On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with Evgeni Kogan, the director of operations of M-1 Global (http://www.m-1global.com).

In the changing business landscape of mixed martial arts, M-1 Global has continued to expand its activities around the world. The M-1 Challenge 24 event on March 25 from Norfolk, Virginia, was one of the best cards of the year, and drew good ratings on Showtime in the U.S. Now they are busy planning their next event, M-1 Challenge 25, for Thursday, April 28, from the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

We spoke on Tuesday with Evgeni Kogan, who had just arrived in St. Petersburg to oversee that event. We discussed some of the top fighters on the M-1 Global roster, and when we will be seeing them fight next, including in the U.S. He explained the business relationship between M-1 Global, Showtime, and Strikeforce, and why that has not changed thus far even after the buyout of Strikeforce by Zuffa. We also discussed the growing role of Russia and Eastern Europe in the combat sports world and in sports in general, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred at http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-04-05T17_33_02-07_00.

You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?3bl1uba2764ha8f. 

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).

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

http://eddiegoldman.com

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter Kenny "Deuce" Garner (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kenny-Deuce-Garner-Fan-Page/150141675024863).

Fighting out of American Top Team in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the exciting, colorful, and outspoken "Deuce" will be fighting in the main event of the M-1 Challenge card on Friday, July 8, at The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California. His opponent will be Pat Bennett, the Team Bombsquad fighter whom Garner defeated by first-round TKO in the 2010 M-1 Selection Americas tournament final on September 18. This card will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime.

Both fighters in this main event have claimed that they are much improved since their first meeting. In this interview, recorded by phone on Tuesday afternoon, Kenny "Deuce" Garner vowed to end this rematch victoriously, and again in the first round. He discussed his subsequent loss to unbeaten M-1 heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili, and why he believes that he will defeat Guram if and when they meet again. He outlined the improvements he has made of late in both grappling and striking, at what weight we can expect to see him fight this time, and much more.

Plus, we open with a brief preview of some of the combat sports action coming up this weekend, including Bellator 46, the Don King-promoted boxing card on HBO featuring the return of Devon Alexander, the U.S. Pankration National Championships and World Team Trials, and the U.S. Sumo Open.

You can play or download No Holds Barred at http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-06-22T19_24_59-07_00. You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?rc2x6grcdcmta4w. 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