Monson: Fighting More than Rizzo
Mike Sloan Sep 1, 2007
There are a few old clichés that have been past down from
generation to generation in regards to picking one's fights wisely.
Opting not to argue over religion and or politics and not to argue
with fools.
Heavyweight contender Jeff Monson (Pictures) is a man 99% of the world's population wouldn't like to fight in a dark alley anyway, but it'd also be foolhardy to try and go to verbal blows with him about certain topics he's beyond passionate about.
After listening to Monson's appearance on the Sherdog Radio Network
with Jordan Breen earlier this week, it's clear he is a man with
many points of views, ideologies that "The Snowman" holds dear to
his heart. Unlike most strong-minded and willed people, Monson
actually takes the time to listen before unleashing his thoughts in
a debate.
Whether it's his strong political views and philosophies, or his trademark anarchy symbol that is tattooed on his shoulder, Monson's not the type of person who just talks out of his rear end.
"It's just an extension of what I believe and not to just get attention. I think for the most part people are just not educated about anarchism and that's just the way it is. The media portrays it as though it's just means to destroy and to kill and [create] chaos, but it really means for everybody to be equal, to take charge of their own lives and have free association with voluntary work toward creating a more unified community."
"We're all equal and it's more of a peaceful symbol. But the media have misled people," said Monson. "When people listen to what I have to say, I just try to educate them on what it is and allow them to make their own choice."
One would imagine that various stages of ignorance in regards to his mindset would overflow to the point of frustration and/or anger, but Monson deflects such a notion.
"We should be equal," he continued. "Not to seperate freedom and have opportunities for things and it's just not the way it is. Like some of those bands who use anarchy symbols or if you go into stores with all the signs, it's just commercialism. The real meaning behind it gets lost. It's not that I'm against that, but the real meaning gets watered down. People trip out about what they think it means but they really don't even know the true meaning of it."
One individual who seemed to get under Monson's skin was Tim Sylvia (Pictures). In his pre-fight diatribes, Sylvia ripped "The Snowman" and seemed to paint a picture that Monson is anti-American and that he was wrong for believing the way he does.
"Honestly I didn't really get into that until after the fight," Monson admitted. "I didn't get onto the forums or into the chat rooms, so anything he said didn't really come to my attention until after the fight."
"I was a little disappointed that he used that before the fight, but he was trying to pump it up to sell tickets. But he is the classic guy, in my opinion, who is not educated on the subject and who has just been taken in by what he's told or what he saw on Fox News and that's what he thinks the real world is."
"Anarachy isn't about destruction, it's about people getting along and that overrides borders for countries and politics and everything else," said Monson. "It's for people of every country to come together that work and sweat and to take back what's theirs. If you support our troops and support America, which I do, then you'd want them to all come home and not be in the war."
"They are genuine patriots in every sense of the word but some of them are just as disillusioned as the rest of the country as to why they're there. So if they want to be home I don't think we're really supporting them by waving the flag and saying, 'Go troops! We support you!' Well, what are we backing; them getting shot at? No, we back them getting home to their loved ones so they can live their lives."
The American Top Team fighter continued: "But that just goes to show that (Sylvia) is uneducated on what the real world is like."
One with enough brain power could speak with Monson about these issues for as long as there are minutes to pass in a day, but at some point a political conversation about wars and inhumanity must somehow segue into the world of mixed martial arts.
"Honestly, I fight just for me," he chuckled. "My passion isn't fighting, though; it's competing. After wrestling throughout college and with the UFC getting big, it was like the most difficult thing that I was okay at or could get good at. I think it was an opportunity where it was one thing that I wanted to be the best at."
Monson mentioned that he wants to be the best, but unlike most fighters, he actually had the chance to fight the man who is widely regarded as the best on the planet in the sport today, possibly of all-time. The outspoken fighter signed on to fight the true heavyweight champion of the world in Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures), but unforeseen circumstances prevented that fight from materializing and Fedor instead opted to duel with Matt Lindland (Pictures).
"I was extremely disappointed the Fedor fight didn't happen because I specifically asked out of my contract with the UFC just to fight him," he reflected, with a slight sigh of disbelief tainting his voice.
"I can only speculate as to why he pulled out. If he pulled out because I just came off a loss, that's fair enough. But Matt Lindland (Pictures) just came off a loss as well; he had just lost to Quinton Jackson (Pictures). To me, he was basically getting the same guy except about 35 pounds lighter."
"I take it for what it is but he picked who he wanted. He picked a tough guy, no doubt, in Lindland, but he was one or two weight classes below Fedor and he was fighting in front of the Russian president, [Vladimir] Putin. He has the danger of maybe having a boring matchup with me or he could get taken down and controlled on the ground and maybe he wouldn't have had the most exciting fight. Again, I can only speculate."
While a clash between Monson and Emelianenko is put on indefinite hold, there is another intriguing showdown that could possibly occur given the right circumstances evolved.
Randy Couture (Pictures) is the current UFC heavyweight champion and while it's unlikely that Monson will be signing a contract to fight for The Natural's title, it's a showdown that might happen someday.
"I've said along that I wanted to fight Fedor because I think he's the best," declared Monson. "He hasn't really ever lost and he's pound-for-pound the best fighter."
"He's the more dangerous fighter of the two. I think I match up with Randy better and I'll probably get a ton of flack for saying this, but if I come in perfect condition, I don't see how I can lose a fight against Randy," said Monson of his former training partner.
"Fedor is more dangerous and I think it'd be a much tougher fight with Fedor. I want the UFC title so right now it's Randy, but if Fedor got it, then definitely Fedor."
This Saturday night in the main event of Art of War 3, Monson will be fighting against UFC and PRIDE veteran Pedro Rizzo (Pictures).
A perfect fight plan would be for Monson to avoid Rizzo's devastating right hand and vicious leg kicks and do whatever he could to get his foe onto his back. The Snowman knows it won't be a walk in the park but he knows what the task at hand is all about.
"That's what I would like the have happen; to take him down and beat on him," he mused through a grin. "Over the last two months I've been working on a lot of standup a few times a week just preparing for that fight. I think I've become more than just one-dimensional and I could always punch hard."
"I think I'll come in much more confident with my standup, but of course I would like to start the fight on the ground because I don't think he'll get up," he said. "It's one of those things where he does have good takedown defense and he moves when he punches. Even if my plan is to take him down, I have to be able to strike. Even if I do take some stupid shots, I'll still have to take him down and I'm sure that's what he's preparing for as well."
Rizzo hasn't looked like his normal self as of late and it seems as though this could be his last hurrah in MMA. But Monson is not taking anything for granted especially considering Rizzo's history in some big fights.
"He's a tough guy who knocked out [Andrei] Arlovski and [Josh] Barnett and he's a dangerous, dangerous guy," stated the heavyweight.
"I need to take the fight to where I need it to be. I look at this as though I'm fighting the best Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) ever. I'd be stupid to think otherwise."
On Saturday night, the world will find out if Monson does indeed inch that much closer to a showdown with either Fedor or Couture.
Heavyweight contender Jeff Monson (Pictures) is a man 99% of the world's population wouldn't like to fight in a dark alley anyway, but it'd also be foolhardy to try and go to verbal blows with him about certain topics he's beyond passionate about.
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Whether it's his strong political views and philosophies, or his trademark anarchy symbol that is tattooed on his shoulder, Monson's not the type of person who just talks out of his rear end.
"I think in the beginning I'd get looks like, 'Oh he's got that
tattoo,' but I'm pretty well- and out-spoken in my beliefs and now
it's just pretty much what [people] have heard," Monson said in a
recent interview with Sherdog.com.
"It's just an extension of what I believe and not to just get attention. I think for the most part people are just not educated about anarchism and that's just the way it is. The media portrays it as though it's just means to destroy and to kill and [create] chaos, but it really means for everybody to be equal, to take charge of their own lives and have free association with voluntary work toward creating a more unified community."
"We're all equal and it's more of a peaceful symbol. But the media have misled people," said Monson. "When people listen to what I have to say, I just try to educate them on what it is and allow them to make their own choice."
One would imagine that various stages of ignorance in regards to his mindset would overflow to the point of frustration and/or anger, but Monson deflects such a notion.
"We should be equal," he continued. "Not to seperate freedom and have opportunities for things and it's just not the way it is. Like some of those bands who use anarchy symbols or if you go into stores with all the signs, it's just commercialism. The real meaning behind it gets lost. It's not that I'm against that, but the real meaning gets watered down. People trip out about what they think it means but they really don't even know the true meaning of it."
One individual who seemed to get under Monson's skin was Tim Sylvia (Pictures). In his pre-fight diatribes, Sylvia ripped "The Snowman" and seemed to paint a picture that Monson is anti-American and that he was wrong for believing the way he does.
"Honestly I didn't really get into that until after the fight," Monson admitted. "I didn't get onto the forums or into the chat rooms, so anything he said didn't really come to my attention until after the fight."
"I was a little disappointed that he used that before the fight, but he was trying to pump it up to sell tickets. But he is the classic guy, in my opinion, who is not educated on the subject and who has just been taken in by what he's told or what he saw on Fox News and that's what he thinks the real world is."
"Anarachy isn't about destruction, it's about people getting along and that overrides borders for countries and politics and everything else," said Monson. "It's for people of every country to come together that work and sweat and to take back what's theirs. If you support our troops and support America, which I do, then you'd want them to all come home and not be in the war."
"They are genuine patriots in every sense of the word but some of them are just as disillusioned as the rest of the country as to why they're there. So if they want to be home I don't think we're really supporting them by waving the flag and saying, 'Go troops! We support you!' Well, what are we backing; them getting shot at? No, we back them getting home to their loved ones so they can live their lives."
The American Top Team fighter continued: "But that just goes to show that (Sylvia) is uneducated on what the real world is like."
One with enough brain power could speak with Monson about these issues for as long as there are minutes to pass in a day, but at some point a political conversation about wars and inhumanity must somehow segue into the world of mixed martial arts.
"Honestly, I fight just for me," he chuckled. "My passion isn't fighting, though; it's competing. After wrestling throughout college and with the UFC getting big, it was like the most difficult thing that I was okay at or could get good at. I think it was an opportunity where it was one thing that I wanted to be the best at."
Monson mentioned that he wants to be the best, but unlike most fighters, he actually had the chance to fight the man who is widely regarded as the best on the planet in the sport today, possibly of all-time. The outspoken fighter signed on to fight the true heavyweight champion of the world in Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures), but unforeseen circumstances prevented that fight from materializing and Fedor instead opted to duel with Matt Lindland (Pictures).
"I was extremely disappointed the Fedor fight didn't happen because I specifically asked out of my contract with the UFC just to fight him," he reflected, with a slight sigh of disbelief tainting his voice.
"I can only speculate as to why he pulled out. If he pulled out because I just came off a loss, that's fair enough. But Matt Lindland (Pictures) just came off a loss as well; he had just lost to Quinton Jackson (Pictures). To me, he was basically getting the same guy except about 35 pounds lighter."
"I take it for what it is but he picked who he wanted. He picked a tough guy, no doubt, in Lindland, but he was one or two weight classes below Fedor and he was fighting in front of the Russian president, [Vladimir] Putin. He has the danger of maybe having a boring matchup with me or he could get taken down and controlled on the ground and maybe he wouldn't have had the most exciting fight. Again, I can only speculate."
While a clash between Monson and Emelianenko is put on indefinite hold, there is another intriguing showdown that could possibly occur given the right circumstances evolved.
Randy Couture (Pictures) is the current UFC heavyweight champion and while it's unlikely that Monson will be signing a contract to fight for The Natural's title, it's a showdown that might happen someday.
"I've said along that I wanted to fight Fedor because I think he's the best," declared Monson. "He hasn't really ever lost and he's pound-for-pound the best fighter."
"He's the more dangerous fighter of the two. I think I match up with Randy better and I'll probably get a ton of flack for saying this, but if I come in perfect condition, I don't see how I can lose a fight against Randy," said Monson of his former training partner.
"Fedor is more dangerous and I think it'd be a much tougher fight with Fedor. I want the UFC title so right now it's Randy, but if Fedor got it, then definitely Fedor."
This Saturday night in the main event of Art of War 3, Monson will be fighting against UFC and PRIDE veteran Pedro Rizzo (Pictures).
A perfect fight plan would be for Monson to avoid Rizzo's devastating right hand and vicious leg kicks and do whatever he could to get his foe onto his back. The Snowman knows it won't be a walk in the park but he knows what the task at hand is all about.
"That's what I would like the have happen; to take him down and beat on him," he mused through a grin. "Over the last two months I've been working on a lot of standup a few times a week just preparing for that fight. I think I've become more than just one-dimensional and I could always punch hard."
"I think I'll come in much more confident with my standup, but of course I would like to start the fight on the ground because I don't think he'll get up," he said. "It's one of those things where he does have good takedown defense and he moves when he punches. Even if my plan is to take him down, I have to be able to strike. Even if I do take some stupid shots, I'll still have to take him down and I'm sure that's what he's preparing for as well."
Rizzo hasn't looked like his normal self as of late and it seems as though this could be his last hurrah in MMA. But Monson is not taking anything for granted especially considering Rizzo's history in some big fights.
"He's a tough guy who knocked out [Andrei] Arlovski and [Josh] Barnett and he's a dangerous, dangerous guy," stated the heavyweight.
"I need to take the fight to where I need it to be. I look at this as though I'm fighting the best Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) ever. I'd be stupid to think otherwise."
On Saturday night, the world will find out if Monson does indeed inch that much closer to a showdown with either Fedor or Couture.
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