is billed as an Olympic gold medalist wrestler and a world sambo champion, thus making him a sort of combination of Kurt Angle and Fedor Emelianenko. The critically-acclaimed "Warrior" will have its theatrical release in the U.S. on September 9.

Although he is now 42 years old and has not wrestled in real competition for a decade and a half, Kurt Angle also said that he plans to return to freestyle wrestling for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. That event will be held April 21 and 22, 2012, at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on the University of Iowa campus.

We spoke with him about his plans to compete in the Olympic Trials, the growth of the popularity of wrestling in America, why he claims that he will not wrestle in any tournament prior to the Olympic Trials, and more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the veteran MMA and combat sports trainer, official, and former fighter, Matt Hume.

He has just been selected to be the head official and referee for the new mixed martial arts promotion, the ONE Fighting Championship.

ONE FC has its debut show on Saturday, September 3, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. This card will feature 16 fighters who are present or former world or national champions in various disciplines in the martial arts and combat sports, facing one another.

We spoke by phone with Matt Hume on Wednesday to learn about the rules, structure, and organization of ONE FC. The rules will be a unique blend of the North American unified rules and the rules used in Pride FC, where Matt was also an official. We discussed the challenges of running mixed martial arts events in areas where, unlike North America, there is little or no government regulation. ONE FC is aiming to become the largest MMA promotion in Asia, and we discussed its potential to become as popular as Pride was in its heyday. We also discussed his work and role as owner of both Genesis Fights in Seattle, Washington, and AMC Kickboxing and Pankration in Kirkland, Washington, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman continues getting reaction from the combat sports world to the new, ground-breaking, mixed martial arts-themed dramatic film, "Warrior".

At a New York preview of the film last Thursday, we spoke with the popular combat sports vlogger Bloodstain Lane, Stephen Koepfer of New York Combat Sambo and the American Sambo Association, veteran MMA and combat sports journalist Chris Thomas, and New York designer and combat sports buff Ivy Supersonic. As with the first set of interviews we did after a preview of this film in April, all were very positive about it.

"Warrior", which will be released on September 9, is a riveting drama focusing on the quest of two estranged brothers to win a Grand Prix MMA tournament. It stars Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte. In its previews, it has deservedly received enthusiastic praise, both from general movie observers and those in the MMA community alike. Many are already predicting that the film and those involved with it will receive numerous awards.

"Warrior" is a must-see film and the first major work of art about a sport often associated with blood and vulgarity, sometimes deservedly so, and sometimes not.

(This edition of No Holds Barred includes some explicit language.)

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses whether the march of mixed martial arts into the world of mainstream sports is a good thing or not. We examine some of the recent instances of corruption, scandal, and tragedy in the mainstream sports. We criticize the recent statement by David Hill, chairman of the Fox Sports Media Group, which just signed a deal to televise UFC events, that MMA fighters are a "different breed" from boxers because "they're intelligent, they're smart, they're committed." We present a statement also criticizing Hill from Dr. Margaret Goodman, former ringside physician and head of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. And we offer a yardstick for judging these sports, why combat sports should be special, and their real value to most people.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Gavin O'Connor, the director and screenwriter of the new, ground-breaking, mixed martial arts-themed dramatic film, "Warrior".

Gavin O'Connor also was the producer of the celebrated documentary "The Smashing Machine" about MMA fighter and wrestler Mark Kerr.

"Warrior", which will be released on September 9, is a riveting drama focusing on the quest of two estranged brothers to win a Grand Prix MMA tournament. It stars Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte. In its previews, it has deservedly received enthusiastic praise, both from general movie observers and those in the MMA community alike. Many are already predicting that the film and those involved with it will receive numerous awards.

We spoke with Gavin O'Connor on Wednesday by phone about the background to this film. "I really wanted this to be a love letter to the sport because I love the sport," he said. The verdict seems to be that he has succeeded in doing precisely that.

As we said when we saw a preview of the film in April, whether you are a fan of MMA or not, "Warrior" is a must-see film.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with freestyle and college champion wrestler, and the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, "King" Mo Lawal.

After being out of action since August 2010 because of a knee injury, "King" Mo will return on September 10 to face multi-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and ADCC world champion Roger Gracie on a Strikeforce MMA card in Cincinnati, Ohio.

We spoke with "King" Mo Sunday evening by phone about how he is approaching this fight. He also was in attendance at the August 13 boxing match between Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares, and we discussed the controversy over the failure of referee Russell Mora to penalize Mares despite dozens of low blows. As always, since "King" Mo is a connoisseur of all the combat sports, we discussed what is going on in boxing, as well as international wrestling, where three-time Olympic gold medalist Buvaisar Saitiev of Russia may be making yet another Olympic run in 2012. We discussed with "King" Mo his plans for the future, how he has been training with top athletes in several combat sports, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo: Tom Casino/Showtime)

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent Keisha Morrisey.

In the August 13 bantamweight title fight in Las Vegas, Nevada, between Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares, referee Russell Mora let Mares land countless low blows without even deducting a point, much less disqualifying him. In the eleventh round, Mora even counted for a knockdown after Agbeko went down from a clear shot to the groin by Mares. This was one of the worst refereeing jobs in modern boxing history, and made the majority decision victory awarded to Mares virtually meaningless.

Outrage has been virtually unanimous among those who saw the fight (except, of course, from the referee), and many are calling for an immediate rematch, as well as nullifying the decision. The New Jersey commission suspended all three judges after their absurd decision in the Lara-Williams fight earlier this year, so it will be instructive to see what action if any the Nevada commission takes regarding Mora.

We spoke by phone late Saturday night right after the Agbeko-Mares fight with Keisha Morrisey. We discussed the refereeing in this fight, what it says about the continuously declining state of boxing, what should be done next, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with journalist Lisa Sabatini of Grapplers Planet.

The "summer of grappling" is continuing, and one of its highlights thus far has been the 16-man grappling tournament, the Ultimate Absolute. This event was held July 30 in New York. Lisa traveled from Canada to cover the Ultimate Absolute, and we discussed its importance and significance. We also discussed media coverage of grappling, why and how grappling events can be very appealing to spectators, the phenomenal and continuing growth of the popularity of grappling, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the finals of the Showtime bantamweight tournament featuring IBF champ Joseph King Kong Agbeko and Abner Mares, and discusses the myth that wearing gloves in boxing and MMA makes those sports safer.

This Saturday, August 13, IBF bantamweight champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) will fight the unbeaten Abner Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs) in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a bout postponed from April when Agbeko fell victim to an attack of sciatica. Now that Agbeko is fully recovered, this much-anticipated fight will conclude the four-man Showtime bantamweight tournament.

We spoke with Joseph King Kong Agbeko and Abner Mares on a recent media conference call about the effects of this postponement and what to expect in this fight.

The issue of bare-knuckle fighting has recently come to the fore with the bare-knuckle boxing match between Bobby Gunn and Richard Stewart at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Casino and Hotel in Fountain Hill, Arizona, outside Scottsdale, on August 5, 2011. This appeared to be a planned mismatch in favor of Gunn, who won by third-round knockout, and the health and safety standards were suspect since no member of the Association of Boxing Commissions was regulating it.

However, the condemnation of this bare-knuckle contest by the Association of Boxing Commissions and others raises the issue of the relative safety of sports like boxing and MMA when they are conducted as bare-knuckle fights compared to when the fighters are required to wear gloves.

Dr. Allan J. Ryan, considered to be a co-founder of the field of sports medicine in 1945, wrote an article in 1983 called "Eliminate Boxing Gloves". He also argued that "In 100 years of bare-knuckle fighting in the United States, which terminated around 1897 with a John L Sullivan heavyweight championship fight, there wasn't a single ring fatality."

We thus re-ignite this discussion about which is safer for the athletes in both boxing and MMA, fighting with or without gloves.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the parallels between the cases of boxer Kelly Pavlik and mixed martial arts fighter and kickboxer Alistair Overeem.

Kelly Pavlik, the former middleweight champion, had been scheduled for a tune-up fight on August 6, but pulled out of the fight just days before it was supposed to occur. While speculation ran rampant about the reasons for his withdrawal, especially since Pavlik had recently been in rehab for alcoholism, a very sober Pavlik argued in an interview with MaxBoxing that he was being used as a "puppet" by his promoter, Top Rank.

Alistair Overeem, the heavyweight champion of both Strikeforce and Dream, and the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix champion, had been scheduled to fight in the second round of the Strikeforce Grand Prix heavyweight tournament. When he learned that this card would take place on September 10, he said in an interview on HDNet that he requested a postponement of about a month so he could heal from a rib injury, which he also documented. His request was not only rejected, but he was then dropped from the tournament, and then cut entirely by Strikeforce. Three other members of his Golden Glory team were also cut by Strikeforce right after he was.

We draw the parallels between these two cases, even though these two fighters compete in different sports, are at different stages of their careers, and are facing different specific issues. We address the failure of most of the media to report the side of the fighters in cases like this, the lack of adequate representation for fighters, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent Kid Peligro.

Our subject is the ADCC 2011 Submission Fighting World Championships.

This is the most prestigious and greatest submission grappling tournament in the world. This year's edition will take place September 24-25 in Nottingham, England, at the Capital FM Arena.

We spoke with Kid Peligro by phone on Wednesday night about this event and its history and significance. We discussed some of the athletes who will be competing at it, the worldwide growth of grappling since this event's inception in 1998, the potential for grappling to become a major spectator sport, the use of technology to spread the word about grappling including a webcast of the event and Kid's own iPhone app, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman analyzes the main lessons of the Dan Henderson-Fedor Emelianenko heavyweight mixed martial arts fight, which took place July 30 as the main event of a Strikeforce card at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, near Chicago. In this fight, Henderson, the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, won by TKO at 4:12 of the first round.

We explain why this loss by Fedor, his third in a row, does nothing to tarnish his legacy as a fighter after having gone undefeated for ten years. We discuss the wild brawling in this fight and what it says about the level of technique in MMA these days. We analyze the stoppage of this fight when Fedor was knocked out, and argue that not only was the stoppage not early, but was actually late. We discuss the dangers of fighters continuing to get hit after they are concussed on the ground. We note the torrent of negativity which this fight engendered. We comment on the release of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, and more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the successful first effort for the Ultimate Absolute grappling event with finals winner Andre Galvao, runner-up Rustam Chsiev, BJJ and grappling legend Renzo Gracie, and event organizer Rob Constance.

The Ultimate Absolute was held Saturday, July 30, at the historic Hotel Pennsylvania in New York, right across the street from Madison Square Garden. It was a one-day, 16-man, single-elimination, open-weight grappling tournament. The winner won $10,000, while $1000 was awarded for every submission.

Right after his victory, we spoke with Andre Galvao, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, about his victory and his plans. We spoke with Rustam Chsiev, who won the ADCC North American trials and has won numerous Grapplers Quest and NAGA titles, about this match, his background, and his plans. The thrilling final match of this tournament was scoreless after the ten-minute regulation, a five-minute overtime, and a ten-minute sudden death overtime. Galvao was declared the winner by the judges.

We also spoke with Renzo Gracie about the Ultimate Absolute, the tremendous technique on display by the athletes at it, and his plans to continue competing both in grappling and MMA. And we summed up the maiden voyage of the Ultimate Absolute with event organizer Rob Constance, himself a black belt and instructor for Renzo Gracie, and got his take on the plans to continue with this successful event.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with veteran combat sports journalist Donovan Craig.

We opened with a discussion of the upcoming fight between two mixed martial arts legends, Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson. They meet in a heavyweight fight in the main event of a Strikeforce card this Saturday, July 30, at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, near Chicago, which will be telecast in the U.S. on Showtime. We discussed the histories of both fighters, their recent wins and losses, the likely balance of striking and grappling in this fight, how each fighter can win, and more.

Also, Donovan recently returned from a trip to the Philippines to cover a mixed martial arts event promoted by Pacific X-treme Combat (PXC). We discussed the level of fighters on that card, the prospects for growth of MMA in Asia, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo: John James/DiBella Entertainment)

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and Darren Barker about their October 1 fight in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

We spoke with both Martinez and Barker at the kickoff news conference for this fight held Wednesday, July 20, in New York. We also spoke with Martinez's promoter Lou DiBella about this fight and why none of the major sanctioning bodies recognize Martinez as middleweight champion, even though Martinez is the linear champion and has not lost since capturing the title last year against Kelly Pavlik. Plus, we spoke with TV host Kristal Hart about this fight and how it epitomizes both the good and bad in boxing.

We open the show with a critique of the Amir Khan-Zab Judah fight, won by Khan with a fifth-round knockout on Saturday, July 23, in Las Vegas. While Khan was dominating the entire fight, the stoppage was controversial since what was ruled as the knockout punch appeared to be below the line separating legal and illegal blows which the referee specified in the prefight instructions. And we criticize the promotion for this fight.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Victor Conte.

Formerly at the center of the BALCO doping scandal, and after having served four months in prison in 2005 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering, he now says that he has returned to helping train athletes the right and legal way. He presently runs SNAC, Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning.

In addition, he has been involved in the training of a number of top boxers and mixed martial arts fighters. Among those is IBF 140-pound champion Zab Judah, who fights WBA champion Amir Khan in Las Vegas this Saturday night, July 23.

We spoke by phone with Victor Conte Wednesday night about his training of Zab Judah and why he believes that the 33-year-old Judah, a former junior welterweight and welterweight champion who has returned to his original weight class, will defeat the 24-year-old Khan. We of course discussed the issue of doping, and he criticized the present anti-doping procedures carried out by North American athletic commissions for boxing and MMA as "worthless". We discussed the Mayweather-Pacquiao controversy over what drug-testing such a proposed fight should have. He also described doping in MMA as "rampant". He called for much more scrutiny on the issue of testosterone replacement therapy, which many people believe has been abused by athletes in an attempt to conceal the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

In addition, he revealed that he is working with Dr. Margaret Goodman, the neurologist and former ringside physician and head of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, on a new anti-doping project. Dr. Goodman is leading the effort to establish an organization called VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency. This would have elite boxers and MMA fighters voluntarily submit to random, unannounced blood and urine testing using the protocols of WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency. The goal would then be for their opponents to agree to such testing as well, and to help those many fighters who are against doping to combat the cheating in their sports.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and instructor Rob Constance AKA Black Rob.

Besides operating the Renzo Gracie Academy Hoboken, he is one of the main organizers of a new grappling event, the Ultimate Absolute.

The Ultimate Absolute is a one-day, 16-man, single-elimination, no-gi grappling tournament featuring numerous world champions and grappling stars. Its debut show is scheduled to be held Saturday, July 30, at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York, directly across the street from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station.

We spoke with Rob at the Renzo Gracie Academy in Manhattan about this important event and its significance in developing grappling as a spectator sport. We discussed who is slated to compete, the rules, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the major grappling events which are taking place this summer. Events both big and small featuring wrestling, grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, judo, sambo, and sumo are mentioned. This calendar of events in the various styles of grappling culminates with the most important and prestigious grappling event of all, the ADCC 2011 Submission Fighting World Championships, which take place Saturday, September 24, and Sunday, September 25, at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, U. K.

In addition, we discuss the general critique of sports by George Orwell in his 1945 essay "The Sporting Spirit". In it, Orwell argued that "sport is an unfailing cause of ill-will" and "international sporting contests lead to orgies of hatred". We disagree that these conclusions apply across the board to modern grappling events, but also stress the need for those involved in these events to emphasize their positive social values.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the main lessons of the three main combat sports shows televised this weekend in the U.S.

The best of the three was the M-1 Challenge XXVI mixed martial arts card, which took place Friday, July 8, at The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California, and was telecast live on Showtime. In the main event, heavyweight M-1 contender Kenny "Deuce" Garner won by a second-round KO over Pat Bennett. In the co-main event of this card, which had five fights televised, Arthur Guseinov knocked out Tyson Jeffries with a picture-perfect spinning back fist in the first round of their middleweight fight.

The next best show was also on Showtime, but featured boxing. On Saturday, July 9, from Carson, California, Brandon Rios retained his WBA lightweight title with a third-round stoppage of Urbano Antillon in an all-out battle. Also, Carlos Molina upset Kermit Cintron, winning a clear-cut, 10-round unanimous decision in their junior middleweight bout.

The biggest disgrace occurred on the HBO-televised boxing card from Atlantic City, New Jersey, also on July 9. Junior middleweight Paul Williams was given a majority decision victory over Erislandy Lara in a fight which virtually no one except two of the judges thought Williams had won.

We thus discuss the significance of these three shows. We also comment on some recent developments in grappling, including plans for the 2011 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships, which take place September 24-25 in Nottingham, England, and the attempts to revive catch-as-catch-can wrestling as a real sport.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman pays tribute to the noted sports and boxing journalist George Kimball.

After a long battle with esophageal cancer, George Kimball passed away Wednesday, July 6, at age 67, in New York.

While many reminiscences are being written about his life, we are focusing on his contributions to the battle for boxing reform. The lead boxing writer for the Boston Herald for 25 years, George was one of the few newspaper reporters who helped launch the Boxing Writers' Rankings Poll in 2000, and remained a registered voter in it until its demise some years later. We also read comments about his passing from Howie Sirota, who founded the Boxing Writers' Rankings Poll.

On October 18, 2008, we conducted an interview with George in Atlantic City before the Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik fight. We discussed the book he had just written, Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing. This marvelous book traced the intertwined careers of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran. We spoke with him right after he had participated in a forum on the book with trainer Emanuel Steward, promoter Bob Arum, and announcer Larry Merchant.

We also discussed with him why such an era of so many great rivalries can't happen today, why media coverage of boxing is harder to do today than it was in the past, the changed role of publicists, the decline of newspapers, the Internet and television and the future of boxing, and more. As part of our tribute to him, we replay that interview on No Holds Barred.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Eric Nicholl of M-1 Global about their next show, M-1 Challenge XXVI: Bennett vs. Garner.

This show takes place this Friday, July 8, at The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California. The five main fights on this card will be telecast live on Showtime. Outside North America, this card will be available on Internet pay-per-view for under €3/ $5 USD on AllBoxing.tv.

The main event features a rematch between the 2010 M-1 Selection Americas Tournament heavyweight finalists, Pat Bennett (4-2) and Kenny "Deuce" Garner (6-3). In their first fight last September, the colorful Garner won by a first-round TKO over Bennett, who was a Div. III All-American wrestler at SUNY Brockport.

The co-main event pits 2010 M-1 Selection Americas middleweight tournament winner Tyson "The Anti-Hero" Jeffries (7-5) of Team Quest against Russian striker Arthur Guseinov (7-2) in a middleweight bout. The streamed card also features a lightweight fight between German submission specialist Daniel Weichel (26-7) and former NCAA Division I collegiate wrestler Beau "Blackjack" Baker (8-4); a fight between European lightweight Mairbek "Beckan" Taisumov (14-3) and Josh "Iron Heart" Bacallao (6-3); and a middleweight fight between U.S. Army Captain "G.I. " Jason Norwood (11-2) and Eddie "Crazy Face" Arizmendi (14-4) to kick off the telecast.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the main lessons from the disgraceful snoozefest of a fight between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye which took place July 2 in Hamburg, Germany. We not only acknowledge that Wladimir Klitschko deserves to be recognized as THE heavyweight boxing champion of the world, but also rip the disgusting theatrics used to package a non-competitive fight as a major event. We also explain why those MMA fans who do not understand or appreciate boxing should be very careful in comparing these sports solely on the basis of this dreadful fight.

We also discuss a number of other issues, including a correction on the issue of the use of steroids and endurance in combat sports, the upcoming M-1 Challenge MMA card on July 8, the Rios-Antillon and Williams-Lara competing boxing cards on July 9, combat sports and the Olympic program, and more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts and instructors Val Worthington and Emily Kwok, and grappler Lola Newsom, about the Women's Grappling Camp.

The next Women's Grappling Camp will be held Wednesday, July 20, through Sunday, July 24, at Alliance Jiu-Jitsu MN in Edina, Minnesota. It is open to women grapplers at all levels.

We spoke with them by phone on Thursday about the importance and significance of this camp. We discussed the growth of the participation of women in grappling, why this camp has become so successful, the camaraderie at this camp, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Dr. Margaret Goodman, a neurologist, the former chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and the medical correspondent for No Holds Barred.

Once again, with the firing of now-former UFC fighter Nate Marquardt, the issue of the use of testosterone replacement therapy by elite fighters has come to the fore. After admittedly taking testosterone injections, Marquardt's levels were too high for him to be allowed to fight by the Pennsylvania commission on last week's UFC televised card. He was subsequently fired by UFC.

We thus spoke Friday by phone with Dr. Goodman, one of the strongest opponents of doping in sports, about what we know about this case and what more can be done to fight the rampant doping in combat sports like boxing and MMA. She called for the establishment of an outside agency to fight doping and conduct drug testing for these sports, beyond the often woeful efforts of the various state athletic commissions. She also called for athletes in these sports to step up and demand more effective anti-doping measures, as Floyd Mayweather Jr. has done. We also discussed the reported return to boxing of former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor following a series of brutal knockouts, the need for fans to speak up and contact the athletic commissions on these issues, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo by Keisha Morrisey)

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses some of the latest downs and ups in the world of boxing, and reports from the Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz news conference in New York, which took place Tuesday, June 28.

After a 16-month hiatus from the ring, the unbeaten Mayweather will return on September 17 against the WBC welterweight champion Ortiz in a fight in Las Vegas and on HBO Pay-Per-View. Both fighters have also agreed to undergo Olympic-style drug-testing administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), including random, unannounced blood and urine testing.

We spoke with Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, about the issue of drug-testing and the importance of this fight. We also got some comments from Floyd Mayweather on drug-testing, which may surprise some people, as well as on this fight.

After the news conference, we sat down with our correspondent and colleague Keisha Morrisey, who also covered the news conference, to discuss the Mayweather-Ortiz fight, the problems in the marketing of boxing, the latest hometown decisions in boxing, and more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Stephen Koepfer, the head coach at New York Combat Sambo and the co-founder of the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York.

Having recently returned from the Spartak Olympic Training Center in Ukraine, we spoke with him about why sambo continues to be such an important discipline and combat sport in Eastern Europe. Training in sambo is also seen as a way of promoting health and physical culture among the population.

We also gave a post-mortem on the attempts this year to get the New York legislature to re-legalize mixed martial arts. After once again being passed in the Senate, the bill was bottled up in committee in the Assembly and never reached the floor for a vote. We thus discuss why we must continue our efforts, the strengths and weaknesses of the battle for MMA in New York, why MMA fighters should be provided the same legal protections as boxers have under the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter Kenny "Deuce" Garner.

Fighting out of American Top Team in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the exciting, colorful, and outspoken "Deuce" will be fighting in the main event of the M-1 Challenge card on Friday, July 8, at The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California. His opponent will be Pat Bennett, the Team Bombsquad fighter whom Garner defeated by first-round TKO in the 2010 M-1 Selection Americas tournament final on September 18. This card will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime.

Both fighters in this main event have claimed that they are much improved since their first meeting. In this interview, recorded by phone on Tuesday afternoon, Kenny "Deuce" Garner vowed to end this rematch victoriously, and again in the first round. He discussed his subsequent loss to unbeaten M-1 heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili, and why he believes that he will defeat Guram if and when they meet again. He outlined the improvements he has made of late in both grappling and striking, at what weight we can expect to see him fight this time, and much more.

Plus, we open with a brief preview of some of the combat sports action coming up this weekend, including Bellator 46, the Don King-promoted boxing card on HBO featuring the return of Devon Alexander, the U.S. Pankration National Championships and World Team Trials, and the U.S. Sumo Open.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reviews the impressive twelfth-round TKO victory by Saul "Canelo" Alvarez over Ryan Rhodes, and the highly unimpressive Strikeforce card, which both took place Saturday, June 18.

The brightest spot for the Strikeforce card was the use of catch wrestling by Josh Barnett in his second-round submission victory over Brett Rogers. Could catch wrestling, with victory by pin or submission, and the style used when professional wrestling was to a degree a real sport in the early twentieth century, make a comeback? We ask that question, but others will have to provide the answer.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with coach, trainer, and former college, freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestler Eric Albarracin.

After also serving as captain in the U.S. Army, Eric is now the COO of the training program for champion athletes, Champion By Design.

Champion by Design will be holding their next training camp June 23-26 in Buena Vista, Colorado.

In a lengthy, memorable, and comprehensive interview, we spoke with Eric late Monday night while he was still in New York. We discussed his career in wrestling and as a coach, the Champion by Design program and why it has been so successful with so many elite athletes, the return to wrestling of Olympic champions Henry Cejudo and Cael Sanderson, the recently concluded U.S. World Team Trials, the need to promote wrestling, the next fights in the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament, elite wrestlers in MMA and their upcoming fights such as Daniel Cormier-Jeff Monson, "King" Mo Lawal-Roger Gracie, and Dan Henderson-Fedor Emelianenko, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman offers a commentary on the apparent failure of the New York legislature to re-legalize mixed martial arts, the need for changes in the New York bill to regulate MMA, the triumphant return to wrestling of 2004 Olympic champion Cael Sanderson at the U.S. World Team Trials, and the implications of the new deal between the International Olympic Committee and NBC as well as the ongoing scandals in world football (soccer) involving their international governing body FIFA for the combat sports.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo by Rich J. Hundley III/Showtime)

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with boxers Luis Del Valle and Dat Nguyen, who headline the Boricua Invasion card on Saturday, June 11, and also analyzes the stalling of legislation to re-legalize mixed martial arts in New York.

Boricua Invasion I and II take place Friday, June 10, and Saturday, June 11, both at Roseland Ballroom in New York. Boricua Invasion I will be televised on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, while Boricua Invasion II will be televised on Showtime.

In the main event of Boricua Invasion II, Luis Del Valle (12-0, 10 KOs), originally from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, will face Dat Nguyen (17-1, 6 KOs), originally from Vietnam, in a 10-round featherweight bout. We spoke with both of them at the prefight news conference in New York on Wednesday. We discussed the importance of boxing to Puerto Ricans, their careers and goals, and what to expect Saturday night.

While this innovative pair of boxing cards on successive nights and on two television networks is moving forward, legislation to re-legalize mixed martial arts in New York appears less than likely to pass before the legislature adjourns on June 20. We discuss some of the reasons why, including the negative image of gambling casinos and those associated with them in New York and the stubbornness of the near-omnipotent 67-year-old Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and how supporters of MMA must continue this battle.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with journalist and All-American wrestler Tim (T.R.) Foley about his journey through China and Mongolia to report on various traditional and indigenous styles of wrestling. He is documenting his findings on his web site, Wrestling Roots.

We spoke with him by Skype on Sunday morning (Saturday night in the U.S.) while he was in Shanghai and on his way to a town in Shanxi Province which he says is known as the "wrestling village" of China. He will be spending 10 to 12 more weeks in Asia before returning to the U.S. and writing a book about his travels.

We open this show with commentary on some of the latest doings in boxing and mixed martial arts, continuing topics discussed on previous shows. We discuss the majority decision victory by Carl Froch over Glen Johnson on June 4 in the Super Six World Boxing Classic semifinal fight in Atlantic City, the overall success of this tournament, and the upcoming Boricua Invasion boxing cards at Roseland Ballroom in New York on June 10 and 11.

Turning to MMA, we discuss the dilemma faced by Showtime when their current contract with Strikeforce runs out, the need for them to organize some type of World MMA Classic similar to the World Boxing Classic, and the controversies involving more mindless behavior by fighters and so-called "media". More importantly, we discuss the frightening news that UFC fighter Brian Foster has reportedly been "cleared by doctors to train and compete again" despite having recently had bleeding on his brain.

With boxing and MMA beset by problems, the door is opening for various styles of grappling and wrestling to advance as spectator sports. We thus discuss how these combat sports could take advantage of this situation.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime)

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents interviews with MMA legend and Showtime announcer Pat Miletich, Showtime Sports executive Ken Hershman, and boxing promoter Lou DiBella. These interviews were conducted Wednesday, June 1, in New York at the final news conference for the Carl Froch-Glen Johnson Super Six World Boxing Classic semifinal fight. That fight takes place Saturday, June 4, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and will be televised in the U.S. on Showtime and in the U.K. on Sky Sports.

One of the pioneers of mixed martial arts, Pat Miletich is now primarily focusing on his duties as an announcer and in other ventures. We discussed those, including his role announcing the upcoming July 8 M-1 Global card on Showtime, as well as Strikeforce Challengers events. We discussed the unbeaten heavyweight Guram Gugenishvili, who headlines the July 8 M-1 Global card. We also discussed the impact that the Miletich style of striving to be a well-rounded fighter has had on MMA, his experience in the old Extreme Fighting company, and much more.

Ken Hershman, the Showtime Sports Executive Vice President and General Manager, had had a very busy year with a full slate of boxing and MMA cards. We spoke about the importance of these sports to Showtime, his thoughts on the future of Strikeforce and Showtime, the importance of events like the July 8 M-1 Global show on Showtime, the July 30 fight on Showtime between MMA legends Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson, the need for the New York politicians to legalize MMA, and more.

Lou DiBella also has a busy schedule. Besides promoting Glen Johnson in this June 4 fight, he is co-promoting with Gary Shaw back-to-back boxing cards on June 10 and 11 called Boricua Invasion I and II. These cards, held the same weekend as the Puerto Rican Day Parade, will both take place at the Roseland Ballroom in New York and showcase up-and-coming Puerto Rican fighters. Boricua Invasion I will air live on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, while Boricua Boxing II will be televised live on Showtime on ShoBox. We discussed these cards, why boxing has remained so popular in Puerto Rico and with Puerto Ricans elsewhere, the prospects of Glen Johnson in the June 4 fight, and more.

Plus, we close with one last question for Carl Froch about whether or not he expects to knock out Glen Johnson.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the June 4 fight between WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch and Glen Johnson. This fight takes place in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and will be televised in the U.S. on Showtime and in the U.K. on Sky Sports.

The Froch-Johnson fight is the last semifinal bout in the lengthy Super Six World Boxing Classic, with the winner taking on unbeaten WBA champ Andre Ward in the finals.

We spoke with both Carl Froch (27-1, 20 KOs) and Glen Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KOs) on a media conference call last week about this fight.

We also address the issue of ethics in boxing, or the lack thereof, and the need for a code of ethics in sports, and especially in the contact and combat sports. We discuss this both in relation to the experience of the World Boxing Classic, both positive and negative, and to boxing in general.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

(Photo of Eddie Goldman and Ian Carpenter)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents our first video show. As with any maiden voyage, there are still some kinks to work out, but we thank our colleague Ian Carpenter for being the video producer of this episode of No Holds Barred, which was recorded May 26 at the Magic Pumpkin Studios in Astoria, Queens, New York.

On the show, we begin by discussing the historic victory by Bernard Hopkins over Jean Pascal to become the top light heavyweight boxer in the world. Hopkins, at age 46, also becomes the oldest boxer ever to win a major world title. But we also discuss some other aging fighters who have not done so well of late, including boxer Roy Jones Jr. and mixed martial arts fighters Randy Couture and Dan Severn.

We next discuss the growing awareness of the severity of injuries in sports, including the incredible number of deaths in auto racing and American football, especially in high school and college football. We also note the growing number of injuries of different types for main event mixed martial arts fighters today.

And we conclude by discussing grappling and how some MMA fighters even today emphasize their submission skills. These include the unbeaten heavyweight Guram Gugenishivili, who headlines the M-1 Challenge XXVI card on July 8 in the main event against Pat Bennett.

While we do plan to do more video shows, we will also continue our audio shows as well.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the impact that the death of 28-year-old New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard from still-unknown causes might have on combat sports. Boogaard had suffered numerous concussions from his hockey fights. His family is donating his brain to the Sports Legacy Institute at the Boston University School of Medicine to see if he had suffered from the brain disease CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), which is caused by repeated head and brain trauma.

How this will affect combat sports like mixed martial arts and boxing, where inflicting head and brain trauma and causing concussions are keys to winning fights, remains to be seen. One possible scenario is that the popularity, exposure, and sponsorships of these sports will all fall dramatically at some point. That could open the door for safer combat sports which have much less head trauma, such as the various forms of grappling.

Grappling, however, is not on the program of the Olympic Games, the largest sporting event in the world. We thus discuss how one or more style of grappling might gain inclusion in the Olympics, the international structure of sports which the International Olympic committee uses as a feeder for the Olympics, the importance of events like the World Combat Games, how grappling in America is falling behind in the movement for Olympic inclusion, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Dan Gable, Rulon Gardner, and Anthony Robles.

We spoke with each of them right before the U.S.-Russia dual freestyle wrestling meet in New York on May 5, 2011, in the Times Square area.

Dan Gable, the legendary Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling and former coach who led the University of Iowa Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA Div. I titles, is retiring from his full-time position at Iowa. Now he will be working more on his own, and focusing on wrestling, both nationally and internationally. In our discussion, he emphasized the need for all wrestling organizations around the world to work together. He commented on changes which are needed in the current international wrestling rules, the lack of enough good college coaches in the U.S., and more.

Rulon Gardner, the Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling who defeated Alexander Karelin to win that gold medal in 2000, retired from competition after winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics. Now, at age 39, he is considering the possibility of returning to the mat and making another medal run. We discussed with him about his style fitting in better with the current Greco rules, his desire to help the U.S. team whether wrestles or not, the satisfaction he has achieved from wrestling, and more.

Anthony Robles, born without a right leg, added to his amazing life story by wrestling four seasons for Arizona State, becoming a three-time All-American, and going undefeated in his senior year en route to winning the 2011 NCAA Div. I national championship at 125 pounds. He is now retired from competition and is beginning a career as a motivational speaker. His message is that everyone can be unstoppable in life. He explained that he will still be around wrestling, why it is a love of his life, and more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with wrestling legends Bobby Douglas and Bruce Baumgartner.

We spoke with each of them right before the U.S.-Russia dual freestyle wrestling meet in New York on May 5, 2011, in the Times Square area.

Among his numerous accomplishments, Bobby Douglas was the first African-American to make a U.S. Olympic wrestling team, and the first African-American U.S. Olympic wrestling coach. He also coached Arizona State to an NCAA Div. I title in 1988, and at Iowa State coached Cael Sanderson to his record-setting four undefeated seasons and four national titles. He also helped coach the U.S. team at this May 5 meet.

We spoke with Coach Douglas about his newly-released biography, "Bobby Douglas: Life and Legacy of an American Wrestling Legend", written by Craig Sesker, and its importance for wrestling. We discussed the many benefits of wrestling, some of the problems facing college wrestling, the importance of the Beat the Streets program for wrestling, the problems facing U.S. wrestling internationally including keeping wrestlers in the Olympic program, the need to tweak high school and college rules to make them closer to international rules, why American wrestlers are improperly prepared to wrestle at the Olympic level, and more.

Bruce Baumgartner is a four-time Olympic medalist in freestyle wrestling, having won two gold medals along with one silver and one bronze, all at heavyweight. He is currently the Director of Athletics at Edinboro University and on the board of USA Wrestling.

We discussed with him the problem of American wrestlers not staying with the Olympic program long enough, the need to adapt to international rules while maintaining the tradition of American folkstyle, the difficulties facing college wrestling, and more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman explodes more myths about the combat sports. Discussed and analyzed are the almost-universally panned Pacquiao-Mosley mismatch, why Floyd Mayweather Jr. is sitting at home, the issue of the fight against doping in boxing and MMA, the real reasons why MMA is still illegal in New York, the self-destructive insularity of the American sports establishment, the never-ending failure to promote and market wrestling properly, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the M-1 Facebook page for news, videos, and live streaming events.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reviews the U.S.-Russia freestyle wrestling dual meet held Thursday, May 5, outdoors in the Times Square area in New York, with wrestlers Henry Cejudo and Jordan Burroughs, Coach Zeke Jones, and media members Jason Bryant and Kristal Hart. The U.S. won this dual meet, five matches to two.

After taking a hiatus of almost three years from wrestling, 2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo is back competing in freestyle wrestling. In this meet, he defeated junior world bronze medalist Rasul Mashezov of Russia, 2-0, 4-3, at 55 kg/121 pounds. We spoke with him after his match about his return to wrestling and his plans for the future.

Jordan Burroughs, who won his second NCAA Div. I national championship earlier this year and dominated his opponents in an undefeated season, also gained much notoriety by winning the Hodge Trophy as the best college wrestler in the U.S. Now that he has completed his college career at Nebraska, he is focusing full-time on freestyle wrestling. At this dual meet, for the first time he faced a wrestler from Russia, Aniuar Geduev, and prevailed, 1-0, 2-1. He also is wrestling at 74 kg/163 pounds, which is actually two pounds lighter than he did in college. We spoke with Jordan Burroughs after his match to discuss his transition from folkstyle to freestyle wrestling and his plans.

In addition, we spoke right after this meet with U.S. National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones about how the American wrestlers performed and what they need to do to improve their wrestling. And we spoke with Jason Bryant of USA Wrestling and Kristal Hart of the Kristal Hart Show on Manhattan Neighborhood Network about this meet and the entire experience of this event, which was held as part of the Beat the Streets Gala and fundraising effort.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

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

M-1 Global. Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1 Global.com, and the