On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the issues of why combat sports are needed, what type of combat sports are acceptable, how different societies have viewed combat sports through the ages, and how all this is relevant to the fight to legalize mixed martial arts in New York, and to preserve it in Japan where it has been severely declining.

Examined are some of the lessons from the Dynamite mixed martial arts and kickboxing card on December 31, 2010, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, as well as combat sports in ancient Greece and Africa. Discussed is the critical issue of the values combat sports should embrace, as raised in the 2004 essay "The Nature of the Game: The Olympic Legacy" by Dr. Michael B. Poliakoff. We also discuss why we should support fighting sports, the views of George Will and George Orwell on combat sports, what might be the ideal form of 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:

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.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com