No Holds Barred: Igor Gracie, Melvina Lathan
http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-06-11T08_40_52-07_00
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman focuses on several issues involving the battle for mixed martial arts to become organized like a true sport.
After over a decade of opposing the sport, the New York State Legislature is now in the process of considering legislation to legalize mixed martial arts and place it under the regulation of the New York State Athletic Commission. While a bill to that effect was recently passed in a key Assembly committee, the exploding political crisis in the New York State Senate, which was actually closed down this week due to spiraling in-fighting among the politicians, has jeopardized the passage and enactment of that, and all, legislation.
To get some perspective on what would be required by the New York State Athletic Commission to regulate mixed martial arts, we spoke with its chairperson, Melvina Lathan.
We also outline some of the key ups and down in the checkered history of this commission, as well as explain why the failure of combat sports promoters, then and now, to work together to self-regulate their own events made intervention by the politicians inevitable.
This Friday night, June 12, the Bellator Fighting Championships has its eleventh show in its 12-week series, with this one being held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. It will be televised in the U.S. the following night, June 13, on the Spanish-language ESPN Deportes network.
The main event features the two finalists in the Bellator eight-man welterweight tournament, Lyman Good and Omar De La Cruz, fighting for the Bellator welterweight title. On the undercard, another member of the legendary Gracie family, Igor Gracie, takes on a fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Vagner Rocha.
We had a chance to speak with Igor Gracie Wednesday afternoon at the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York (http://renzogracie.com), where he is a lead instructor and also trains. We spoke about this upcoming fight as well as his plans to compete regularly in mixed martial arts.
In addition, we offer commentary on some of the positive and negative lessons of the first season of the Bellator Fighting Championships, as well as criticize those in the so-called mixed martial arts "media" who have either downplayed or plain ignored this important 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/).
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum, at http://groups.myspace.com/boxing.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
Gladiator Magazine (http://gladmag.com/), for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com) or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear (http://jiujitsuprogear.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/.
BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
Wrestling 411 (http://wrestling411.tv), providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions (http://www.mediasportsproductions.com/), whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.
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://eddiegoldman.com
See you at the Fights.
Thanks for your time.
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