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.

You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?dwk8yp1d930od37. 

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

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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:

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 speaks with veteran combat sports journalist Donovan Craig.

We opened with a discussion of the upcoming fight between two mixed martial arts legends, Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson. They meet in a heavyweight fight in the main event of a Strikeforce-M-1 Global card this Saturday, July 30, at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, near Chicago, which will be telecast in the U.S. on Showtime. We discussed the histories of both fighters, their recent wins and losses, the likely balance of striking and grappling in this fight, how each fighter can win, and more.

Also, Donovan recently returned from a trip to the Philippines to cover a mixed martial arts event promoted by Pacific X-treme Combat (PXC) (http://pacificxtremecombat.com). We discussed the level of fighters on that card, the prospects for growth of MMA in Asia, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred at http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-27T19_16_32-07_00.

You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?rfy12818u69mmdu. 

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

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