On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, the third this week, host Eddie Goldman speaks with wrestler-turned-mixed martial arts fighter, Gerald Harris (http://myspace.com/g1906). A father, a high school teacher, a sometime comedian, and a former Div. I college wrestling standout at Cleveland State, he is now focusing on MMA. He tells us all about it, and more, on this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called “The Heist”, by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world’s first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL’s newest show, “IFL Battleground”, every Monday on MyNetworkTV (http://www.mynetworktv.com/) from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com/), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews

On this special edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, the second so far this week, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Kid Peligro, senior editor of the ADCC News (http://www2.adcombat.com) and the worldwide advisor to the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC).

This coming weekend, May 5 and 6, the 2007 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships will take place at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. We discuss with Kid Peligro many aspects of this event, including its background and history, who are some of the top competitors this year, the rules, the Superfight between Roger Gracie and John Olav Einemo, the significance of this event, its role in both combat sports in general and submission wrestling in particular, and more.

The 2007 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships will also be shown on an Internet pay-per-view on ProElite.com (http://www.proelite.com).

You can also order tickets online for the event through the ADCC News page at http://www2.adcombat.com.

You can also listen to it through the NO HOLDS BARRED blog, at http://nhbnews.blogspot.com, and my MySpace page, at http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews, also by pressing the play button on the player.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called “The Heist”, by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world’s first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL’s newest show, “IFL Battleground”, every Monday on MyNetworkTV (http://www.mynetworktv.com/) from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com/), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews

NO HOLDS BARRED: Lana Stefanac

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Lana Stefanac (http://www.myspace.com/lethallana). She is a world, Pan American, and U.S. national champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and also is 3-0 in mixed martial arts, winning all her fights by submission.

Managed by the First Lady of NHB, Phyllis Lee, she will be attempting to add another title to her resume this coming weekend, May 5-6, when she competes in the women’s heavyweight division at the 2007 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships (http://www2.adcombat.com/) at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. This event will also be shown on an Internet pay-per-view on ProElite.com (http://www.proelite.com).

The lengthy discussion with Lana touches on this event, her career, and the general role of women in the combat sports.

Also on this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, we respond to a comment made on the NO HOLDS BARRED blog (http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/) about racism, sexism, and homophobia in the combat sports.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called “The Heist”, by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world’s first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL’s newest show, “IFL Battleground”, every Monday on MyNetworkTV (http://www.mynetworktv.com/) from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com/), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman introduces a new commentary series which will appear from time to time on this show. It is called WhiteWatch, and it examines some of the public utterances of the former boxercise instructor-turned-UFC president, Dana White.

We examine the tone he has set in the UFC regarding issues of race, class, and nationality; some of his critiques of boxing while emulating W”W”E; his comparison of the overall skills of UFC fighters with top pro boxers; and his writing off pro boxing as a dying if not dead sport.

We do also expect to post some interviews with athletes on NO HOLDS BARRED later this week.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called “The Heist”, by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world’s first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL’s newest show, “IFL Battleground”, every Monday on MyNetworkTV (http://www.mynetworktv.com/) from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com/), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting upon the implications for the combat sports of the firing of radio host Don Imus for his blatantly racist and sexist remarks.

We next comment upon what potentially could be one of the most important stories in the combat sports this year: the announcement of “a strategic partnership” between the International Fight League (IFL), the world’s first team-based professional mixed martial arts league, and USA Wrestling, the National Governing Body for wrestling in the United States (http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/2007/04/international-fight-league-and-usa.html).

We also raise a number of issues about the combat sports and the media, including the weakness of the business model which relies on revenue from pay-per-view television events.

Next, we review some of the highlights of the IFL event held Friday, April 13 (http://www2.adcombat.com/article.html?id=12966), at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., which we covered live from ringside.

We spoke with Carlos Newton, head coach of the Toronto Dragons, whose team evened up its season record at 1-1 by defeating the Tucson Scorpions, coached by Don Frye, four fights to one.

We spoke with Kevin Jackson, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion in freestyle wrestling, and the head freestyle coach for the U.S. national team, who served as the interim coach for the Portland Wolfpack at this event. The Wolfpack were edged by the New York Pitbulls, 3-2, and now dropped to 1-1 on the season, while the Pitbulls remained undefeated at 2-0. We discussed both what happened at this event as well as the strategic partnership between the IFL and USA Wrestling.

We also spoke with Jamal Patterson, the light heavyweight fighter for the Pitbulls, who defeated Matt Horwich of the Wolfpack with a guillotine choke in just 37 seconds of the first round.

And we spoke with former Cleveland State wrestler Gerald Harris, fighting here as a middleweight for the Wolfpack, who, in a thrilling bout, dropped a controversial split decision to Fabio Leopoldo of the Pitbulls, who is a three-time world champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

My main regret at this event: Not being able to talk to even more people, friends both old and new alike.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called “The Heist”, by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world’s first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL’s newest show, “IFL Battleground”, every Monday on MyNetworkTV (http://www.mynetworktv.com/) from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com/), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Kevin Jackson, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion in freestyle wrestling. Now based at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., he is the head freestyle coach for the U.S. national team, which competes in Olympic and international competition and is part of USA Wrestling. He also is a Distinguished Member of the U.S. National Wrestling Hall of Fame and an inductee in the International Wrestling Hall of Fame established by FILA, the international wrestling federation.

Kevin also had success as a mixed martial arts fighter in 1997 and 1998 in the Extreme Fighting, UFC, and Extreme Challenge organizations. He compiled a record of 4-2, including winning the UFC 14 middleweight tournament.

While remaining in his position as freestyle wrestling coach, he will be returning to the world of mixed martial arts, for this week at least, by serving as the interim coach of the Portland Wolfpack of the International Fight League (IFL). The Wolfpack take on the New York Pitbulls, coached by Renzo Gracie, this coming Friday, April 13, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Matt Lindland, the head coach of the Wolfpack, will be in Russia where he will be fighting heavyweight standout Fedor Emelianenko on the BodogFight pay-per-view show Saturday, April 14, so Kevin is filling in for him.

In our lengthy discussion, Kevin explains and elaborates upon why he is returning, if even briefly and as a coach, to mixed martial arts; his views on the IFL and its team concept; the inclusion of sombo and grappling, two styles of wrestling which include the use of submissions, in the programs of USA Wrestling and FILA; the relation between the wrestling and MMA communities; some highlights and controversies of the U.S. National Wrestling Championships, which were held this past weekend in Las Vegas; who are some of the top wrestling hopefuls for the 2007 World Championships and 2008 Olympics; the prospects of mixed martial arts ever becoming an Olympic sport; how he sees the Wolfpack-Pitbulls matchup going; and some interesting news about the Real Pro Wrestling organization.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called “The Heist”, by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world’s first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL’s newest show, “IFL Battleground”, every Monday on MyNetworkTV (http://www.mynetworktv.com/) from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com/), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman begins by answering some e-mails and commenting more on alleged mob connections in mixed martial arts.

We preview the IFL card on Saturday, April 7, at the MARK of the Quad Cities in Moline, Ill., by speaking with three fighters who will fight that night: Ben Rothwell, the heavyweight for the Quad Cities Silverbacks; John Gunderson, the lightweight for the Reno Lions; and Brad Blackburn, the welterweight for the Seattle Tiger Sharks.

We hear some negative comments about UFC and MMA from Floyd Mayweather Jr., regarded by most observers as the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world today.

We also have a lengthy discussion with Ken Hershman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sports & Event Programming, of Showtime Networks. He is the person in charge of both boxing and MMA at Showtime, and he offers his views on both these combat sports, as well as the “Dynamite!! USA” MMA pay-per-view on Showtime, to be held June 2 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. That event will feature the MMA debut of former NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion (and W”W”E performer) Brock Lesnar, who will face the 7-foot-2 South Korean fighter Hong Man Choi. That card will also feature the MMA debut of Johnnie Morton, a former star wide receiver for the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. MMA legend Royce Gracie will also be on the pay-per-view. Right before that pay-per-view, EliteXC fighters Jake Shields, Antonio Silva, and Gina Carano will fight on the regular Showtime network.

You can also listen to it through my blog, at http://nhbnews.blogspot.com, and my MySpace page, at http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews, also by pressing the play button on the player.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called “The Heist”, by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world’s first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL’s newest show, “IFL Battleground”, every Monday on MyNetworkTV (http://www.mynetworktv.com/) from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com/), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews