NO HOLDS BARRED: Ben Rothwell, John Gunderson, Brad Blackburn, Showtime's Ken Hershman, Floyd Mayweather Jr. on MMA, NHB Mailbag

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman begins by answering some e-mails and commenting more on alleged mob connections in mixed martial arts.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> We preview the IFL card on Saturday, April 7, at the MARK of the Quad Cities in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Moline, Ill., by speaking with three fighters who will fight that night: Ben Rothwell, the heavyweight for the Quad Cities Silverbacks; John Gunderson, the lightweight for the Reno Lions; and Brad Blackburn, the welterweight for the Seattle Tiger Sharks. We hear some negative comments about UFC and MMA from Floyd Mayweather Jr., regarded by most observers as the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world today. We also have a lengthy discussion with Ken Hershman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sports & Event Programming, of Showtime Networks. He is the person in charge of both boxing and MMA at Showtime, and he offers his views on both these combat sports, as well as the "Dynamite!! USA" MMA pay-per-view on Showtime, to be held June 2 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. That event will feature the MMA debut of former NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion (and W"W"E performer) Brock Lesnar, who will face the 7-foot-2 South Korean fighter Hong Man Choi. That card will also feature the MMA debut of Johnnie Morton, a former star wide receiver for the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. MMA legend Royce Gracie will also be on the pay-per-view. Right before that pay-per-view, EliteXC fighters Jake Shields, Antonio Silva, and Gina Carano will fight on the regular Showtime network. Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes. 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. NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by: IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL's newest show, "IFL Battleground", every Monday on MyNetworkTV from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule. BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more. FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts. Thanks, Eddie Goldman http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/ http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews