No Holds Barred: Frank Shamrock on Grappling Sakuraba in Rizin

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with MMA legend Frank Shamrock. Now 44 and retired as a fighter for many years, he will be returning to competition at the Rizin Fighting World Grand-Prix 2017 Autumn this Sunday, October 15. This match, however, will not be an MMA fight, but a submission-only grappling rules match with a ten-minute time limit. His opponent will be another MMA legend, but someone whom he never fought in MMA, the 48-year-old Kazushi Sakuraba. This event takes place at the Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan. The main event on this card is a women's MMA fight between RENA and Andy Nguyen, which is a first round fight in the Rizin Woman's Super Atom Tournament. We spoke with Frank Shamrock by phone Saturday while he was in Japan (Friday New York time). Asked why he decided to take this match against Sakuraba, whom he called "a master at submissions," he said, "The reason why I always wanted to fight him, we had the same lineage of teachings. His teachers are my teachers." He continued, "The main reason I want to fight him is, we have the same style, and I've never fought my style, my lineage before." We discussed more on how that lineage comes from catch wrestling, how he was contacted to be in this match, how he has had "three careers" in the combat sports, why real professional catch wrestling can succeed if it is entertaining, how this match is a one-off, how Rizin can expand its popularity beyond Japan, his current work in television and a campaign to build awareness about mental health, and much more. The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store. The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow. No Holds Barred is sponsored by: The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com. Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com. Thanks, Eddie Goldman EddieGoldman.com