NO HOLDS BARRED

Eddie Goldman of No Holds Barred talks MMA on Wrestling 411

2009-07-09T12:54:00.001-04:00

Eddie Goldman has long been covering the world of wrestling and combat sports and joins Wrestling 411 Radio today. The New York-based writer and broadcaster has covered boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, wrestling and a variety of contact and combat sports over his long career. You too can hear it all on Wrestling 411 simply click http://www.Wrestling411.tv .

Jason Bryant and Goldman have exchanged long discussions on wrestling’s role in the media, the role MMA plays in wrestling and something as far-fetched when it comes to things like wrestling’s relation to roller derby. Yes, roller derby.

Listen in to Bryant and Goldman spar on a number of topics, including Brock Lesnar, MMA, what associations to watch if you’re a wrestling fan tuning into MMA, and more roller derby all on Wrestling 411 – http://www.Wrestling411.tv .

Questions for any of the guests are welcome. You may e-mail your questions to Kyle Klingman at kklingman@mediasportsproductions.com .

Do you enjoy the updates and programming? Click on http://www.Wrestling411.tv and make a small tax-deductable donation – it only takes A LITTLE FROM A LOT of people to keep wrestling alive.

No Holds Barred: Vic Darchinyan, Joseph Agbeko, Eddie Chambers, Rob Murray Sr.

2009-07-08T19:18:00.000-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman focuses on two of the good stories in boxing, the Joseph Agbeko-Vic Darchinyan IBF bantamweight title fight taking place Saturday, July 11, and the July 4 victory by American heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers over previously-unbeaten Alexander Dimitrenko of Ukraine in Hamburg, Germany.

This Saturday night, July 11, in what should be a spectacular fight and a potential fight of the year candidate, the always-exciting IBF bantamweight champion Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (26-1, 22 KOs) of Accra, Ghana, and now fighting out of the Bronx, NY, puts his belt on the line against top ten pound-for-pound fighter Vic Darchinyan (32-1, 26 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, and originally from Armenia. The explosive knockout artist Darchinyan, the best in the world at super flyweight (115 lbs.), is moving three pounds north to try to capture a world title in his third weight division. This fight takes place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, and will be televised by Showtime in the U.S. and on pay-per-view in Australia.

We had a chance to get the comments of both the champion and the challenger, Joseph Agbeko and Vic Darchinyan, on a recent media conference call. You do not want to miss this fight, and you do not want to miss this preview and their comments.

American heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers of Philadelphia, PA, went to Hamburg, Germany, on July 4 with an arduous task. He had to face the previously-unbeaten, six-foot, seven-inch Alexander Dimitrenko of Ukraine on what was essentially his foe's home turf. But Chambers trained hard and smart for this fight, coming in at just over 208 pounds, 15 pounds lighter than when he faced Samuel Peter in an unimpressive win earlier this year, and the lightest he had been in about six years.

When the 12 rounds of action were over, Chambers had scored two knockdowns, dominated the action with power shots which broke through the defense of the much taller Dimitrenko, and done what many American fighters before him had been unable to do, secure a well-deserved victory on the scorecards. Although one judge managed to remind us about boxing in Germany by scoring it a draw, Chambers easily won on the other scorecards, 117-109 and 116-111, to resuscitate his career and earn a WBO mandatory title shot against champion Wladimir Klitschko. He also had won one of the better and more exciting heavyweight fights in recent memory. Dimitrenko's record fell to 29-1 with 19 KOs, while Chambers is now 35-1 with 18 KOs.

The outcome of this fight sparked so much interest that a media conference call with Eddie Chambers was organized this week. On that call, we had a chance to speak with Eddie Chambers about what was key to his victory and his future plans, as well as with his promoter, Dan Goossen. We also spoke with his trainer and manager, Rob Murray Sr., who revealed some of the old school training methods he had utilized to inspire Eddie Chambers and get him into proper fighting shape for this fight.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Frank Shamrock and the Greatest Fight in UFC History

2009-07-06T05:20:00.000-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman reviews what many regard as the greatest fight in UFC history, the showdown between Frank Shamrock and Tito Ortiz at UFC 22, held September 24, 1999, at the Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

We spoke about this fight with the man who won that fight with a come-from-behind, fourth-round TKO, the mixed martial arts legend himself, Frank Shamrock.

Not surprisingly, the current owners of the UFC have been trying to rewrite history by staging an online poll for fans to choose the best fights ever in UFC. Along with Spike TV, they presented a list of 181 UFC fights from which to choose. Absent from that long list was the Frank Shamrock-Tito Ortiz fight at UFC 22, and any fights involving Frank Shamrock, even though true historians and honest commentators of mixed martial arts regarded Frank Shamrock as the top mixed martial arts fighter in the world in the decade of the 1990s.

To set the record straight, and to counter the propaganda of those who want to keep their fans ignorant, simple-minded, and obedient, we spoke at length with Frank Shamrock about this fight itself, why it was so important and significant, and how it was received before the present bunch bought UFC. We also discussed the possibility of a long-awaited rematch between Frank Shamrock and Tito Ortiz.

A video of this fight might still be found by searching for it online.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Bellator Champions Lyman Good and Hector Lombard Tell Their Stories

2009-07-04T08:18:00.000-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with two more of the fighters who won their eight-man tournaments to become Bellator Fighting Championships champions, welterweight Lyman Good and middleweight Hector Lombard.

Lyman Good and Hector Lombard took different paths to becoming champions in mixed martial arts.

After growing up in a rough part of East Harlem in New York City, Lyman Good was on the verge of taking the dark path of the streets. But his mother got him to enroll, along with her, in a martial arts program at Tiger Schulmann's MMA. Now, besides being an instructor there, he is 10-0 in mixed martial arts and holds the Bellator Fighting Championships welterweight title. "It saved me," he said, as both he and the fans are reaping the rewards of his participation in the combat sports and martial arts.

Hector Lombard was a member of the 2000 Cuban Olympic judo team. He then moved to Australia, and began competing in mixed martial arts in 2004. After fighting in Australia and Japan, he now trains with the world-famous American Top Team in Florida, and made his American debut this year by winning the Bellator Fighting Championships eight-man middleweight tournament to become their first champion at that weight.

We had a chance to speak with both Lyman Good and Hector Lombard this past week. In separate and candid interviews, they discussed how they became involved with mixed martial arts, their development as fighters, their fights in the Bellator tournaments, the mental and physical benefits of training in martial arts and combat sports, their plans for the future, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Eddie Alvarez, Bellator Lightweight Champion

2009-07-02T01:22:00.000-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with one of the most exciting and versatile fighters in mixed martial arts, and the new Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez.

We had a chance Wednesday afternoon to conduct a lengthy telephone interview with Eddie Alvarez about his life, his career, and his family. We discussed the importance of his family to him, how and why he got involved with mixed martial arts, and how his upbringing in Philadelphia has affected his fighting career. We discussed his victory in the eight-man tournament to capture the Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight title, winning all his fights with submissions, over Toby Imada, Eric Reynolds, and Greg Loughran. We analyzed his style, which effectively combines boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and muay Thai. We discussed his fights last year in the Dream organization in Japan against Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Shinya Aoki. And we talked about his plans to fight in the future for the Bellator Fighting Championships after taking a very well-deserved rest.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Matthew Kaplowitz of Fight Nerd Radio

2009-06-30T03:06:00.002-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our correspondent Matthew Kaplowitz of Fight Nerd Radio, a new mixed martial arts podcast.

With just its third episode in production, Matthew Kaplowitz is creating a formula for his show which combines interviews, fight reports and discussion, analysis of the broader scene in mixed martial arts, and, of course, steady doses of nerdy humor.

We had a chance to sit down to talk with him both for his show, which you will hear on Fight Nerd Radio, and our show.

On No Holds Barred, we focused the most on the rise of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which just completed their first season of 12 shows. Matthew covered two of their cards live, and gave his impression of how these shows came off in person, as well as discussing what Bellator needs to do to parlay the success of their first season into making their promotion even stronger than it is now.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Joe Soto, Bellator Featherweight Champion

2009-06-25T20:20:00.001-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with mixed martial arts fighter Joe Soto, who became the featherweight (145-pound) champion of the Bellator Fighting Championships by winning an eight-man tournament.

Although he is undefeated as a fighter, the 22-year-old Joe Soto was not the favorite heading into this tournament. That distinction went to the better-known Wilson Reis, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, who was also undefeated and had gained notoriety by winning the EliteXC bantamweight title in 2008.

When Joe Soto and Wilson Reis met in the featherweight semifinals on May 8, 2009, however, it was Soto who emerged victorious, winning a three-round unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 30-27. Soto then went on to dominate and defeat Yahir Reyes with a rear naked choke in the second round of their championship fight on June 5, 2009, and become the first Bellator featherweight champion.

We spoke with Joe Soto about his emergence as a new, young, rising star in mixed martial arts. We discussed his background as a wrestler at Iowa Central Community College, his transition from wrestling to mixed martial arts, his training and skills in both boxing and jiu-jitsu, his crucial victory over Wilson Reis, his plans for the future, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Kathy Brothers and Women in Combat Sports

2009-06-23T02:13:00.000-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman focuses on the role of women in the combat sports, and in particular grappling and mixed martial arts.

Kathy Brothers was the first American woman to earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She has also been a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and a two-time Pan American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, as well as a World Free-Fighting champion and a World Pancration Council champion. She currently is a martial arts instructor in the Dallas, Texas, area.

After an absence of about eight years, Kathy Brothers will be returning to competition this coming Saturday, June 27, at the Grapplers Quest All-Star Pro tournament in Morristown, New Jersey. She also will be competing in a Grapplers Quest tournament the weekend of July 10-11 at the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In a lengthy interview, we spoke with Kathy Brothers about her return to competition. We discussed how and why she decided to begin training in the martial arts, her rich experience in grappling, her desire to fight at a high level in mixed martial arts, how she has overcome the opposition of some to women competing and training in combat sports, and much more.

Also, as bonus coverage, we play an excerpt from a media conference call with mixed martial arts stars Gina Carano and Cris "Cyborg" Santos, who fight each other August 15 in the main event of a Strikeforce card in San Jose, Calif., which will be telecast live in the U.S. on Showtime.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Eddie Goldman Speaks About Iran Rebellion on Carson's Corner

2009-06-22T19:27:00.004-04:00

NEDA

I was a guest Monday afternoon, June 22, on Bob Carson's political show, Carson's Corner, on WRRC, 107.7 FM, "The Bronc", the radio station of Rider University. The subject was the continuing crisis and mass rebellion against the Islamic dictatorship in Iran.

You can listen to or download that segment here, or download it here.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell Reviews Klitschko-Chagaev Fight and Awful State of Heavyweight Boxing

2009-06-20T23:47:00.001-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent, Charles Farrell.

In a spirited and lengthy discussion, we review Wladimir Klitschko's predictable TKO victory over Ruslan Chagaev on Saturday, June 20, in Germany in a fight for several alphabet heavyweight belts. We critique this fight and the performance of both fighters, as well as the entire woeful heavyweight division.

We also discuss the disgraceful state of boxing journalism today, and why we do not take seriously what we read in The Ring magazine, including their recognition of Wladimir Klitschko as their "heavyweight champion of the world". And we lament the danger both to fighter safety and public health that this fight entailed, since Chagaev had tested positive for the hepatitis B antigen, and would not have been allowed to fight in many countries.

But we also explain why we do see hope for boxing in many other weight divisions, and especially outside the U.S.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians Statement: Postpone Klitschko-Chagaev Fight "Due to Medical Safety Issues"

2009-06-18T16:13:00.000-04:00

It may seem incredible that they even have to do this, but the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (AAPRP) issued a statement Thursday, June 18, calling for the June 20 heavyweight title boxing match between Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev to be postponed "due to medical safety issues".

The reason is clear and simple, as the May 30 WBA title fight between Ruslan Chagaev and Nikolai Valuev was cancelled because Chagaev had tested positive for the hepatitis B antigen. That fight was scheduled to take place in Helsinki, Finland, and most places around the world which host major boxing events do not permit fighters with this dangerous and infectious disease to compete.

The Klitschko-Chagaev fight, however, is scheduled to take place in Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, and the authorities in charge of this fight have far less comprehensive medical requirements for fighters than those in North America, the UK, and much of the rest of the world do.

The AAPRP statement refutes what they say has been some of the misinformation widely circulated in the media about the dangers of hepatitis B, and what is being proposed for the safety measures for this fight.

While this fight is being held in Germany, boxing is an international sport, and the fight will be telecast in the US on ESPN Classic. It is also for a series of heavyweight belts, including that of the American-based The Ring magazine, whose parent company, Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC, is a subsidiary of Golden Boy Enterprises, whose president is the famed boxer and now promoter, Oscar De La Hoya. So there is much interest in this fight in America, and especially in an organization like AAPRP.

We also discussed this issue at length on my podcast, No Holds Barred, with Dr. Joseph Estwanik, who serves on the AAPRP Board of Directors. You can play or download that edition of No Holds Barred here. You can also download that edition of No Holds Barred here.

The AAPRP web site is at http://aaprp.org. Here is the full text of their statement:

As it has been reported that Mr. Ruslan Chagaev has tested positive for the Hepatitis B Virus, the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (the “AAPRP”) is recommending that the proposed contest between Mr. Ruslan Chagaev and Mr. Vladimir Klitschko be postponed due to medical safety issues. The AAPRP also recommends that this fight not take place and suggests that Mr. Chagaev not be permitted to fight (anyone) until, and unless, he can demonstrate a "negative hepatitis status.

In several recent media accounts, it has been stated that Mr. Chagaev has a “low hepatitis B viral load” and therefore poses “no risk” of transmitting this dangerous virus. The AAPRP disagrees with this assertion. Although the risk of transmission of the Hepatitis B Virus may be minimal, the risk is not zero. Additionally, given the fact that Hepatitis B is a very virulent virus and easily transmitted, it is even more important to be prudent in order to not only protect Mr. Chagaev’s opponent, but also the referee, judges, sanctioning body officials, cornermen, ringside physicians and ringside observers who may be at risk of contracting this dangerous virus. As boxing is obviously considered a “blood sport”, it is very common for blood to splatter on the individuals immediately adjacent at ringside. The conjunctiva (eye) route of transfer for this virus is well documented....so any person seated at ringside, who is not immunized, may be at risk.

Furthermore, statistics suggest that if Mr. Chagaev were to share needles with another individual, the transmission rate of Hepatitis B could be as high as 30%. If blood from a cut on Mr. Chagaev were to come into direct contact with a cut on another fighter, the transmission rate could be as high as 10%. Should blood squirt from Mr. Chagaev and hit another individual in the eye (i.e. Judge, referee, cornerman or media) the transmission rate could be as high as 5%. Therefore, the risk is obviously greater than zero and could put others at ringside (beside his opponent) at risk for acquiring this virus.

Unless everyone at ringside (Judges, referees, ringside physicians, commission members, sanctioning body officials, trainers, cornermen, media reporters, ring girls, television technicians, spectators and of course the fighters opponent) has documented immunity to Hepatitis B (a three shot hepatitis immunity vaccination series given over a 6 month period with a subsequent documented blood test confirming immunity), protection against exposure to this dangerous virus cannot be guaranteed. Finally, if bleeding does occur, the individuals responsible for cleaning the ring as well as those handling the gloves must also be immune to minimize the risk as well.

The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians considers safety our number one priority and will work with local and international commissions to insure that all precautions are taken to protect all individuals involved in professional boxing.

For more information, please contact the AAPRP.

No Holds Barred: Wladimir Klitschko-Ruslan Chagaev Hepatitis B Controversy, with Dr. Joseph Estwanik

2009-06-16T17:46:00.000-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with noted ringside physician Dr. Joseph Estwanik about the controversy involving the June 20 fight in Germany between Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev for several heavyweight boxing belts.

Chagaev had been scheduled to face Nikolai Valuev May 30 in Finland, but that fight was cancelled after a prefight blood test found Chagaev to be positive with the hepatitis B antigen. The next week, when David Haye pulled out of a scheduled June 20 fight with Wladimir Klitschko because of a training injury, Chagaev was chosen to replace Haye as Klitschko's opponent.

Yet, according to the standards of the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians, on whose Board of Directors Dr. Joseph Estwanik serves, "If a fighter is Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Positive (reactive), they have Hepatitis B and cannot fight as they are infectious." Nonetheless, the Klitschko-Chagaev fight is being permitted to proceed in Germany.

In our commentary on this fight, we discuss why it is yet another disgrace for boxing. We detail how and why most of the boxing media are once again failing to expose this disgrace and are actually trying to benefit from this fight, including The Ring, which has announced that they will recognize the Klitschko-Chagaev winner as their "heavyweight champion of the world". And we stress the need to support the independent boxing media.

In our lengthy discussion with Dr. Joseph Estwanik, the issues of what is hepatitis B and why fighters who have it should not be allowed to fight are examined in depth. This is the type of candid and thorough discussion with a leading and veteran ringside physician which you will not be able to find in almost all the other media covering boxing, but it is our pleasure and privilege to be able to present it to you right here on No Holds Barred.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Renzo Gracie, Chris Weidman, and Luca Atalla on ADCC East Coast Trials

2009-06-14T21:15:00.000-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting on some recent issues in mixed martial arts. We applaud the wise contract negotiations by Mirko Cro Cop with the UFC and Dream, and condemn the absurd fight between former top heavyweight boxer Ray Mercer and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, won by Mercer with a one-punch knockout.

This past Saturday, June 13, the ADCC East Coast Trials were held at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey. The winners of the five weight classes contested all earned berths in the 2009 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, which will be held September 26-27 in Barcelona, Spain.

Right after his match, we had a chance to speak with Chris Weidman of Serra Jiu-Jitsu, who defeated James Brasco (Pablo Popovitch) by anaconda choke in the middleweight finals. We spoke about this match, what it means for his career, his wrestling background, and his plans in both grappling and mixed martial arts.

At this event was the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, and mixed martial arts legend Renzo Gracie. As always, Renzo had some very poignant comments about the importance of what we had just witnessed.

We also spoke with our old colleague Luca Atalla of Gracie Magazine. Luca has covered all the ADCC world championships, so his comments about these East Coast Trials were particularly insightful.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Igor Gracie, Melvina Lathan

2009-06-11T11:58:00.001-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman focuses on several issues involving the battle for mixed martial arts to become organized like a true sport.

After over a decade of opposing the sport, the New York State Legislature is now in the process of considering legislation to legalize mixed martial arts and place it under the regulation of the New York State Athletic Commission. While a bill to that effect was recently passed in a key Assembly committee, the exploding political crisis in the New York State Senate, which was actually closed down this week due to spiraling in-fighting among the politicians, has jeopardized the passage and enactment of that, and all, legislation.

To get some perspective on what would be required by the New York State Athletic Commission to regulate mixed martial arts, we spoke with its chairperson, Melvina Lathan.

We also outline some of the key ups and down in the checkered history of this commission, as well as explain why the failure of combat sports promoters, then and now, to work together to self-regulate their own events made intervention by the politicians inevitable.

This Friday night, June 12, the Bellator Fighting Championships has its eleventh show in its 12-week series, with this one being held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. It will be televised in the U.S. the following night, June 13, on the Spanish-language ESPN Deportes network.

The main event features the two finalists in the Bellator eight-man welterweight tournament, Lyman Good and Omar De La Cruz, fighting for the Bellator welterweight title. On the undercard, another member of the legendary Gracie family, Igor Gracie, takes on a fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Vagner Rocha.

We had a chance to speak with Igor Gracie Wednesday afternoon at the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York, where he is a lead instructor and also trains. We spoke about this upcoming fight as well as his plans to compete regularly in mixed martial arts.

In addition, we offer commentary on some of the positive and negative lessons of the first season of the Bellator Fighting Championships, as well as criticize those in the so-called mixed martial arts "media" who have either downplayed or plain ignored this important organization.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Miguel Cotto-Joshua Clottey Preview

2009-06-08T06:03:00.000-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the fight between WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) and challenger Joshua Clottey (35-2, 21 KOs), which takes place Saturday, June13, at Madison Square Garden in New York. This fight will be telecast by HBO in the U.S.

We had a chance at the kickoff news conference for this fight to get comments from both Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey. We also discussed the stakes in this fight with television host Kristal Hart.

Also, we explain why, along with continuing all our other coverage, there will be expanded boxing coverage on No Holds Barred, and why Eddie Goldman has stopped producing and hosting SecondsOut Radio. We invite listeners of that show to come aboard No Holds Barred.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Rolles Gracie on Jiu-Jitsu and Health, and Holt Richardson on Green Tea and Health

2009-06-07T00:27:00.000-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins a series of shows which will focus on the health crisis, particularly in America. We offer some ideas about what people can do to live a healthier lifestyle while also fighting the profiteers who provide poor but increasingly expensive health care.

Key to a healthy lifestyle are diet and exercise.

For the issue of exercise, we spoke with Rolles Gracie, who is the lead instructor at the new Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Holmdel, New Jersey. This facility not only offers top-notch instruction in combat sports including jiu-jitsu, but also some general training facilities for everyone from beginners to world champions.

For the issue of diet, we spoke with Holt Richardson of the North American branch of the Japanese-based Ito En company, which manufactures and distributes green tea beverage products as well as numerous other beverages. We spoke with him at the Japan Day 2009 celebration in Central Park in New York on May 31, 2009. Japan, it should be noted, has, according to the United Nations, the longest life expectancy of any country in the world.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Kid Peligro Previews 2009 Mundials and ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship

2009-06-03T20:19:00.000-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with our colleague Kid Peligro, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, a senior editor of the ADCC News, and a correspondent on our show.

Our main topic is the 2009 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, also known as the Mundials, which take place Thursday, June 4, through Sunday, June 7, at the Pyramid at California State University Long Beach.

We also discuss the recently completed West Coast Trials for the 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, and the East Coast Trials, which take place the weekend of June 13-14 at J. Collins Arena at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey. These Trials are qualifiers for 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, which takes place the weekend of September 26-27 in Barcelona, Spain.

In a lengthy interview, we discuss who will compete at these events and who are the favorites to win. We go through the history and significance of these events. We also analyze what they need to do in order to advance to the next level of popularity among the legions of grappling, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and combat sports aficionados around the world. And as always, we highlight the many benefits and positive values grappling and jiu-jitsu offer to both their competitors and fans.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Ricardo Liborio of American Top Team on Art of War 12

2009-06-01T16:39:00.002-04:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the fourth and final show in our series reviewing the historic Art of War 12 mixed martial arts card, which we covered live from Beijing, China, Saturday, May 23, 2009.

For this show, we had the pleasure of having a lengthy discussion with Ricardo Liborio, the founder and head instructor of the American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, and the National Coach for USA Grappling, the grappling program of USA Wrestling. This chat took place on an airplane headed back from China to the U.S. following Art of War 12.

Liborio has been spending a lot of time on airplanes of late, arriving in China directly from the Netherlands, where he was part of a crowd of about 25,000 people who witnessed the May 16 It's Showtime kickboxing card. That card was headlined by a fight between two of the top heavyweights in K-1, Badr Hari and Semmy Schilt, with Hari scoring a stunning knockout of Schilt in just 45 seconds of the first round.

So on our trip back from China, we had a lot of time to discuss many topics. We spoke of the phenomenon of the It's Showtime card and kickboxing in Europe, and the potential of kickboxing around the world to grow as a sport. We analyzed the Art of War 12 card, and the potential of the Art of War Fighting Championship to grow and become one of the most popular mixed martial arts promotions in the world. We evaluated the top fighters in Art of War, including Wu Hao Tian and Rolles Gracie, and where they stand right now as fighters and what their potential is, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Todd Hester of Gladiator Magazine on Art of War 12

2009-05-30T18:31:00.000-04:00

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the third in our series of shows reviewing the historic Art of War 12 mixed martial arts card, which we covered live from Beijing, China, Saturday, May 23, 2009.

Todd Hester, the veteran mixed martial arts and grappling journalist, who first trained with the Gracies over 20 years ago, and covered the first UFC live, was also in Beijing for Art of War 12. He is now the editor and publisher of Gladiator Magazine, as well as a correspondent on this show and an old friend and colleague.

We had a chance to speak with him at length while we were in Beijing. We began with an interesting discussion about our observations about China as a society, refuting some common misconceptions held primarily in the West about it. We then reviewed the Art of War 12 card, discussed star fighters Wu Hao Tian and Rolles Gracie, analyzed the potential for the Art of War Fighting Championship to become as popular and successful as the Pride Fighting Championships were in their heyday, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Wu Hao Tian, Rolles Gracie, and Carlos Santos on Art of War 12

2009-05-28T13:59:00.000-04:00

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the second in our series of shows reviewing the historic Art of War 12 mixed martial arts card, which we covered live from Beijing, China, Saturday, May 23, 2009.

We begin by commenting on some aspects of the international economic situation which affect the growth of the Art of War Fighting Championship, in which the economy of China is rising while those of the West and elsewhere are declining. We also comment on some positive and helpful suggestions which have been made to the Art of War Fighting Championship about making their fight videos and information more available online.

Right after the Art of War 12 card concluded at the National Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Beijing, we had a chance to speak with Carlos Santos, the head coach of the Emirates Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Team, about this card.

We spoke with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star and now mixed martial arts fighter Rolles Gracie of Brazil and the U.S. about his first round victory over Baga Agaev of Russia on this card by rear naked choke.

And, at the postfight banquet, we spoke with the top star of this show, the 22-year-old phenom from China, Wu Hao Tian, who defeated Yutaka Kobayashi of Japan by TKO in the first round.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Renzo Gracie, Rolles Gracie, Andy Pi, and Luca Atalla on Art of War 12

2009-05-26T16:34:00.000-04:00

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins a series of shows reviewing the historic Art of War 12 mixed martial arts card, which we covered live from Beijing, China, Saturday, May 23, 2009.

The night after the show, we had a roundtable discussion in Beijing with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts legend Renzo Gracie; Rolles Gracie of Brazil, who defeated Baga Agaev of Russia by rear naked choke in the first round of their fight on Art of War 12; Andy Pi, the co-founder of the Art of War Fighting Championship; and the veteran journalist Luca Atalla of Gracie Magazine.

In this lengthy and lively discussion, we examined what happened on this card, the rules, the prospects for the Art of War Fighting Championship to become a world-class promotion, the relation of grappling and mixed martial arts, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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/.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on Boxing in Asia, Europe, and America

2009-05-18T21:56:00.000-04:00

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent, the award-winning boxing writer and musician Charles Farrell.

We began our lengthy discussion by focusing on the curious case of matchmaking in the title fight taking place May 26 in Shanghai, China, between the veteran WBC flyweight champion Daisuke Naito (34-2-3, 22 KOs) of Japan and the inexperienced Xiong Zhao Zhong (12-1-1, 8 KOs) of China. This is reported to be the first time a boxer from China will fight for a world belt from a major sanctioning body. Xiong, however, has only one win against a fighter with a winning record, who was just 1-0, and lost a regional light flyweight title fight in November to a 13-6 fighter. Nonetheless, once Naito agreed to fight in China, Xiong was given this world flyweight title shot. Welcome to the world of professional boxing, People's Republic of China!

We also discussed fights in Europe and America including the July 18 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas and their media tour this week, the June 13 welterweight fight in New York between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey, the June 20 heavyweight fight in Germany between David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko, the little-anticipated May 30 heavyweight fight in Finland between Nikolai Valuev and Ruslan Chagaev, the May 16 fight in California between super middleweights Andre Ward and Edison Miranda, and more.

We also read an e-mail about the "One World Champion" video sent by none other than former heavyweight champion of the world, George Foreman. And we comment on the recent writing awards announced by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and how the woeful state of boxing journalism hurts the sport.

This will be the last edition of No Holds Barred until after the May 23 Art of War Fighting Championship mixed martial arts card in Beijing, China, which we will be attending, so now is a good time also to catch up on those episodes of the show where we discussed this important event.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

No Holds Barred: Em Dash of Gotham Girls Roller Derby

2009-05-17T20:56:00.000-04:00

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with skater Em Dash of the Manhattan Mayhem of the Gotham Girls Roller Derby.

Before a sellout crowd Saturday night, May 16, at Hunter College in New York City, Em Dash set a new individual league scoring record by racking up 81 points as Manhattan won their opening bout of the 2009 season, 121-93, over the Brooklyn Bombshells.

We spoke with Em Dash shortly after her record-setting performance. We discussed what was key to her scoring record, the role of her whole team, the prospects of the Manhattan Mayhem in 2009, and more.

In addition, we comment on the cultural appeal of roller derby which has made it the fastest-growing sport in America, and the international growth of roller derby, now with over 400 leagues around the world, including the beginnings of the new Abu Dhabi Roller Derby in the United Arab Emirates.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

No Holds Barred: Ricardo Liborio and Gary Abbott on Grappling, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

2009-05-14T02:45:00.000-04:00

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with two of the most important figures in the world of grappling, Ricardo Liborio and Gary Abbott.

Ricardo Liborio is a legend in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. A black belt under the late, great Carlson Gracie, in 1996 Ricardo was one of the first winners of the Mundial, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world championships, where he also was voted the most technical fighter. Besides being a Brazilian national champion in both jiu-jitsu and judo, he placed second in 2000 at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Wrestling World Championship and third in 1999. He co-founded the Brazilian Top Team, and then became the founder and head instructor of the American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, where he still is located. He was voted coach of the year by the North American Grappling Association (NAGA) in 2005, and is a member of the NAGA Grappling Hall of Fame. He is regarded as one of the top coaches of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, mixed martial arts, and grappling in the world. He will also be one of the many international guests at the May 23 Art of War Fighting Championship mixed martial arts card in Beijing, China.

After wrestling at Boston University, Gary Abbott has served for two decades at USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the U.S. and a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee. He is the Director of Communications for USA Wrestling, and is one of the key people who is tirelessly working to popularize the sport of wrestling and striving to make sure it is more widely covered in the media.

Now these two noted people from these two different styles of grappling will be working together. Ricardo Liborio has been named the National Coach for USA Grappling, which is the grappling program of USA Wrestling. This is an important step forward in the cooperation between different styles of grappling, and represents an acknowledgement of the essential unity between all styles of grappling, as well as all styles of the combat sports.

It was thus a quite lively and informative discussion that we had for No Holds Barred. We spoke about the journey Ricardo had made from the worlds of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Vale Tudo in Brazil, to mixed martial arts, and now to USA Grappling. We discussed all these styles and rules. We stressed the connection of all these styles of grappling, and all the combat sports. We analyzed the prospects for grappling becoming an Olympic sport. And we discussed with Gary the 2009 U.S. World Team Trials, which take place May 30-31 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to determine the U.S. world teams for men's and women's freestyle wrestling and for Greco-Roman wrestling.

In addition, the 2009 Grappling World Championships will take place in the U.S., at the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, Dec. 12-13. We discussed the importance of this international event being held in U.S.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

No Holds Barred: Stephen Quadros, The Fight Professor, on Art of War Fighting Championship and Strikeforce

2009-05-12T17:01:00.000-04:00

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with "The Fight Professor", the veteran broadcaster, actor, and musician Stephen Quadros.

In a lengthy interview and analysis, we discussed the upcoming May 23 Art of War Fighting Championship mixed martial arts card in Beijing, China, and the prospects of the Art of War Fighting Championship becoming as popular worldwide as were the Pride Fighting Championships. We discussed the fighters on this card, the rules, what they need to do to become a major world-class promotion, and more. We will both be attending this card in Beijing.

Plus, we also discussed the Strikeforce Challengers mixed martial arts card which will take place this Friday, May 15, at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., and which will be telecast live in the U.S. on Showtime, with the announcing being done by Mauro Ranallo, Stephen Quadros, and Pat Miletich. This card will feature a lightweight fight between Billy Evangelista (9-0) and Mike Aina (11-6-1), and a bout between Meisha Tate (6-1) against Sara Kaufman (8-0, 8 TKOs).

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

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

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

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

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

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

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.