No Holds Barred: John Perretti and Raul Ramirez on June 7 Catch Wrestling in L.A.

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with lifelong martial artist, former UFC and Battlecade Extreme Fighting matchmaker, TV commentator, and our senior correspondent, John Perretti, and Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance.

They met in the Los Angeles area Wednesday, March 19, to discuss the Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth. This event will be held Saturday, June 7, in Collins Court in the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA, at 221 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90095-1612.

We spoke with both John Perretti and Raul Ramirez by phone right after their meeting.

"As I perceive it now, I think he's got some great ideas," said John Perretti, "actually some continuations of some things that I thought about with 'The Contenders'."

"The Contenders" was John Perretti's pioneering submission wrestling event held October 11, 1997, pitting a team of various martial artists, mainly from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, against a team of elite U.S. wrestlers. In that event, victory in each match could come by submission or, if there was none, judges' decision. There was no striking permitted, and the matches were held in a cage. In the June 7 catch wrestling event, however, the rules are different.

"I love his idea of a one twenty-minute round and that there's no need for judges," John Perretti said. "I think that you have to win by submission or a pin." He also said he likes the mat surface which will be used, and the ability of the wrestlers to wear shoes.

Speaking about how the preparations are going for the June 7 event, Raul Ramirez said, "Basically, we just have to create value. We got to put on a great show and we got to have the great wrestlers."

He noted, "We already have that. We're already working with the best schools in the world who are dedicated catch wrestling schools." He added, "We have a good value product that people are going to want to see."

In the works will be a presentation of an award in John Perretti's name at the Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational, with details still being finalized.

We also discussed how wrestlers from other styles and practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and no-gi grappling can adapt to these rules, why pins will eliminate boring guard pulls, the evolution of catch wrestling, safety issues, how the absence of striking increases the appeal of this combat sport, and much more.

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ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

American Top Team. 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/.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com