PPV showdown vs. Fedor Sunday morning Live from Russia
HOBOKEN, NJ (November 15, 2011) – As Jeff “The Snowman” Monson (43-12-0, 2 KOs, 27 Submissions) makes final preparations for Sunday mornings Pay-Per-View showdown in Moscow against Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (31-4-0, 8 KOs, 16 Submissions), mixed-martial-arts fans around the world are probably wondering why the tattoo covered-Monson has pursued this particular match for more than five years.
Well, for starters, Monson definitely marches to the beat of a different drummer; he’s far from a typical MMA fighter. Jeff is an avowed anarchist who is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies). He also earned a Master’s Degree in psychology.
A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Monson was a Division I wrestler at Oregon State University, where he was a Pac-10 champion, as well as at the University of Illinois. He later competed on the Senior level in USA wrestling. Now fighting out of Miami, Florida, Jeff is a two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist.
Sunday he takes on Emelianenko, who has lost three straight fights, in Fedor’s backyard at Olympic Arena in Moscow, Russia. “Fedor is the best heavyweight of all-time,” Monson said. “It’s an honor for me to fight him. A win would be the highlight of my career. My trainers at American Top Team have prepared me for all possibilities.
“Battle of the Legends,” presented by M-1 Global, is being distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 7:30 AM/ET – 4:30 AM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH Network and Avail-TVN, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95. Check listings for same-day replays.
Recognized as one of the world’s all-time greatest submission grapplers, Monson’s also a multiple winner at major events like NAGA, Grapplers Quest and FILA World Championships.
Jeff got his nickname, “Snowman,” from Brazilian fighters after his 1999 performance at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championship. He entered the tournament as a relative unknown, however, after defeating four Brazilians in a row to win his weight class, they said he was like a snowball – white, compact and he got bigger and stronger as the tournament progressed.
He left the mental health profession in 1998 to devote himself to his pro MMA career, and in 2006, Monson unsuccessfully challenged Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight crown, dropping a five-round decision. Jeff then asked to be released from his UFC contract to fight Fedor, then the reigning PRIDE heavyweight king, at Bodog Fight in March, 2007. Negotiations fell through and the showdown never materialized. On July, 2009 at Affliction III: Trilogy, Josh Barnett fell-out as Fedor’s opponent and Monson was rumored to be Barnett’s late replacement, but the entire card was canceled.
“This fight (versus Monson) has been talked about since my PRIDE days,” Fedor noted. “I am familiar with his career. I think Jeff is a very respected and tough opponent. I am looking forward to fighting him. Each fighter is different in his own way. Jeff and I will offer an entertaining fight.”
Monson, of course, is hoping that his” third time” against Fedor will be the charm.
In Sunday morning’s co-feature, M-1 Challenge Lightweight Champion Jose Figueroa (10-4, 4 KOs, 5 Submissions), also fighting out of Florida, defends against German challenger Daniel Weichel (27-7, 4 KOs, 16 Submissions).
Scheduled to fight on the PPV undercard is Russian welterweight Aleksander Yakovlev (12-3, 4 KOs, 7 Submissions) vs. undefeated Spanish prospect Juan Manuel “Juanma” Suarez (8-0, 1 KO, 3 Submissions), Austrian welterweight Mairbek “Beckan” Taisumov (15-3, 8 KOs, 6 Submissions) vs. Josh Thorpe (10-6, 3 KOs), from Alabama, and Russian middleweight Arthur Guseinov (9-2, 6 KOs, 2 Submissions) vs. French veteran Xavier “Professor X” Foupa-Pokam (21-16, 11 KOs, 7 Submissions). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
