On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews an incredible week coming up in the combat sports, as well as a conference which may mark a major step in the battle against corruption in world sports.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be holding a Working Meeting on irregular and illegal sports betting on Tuesday, March 1, at the IOC Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. This coincides with a number of major calls for the formation of some type of independent world agency to combat corruption in sports and fight for their integrity. Such statements have already been publicly issued by Tamas Ajan of Hungary, who is an honorary member of the IOC and president of International Weightlifting Federation, and David Howman, the director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Many IOC officials are believed to be unenthusiastic about the formation of such a body, and we will be following the developments at this meeting and afterwards, including the activities of Play the Game (http://www.playthegame.org), which has long supported the establishment of such an anti-corruption agency.

In mixed martial arts, the main attraction this coming weekend will be the first title defense by Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante against MMA veteran and legend Dan Henderson. That headlines a card on Saturday, March 5, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, which will be shown live in the U.S. on Showtime. We spoke with both Feijao and Dan Henderson about what to expect in this fight on a media conference call, and also preview the women's 135-pound title fight between champion Marloes Coenen and challenger Liz Carmouche.

Also on Saturday, March 5, M-1 Challenge XXIII features two title fights and a loaded card from the Crocus City Arena in Moscow, Russia. This card will be webcast live and for free on the M-1 Global web site (http://www.M-1Global.com) starting at 11:00 am EST / 8:00am PST in North America. In a heavyweight title fight, Guram Gugenishvili, the M-1 Challenge champion, fights Maxim Grishin, the M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion. In a welterweight title fight, Shamil Zavurov, the M-1 Challenge C\champion, faces Tom Gallicchio, the M-1 Selection Americas 2010 champion.

We also discuss the west coast trials for the World Professional Jiu Jitsu Cup, which take place March 5 and 6 in San Diego, California; the Saul "Canelo" Alvarez-Matthew Hatton WBC 154-pound title fight on March 5 from Anaheim, California, which will shown in the U.S. on HBO; and the NCAA Division I wrestling conference championships, which also take place this coming weekend.

You can play or download No Holds Barred at http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-02-27T16_46_29-08_00.

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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:

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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 edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the audio from the news conference held Tuesday, March 1, 2011, by Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announcing the formation of a task force to address the issue of how "to fight irregular and illegal sport betting". This news conference was held at the headquarters of the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland.

We also comment on some of the problems with the plans for such a task force, including seeing the regulated gambling industry as an ally in the battle against corruption in sports, and how this would be a step backwards for many major professional sports. And we discuss how various forms of corruption have hurt the combat sports over the years, and the continuing need for the establishment of an independent world sports anti-corruption agency.

You can play or download No Holds Barred at http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-03-01T16_02_20-08_00.

You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?pkdlaaqbk20yskt. 

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 edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Jens Sejer Andersen, the International Director of Play the Game (http://www.playthegame.org).

Based in Denmark, Play the Game is an organization "aiming to strengthen the ethical foundation of sport and promote democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in sport." Particular attention has recently been given to the movement to establish an international agency to battle corruption in sport.

We spoke with Jens Andersen about the latest developments in this movement, including the establishment of a task force set up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to come up with recommendations to fight irregular and illegal sports betting as well as other forms of corruption. We analyzed the strong and weak points of the IOC plan, and discussed whether or not the legal gambling industry can be viewed as an ally in the battle against corruption in sport. And we discussed the important role which the fans can play in this fight, which ultimately involves determining if all the sports which the fans enjoy are what they appear to be and are on the level, or not.

Also, March 6, 2011, marks the fifth anniversary of this show, No Holds Barred, as a podcast. March 8 is also the fortieth anniversary of the first fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. We tie these two anniversaries together by noting the long fight Ali had for justice both inside and outside the ring, and the view held by one of the very few supporters Ali had in the media at that time, Howard Cosell, that "anybody who would call himself or herself a journalist has the duty to act as a watchdog, protecting the public interest against the increasingly arrogant and powerful sports Establishment."

You can play or download No Holds Barred at http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-03-08T18_46_43-08_00.

You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?hgscd8sbw3p2naz. 

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