Fighters.com spoke with “Snowman” Jeff Monson (24-8) as he prepares for a week of fights in December when he will have the opportunity to redeem his 2002 loss to “Suave” Ricco Rodriguez (30-8) and then venture to Switzerland just days later to compete in the World Grappling Championship.
Fighters.com: Jeff, the last time we spoke was just before your win over “Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr (14-9) at Vengeance Fighting Championship in Concord, north of Charlotte, 27 September. You have a fight coming up at Mixed Fight Alliance in Miami 13 December against Ricco Rodriguez. It’s a rematch of a fight you originally lost at UFC 35 in 2002. What are your thoughts on facing Rodriguez again?
Jeff Monson: Well, I like Ricco. He’s a good fighter and a big name; but, I’d like to get back at him for losing to him the first time. [laughing] Hopefully it’ll be a different result this time around. But I don’t really have revenge in mind or anything. It’s been seven years or whatever. But, I think I definitely put a lot more into my fighting than I think he does, so, you know, I should to go out and get the win.
Fighters.com: You’re on a two-fight win streak in recent months with the Kerr victory and a win over “Titan” Jimmy Ambriz (12-8) at Beatdown in New Town, northwest of Bismark, 11 October. Where do you think a victory over Rodriguez will put your career?
Jeff Monson: Well, I need to win a few more in a row. So, I want to take them, you know, like the old cliché, “one fight at a time.” I’m taking this particular fight very seriously. Ricco’s a big name. And he kicked my ass before. It was probably one of the worse beatdowns I ever experienced in a fight from start to finish. [laughing] So, I know he’s capable of doing well.
Ricco has fought a lot of big names. He’s beat about everybody and, even the fights he’s lost were to top fighters, you know, so Ricco’s tough. I just think I need to win every fight right now. My career cannot take another loss at this point. Saying that, I am taking this fight very serious. I know I need to win a few in a row to get a shot at a title somewhere or get back to the top again.
Fighters.com: Will a win in December take you back to Sengoku in Japan? The last loss on your record was to Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked heavyweight ”Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (19-5) at Sengoku in Tokyo 18 May.
Jeff Monson: Yeah, well, I’m fighting in Sengoku in March regardless. Win or lose the fight with Ricco Rodriguez.
Fighters.com: There’s been some drama on the business side of things in the world of mixed martial arts recently. What are your thoughts on the demise of EliteXC?
[Note: EliteXC maintains that it's parent company, ProElite, has not filed for bankruptcy.]
Jeff Monson: I think Elite’s going under is good for mixed martial arts. I don’t think they were ever good for the sport in the first place. They were out there selling sex and violence and promoting fighters that did not belong there. I mean, Kimbo? I don’t want to say he was a victim in the matter. He participated along with the entire situation. And, Kimbo is a legitimate fighter, but he’s not a legitimate name to base an entire organization around. So, when he lost, the whole show went under.
Elite’s television commercials and marketing were not good for MMA either. They were trying to promote things like WWE or something. Which is fine in its own right, because people know what they are watching when they watch WWE. But its not fine when you have people legitimately training and fighting in an MMA event. You know, they had some really good fighters on the cards. Gina Carano and Robbie Lawler and so on. And all of these fighters got lost in the hoopla and the way Elite was promoting its shows. Even a lot of the fighters on the actual cards questioned what EliteXC was doing.
Fighters.com: There’s a big buzz this week over UFC 91. And, of course, there is a divide amongst fans over the heavyweight title fight. One side of the spectrum says Brock Lesnar (2-1) doesn’t deserve the fight this weekend; and, another side says Lesnar is the future of the sport. As a veteran of the UFC yourself, what are your thoughts on Brock Lesnar getting a title shot so soon in his career and who do you think will win the bout between him and fourth-ranked UFC Champion ”Natural” Randy Couture (16-8)?
Jeff Monson: Well, Lesnar does not deserve the shot yet. Let’s see, he won his first MMA fight, then he lost his first fight in the UFC, and then won his second fight. So, he’s one and one in the UFC. I mean, he lost by submission within a couple of minutes and then won a decision. And now he’s fighting for a UFC title. It’s all based on potential, I guess. He’s a physically immense guy and really strong and powerful. He’s training in a good camp too. So no, he doesn’t deserve the shot. But, saying that, I do think Lesnar is going to win the fight against Couture.
This is just one of those fights that’s a match-up nightmare for Couture. Randy normally wins against the fence. He clinches against the fence. He grounds-and-pounds his opponents against the fence, wears them out, and then takes their hearts away. Then, he gets them on the ground and finishes the fight. It’s pretty much standard; and, Randy is so damned good at it that an opponent can know he’s going to do these things and Randy will still get away with it.
Randy is one of the smartest fighters out there. Every time I have picked Randy, he always ends up winning. But, I don’t think he’s going to win this time against Lesnar.
You know, if Randy does win the fight, it’s because he is in great shape. I am sure he’ll be in top shape. And he could win maybe by outlasting Lesnar, making him tired, and getting on top of him. You know, nobody’s seen Lesner on his back. So, who knows what can happen there. I think if Randy gets him down, he can possibly make some things happen.
Randy’s not a big striker though. He’s okay. But Lesnar’s shown that he can punch. Randy’s not a submission guy like Frank Mir either. You know Frank was getting his ass kicked but was still able to pull off a submission on Lesnar and survive.
On paper, it simply looks like a really tough fight for Randy. I don’t know how Randy wins other than gassing out Lesnar, outlasting him, and then taking it to him when he’s got him tired. But, if Lesnar is in shape, it’s a match-up nightmare for Randy.
Fighters.com: Well of course Randy has been criticized in the past for coming up short against larger heavyweights, but he did very well against ninth-ranked “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3). And Gabriel Gonzaga is a large heavyweight that was just coming off of a devastating win over “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (23-7-2) when they faced one another.
Jeff Monson: Yeah sure, but I mean, Gonzaga is a different fighter. Gonzaga’s not a wrestler. He’s a big, strong guy, but he’s not a wrestler. I have seen Gonzaga at Abu Dhabi; and, he pulled guard on everyone. Lesnar as a wrestler, right now at his age, is probably a notch higher than Randy or at least the same level. And Lesnar’s going to be at least thirty or forty pounds heavier going into the fight. So, Randy’s not going to put him up against the fence for any length of time or ground-and -pound him there. So, that’s what I am talking about when I mention the match-up problems for Randy.
The things that Randy does well to win fights, he’s not going to be able to do in this fight. So, Randy has to figure out a different way to win; and, the different ways to win this fight are not Randy’s fortes. You know, knocking Lesnar out or getting a submission, things like that. So, that’s what we are looking at here. On paper, how can Randy win?
But, like I said earlier, if Randy does pull out a win, I think it’s because he outlasts Lesnar. You know, maybe Lesnar gets tired; and, Randy gets on top and sinks a choke from the top. Or maybe Randy punches him out from the top; and, the referee stops the fight or something.
Randy is the smartest guy out there, but he’s got to know on paper that he’s not going to be able to put Lesnar up against the fence and do what he normally does. It will be interesting to see what Randy comes out with. Certainly, if anyone can do it, Randy can. He’s done it time-and-time again. But, it’s going to be a tough one.
Fighters.com: Since we are talking about future UFC title fights, I have an interesting question for you. Early in your career you lost a decision to current UFC and Fighters.com Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin (16-4). There’s a reasonably historic light heavyweight title fight coming up that features two previous winners of The Ultimate Fighter reality show when Forrest defends the title against fourth-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans (12-0-1). Who do you think will win this fight?
Jeff Monson: I think Forrest will win. Rashad has looked absolutely fantastic lately; but, if Forrest fights and trains the way he has for his previous fights the past year or so, I say Forrest will win. If Forrest has not let winning the title change his approach to training and fighting, then I think he keeps the title. And I don’t know how really. Probably a decision.
Fighters.com: Some analysts are saying that Forrest might win a war of attrition by wearing Rashad down and landing a submission in the late rounds.
Jeff Monson: Yeah, maybe. I mean, they are both tough-minded guys. It will be a very interesting to watch. I think Forrest wins in a pretty close fight. I mean, I think the odds on that one are going to be really tight. But I think Forrest wins because he trains so damned hard. [laughing]
Fighters.com: A good friend and teammate of yours and current WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Thomas Brown (15-4) just shocked “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-2). What are your thoughts on this fight and how things happened?
Jeff Monson: I thought Mike was going to win a decision. But, what I mean by winning a decision is that I thought Mike was going to win most of the rounds. Mike has just improved so much. He’s beat a lot of good fighters. I think he’s just flown under the radar for a long time.
Mike has obviously been working on his boxing. He just doesn’t get a lot of credit. Most people, except for his teammates at American Top Team, don’t know how good Mike really is. Now everybody knows. He’s a nice guy and a good teammate. I couldn’t be happier for him.
Mike’s the kind of guy to have as a teammate that you’re happy to see win the title. I mean, I am always happy to see a teammate win but Mike’s got a special place with me. You know, he tore his bicep over a year ago. So, he’s coming off a complete bicep tear where he was in a cast for a while. And now he’s completely repaired and won a bunch of fights in a row to earn the shot at Urijah Faber. And he won it.
When Mike tore his bicep, he never gave up. He didn’t quit. He was working out a few days later, working his legs and stuff. He was immediately trying to find out what he could do to get better. He always maintains a positive attitude. He always has a positive attitude towards everyone on the team.
Mike helps everyone out as well. He drills with people extra and so on. Mike is the epitome of a great teammate. I think everyone on the team is really happy for him to win the title. He deserves it. He’s worked really hard. And he’s just a great guy.
Fighters.com: Before we part, I have a question about the World Grappling Championship in Switzerland. Honestly I was surprised to discover that you are competing in a grappling tournament just days after your fight against Ricco Rodriguez in December. Can you explain the tournament a bit and how you earned a spot?
Jeff Monson: Yeah, it’s exactly what happened last year. [laughing] I lost a fight to “Rock” Pedro Rizzo by technical knockout. [laughing] I had nineteen stitches on my left eye and then went to Turkey the following weekend to compete in the World Grappling Championship. Hopefully this year I’ll come in a little better shape than last year. [laughing]
The United States team is set. We’ve already had the national tournament. The winners and the guys who came in second are part of the U.S. team that go over to Switzerland. There’s fifty other countries involved: Russia, Turkey, Japan, England, Switzerland, Ireland, and so on. The place winners from these countries’ national tournaments make up their teams as well. It’s like an Olympic games for grappling, so to speak. It’s set up just like the Olympics, similar to how wrestling is done.
Myself and Brandon Ruiz are representing the U.S. in the heavyweight division. Brandon took second place in the nationals. So, the top two guys are going over to the tournament. Brandon and I can possibly meet in the finals. I mean, if we meet it will only be in the finals because we’ll start at opposite ends of the brackets. So yeah, the top two guys in the U.S. are going over to Switzerland to compete.
Fighters.com: Jeff, thanks for the enthusiastic interview. Best of luck in your upcoming fights.
