On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses this historic week for mixed martial arts in New York, including the February 8 rally called by the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York (http://nymmanow.blogspot.com), and the build-up for the opening round bouts of the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament, which takes place Saturday, February 12, at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

We begin with the speech at the February 8 rally by Coalition co-founder Eddie Goldman, explaining the positive social values which mixed martial arts can have to benefit the people, as well as a brief look at the history of the struggle to legalize MMA and its lessons for New York.

At the rally, we spoke with Alistair Overeem, who holds both the Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight titles as well as the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 title, and who came to support the rally. We also spoke with the top women's 125-pound MMA fighter in the world today, Tara LaRosa, who also spoke at the rally.

At the February 9 prefight news conference for the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament in New York, we spoke again with Alistair Overeem, this time more about the tournament itself. Overeem is considered by many to be one of the favorites to win this tournament, as is the former linear and Pride heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko.

We also had a chance to ask a few questions directly of Fedor right after the formal news conference. Fedor fights in the main event on that February 12 card against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. This card will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime.

You can play or download No Holds Barred at http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-02-10T23_57_08-08_00.

You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?20d36g3y4a1n9ta. 

If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com).

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

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions (http://www.beezid.com). Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions (http://www.beezid.com).

American Top Team (http://americantopteam.com). 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 (http://www.ussambo.com), 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 (http://www.ussambo.com).

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

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

http://eddiegoldman.com

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

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

You can play or download No Holds Barred at http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-08-02T12_50_08-07_00.

You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?kwnhjehzqbl1xaa. 

If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com).

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

M-1 Global (http://www.m-1global.com). Founded in 1998, M-1 Global has staged over 100 mixed martial arts events worldwide including the M-1 Selection tournaments and M-1 Challenge events, in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. While discovering and developing the world's next generation of superstar fighters, M-1 Global's greatest asset is the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. Make sure to catch their shows from around the world, including on Showtime in the U.S., and visit their web site, M-1Global.com (http://www.m-1global.com), and the M-1 Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244) for news, videos, and live streaming events.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions (http://www.beezid.com). Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions (http://www.beezid.com).

American Top Team (http://americantopteam.com). 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 (http://www.ussambo.com), 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 (http://www.ussambo.com).

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

http://eddiegoldman.com