Fedor Emelianenko recently annihilated his competition during his Combat Sambo tournament. Jeff Monson just finished dominating the Absolute Division of the NAGA Arnold Classic this weekend. Now both men are looking to get back into MMA action this spring in a fight supposedly held on U.S. soil. In a new interview with MMA Fightline, Emelianenko talks about Randy Couture, Hong Man Choi, and his next fight.
It’s not Randy vs. Fedor, but at least it’s Somebody vs. Fedor.
Monson, the man we dub “Snowman”, might just be the first test for the virtually undefeated Emelianenko since he fought both Mark Hunt and Mark Coleman back in 2006 in Pride. While Hunt was only 5-3 and barely pulling off split decision wins over Wanderlei Silva and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Coleman, however, had wins over Maurico “Shogun” Rua, Don Frye, and many other old-school legends of MMA. He was also recently inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame if that still counts for anything anymore (thanks to Dana White saying that Tank Abbott is next). The fights against the Marks were just two months apart and the results were the same; submission wins for Emelianenko. After defeating Matt Lindland, who many say wasn’t a top contendor because he moved up two weight classes to fight, in April of last year, Emelianenko only recently emerged on New Years to beat the unnaturally huge K-1 kickboxer Hong Man Choi. Some fans rejoiced while others laughed and called it a circus. And who could blame them?
So can all of the name-calling and can-fed accusations finally end for Emelianko? Is Monson, a guy who went on a 16 fight win streak between 2003 and 2006, good enough to satisfy MMA fans who want to see Emelianenko up against “real” competition? Monson does have losses to Chuck Liddell and, surprisingly enough, Forrest Griffin back in 2002, but he also carries a decade of experience.
We’ll soon find out if the fight will be made official and when it will be held. As far as who will be lucky enough to host this - will it be held by EliteXC on prime time television in April? I really doubt that, but it is somewhat amusing to even think about it. Perhaps HDNet Fights will televise the first M-1 production or maybe a Japanese promotion has some crazy idea to attempt another event similar to K1 Hero’s Dynamite!! You know, the the kind of unorganized event you would expect to come out of Japan.
But either way, we can hopefully expect to see a real fight that goes the distance. Then maybe someone can really solidify themselves at the top #1 heavyweight in the world. Or not.
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March 5th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Don’t forget Monson lost against Tim Sylvia…..
March 5th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
True, but a lot of guys lost against Sylvia. He’s a difficult opponent because he is big and clinches all night long to a boring decision win. 11″ in height difference too…crazy.
March 6th, 2008 at 5:10 am
I just skimmed that interview, but where is the stuff about Monson being his next fight? I couldn’t find it, or any talk about his next fight for that matter.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Sorry about that. I forget to link the actual rumor article!
“Fedor is expected to take on part-time K-1 kickboxer Semmy Schilt but Jeff Monson has also been rumored as a potential opponent. The show will most likely take place right outside of Chicago at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.”
March 6th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Given that Barnett quashed the rumour about any fight with Aleks, saying that he had never even talked with M-1 Global, I highly doubt the veracity of this Monson rumour. The fact that this April 11 fight card never materialized furthers my suspicions that this was nothing more than an attempt to keep Fedor’s name ‘out there’ as he spinned his tires in Russian sambo competitions. Just another rumour with zero substance behind it. And just to add, Kevin Randleman has said he’s fighting Jeff Monson on June 21, and I highly doubt either of them will be fighting Fedor in the interim.
March 17th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Like it really matters anyways. Hasn’t this guy proven that he’s the greatest? Got su-plexed on the head, took cro-cops best left kick to the head and still dominated him(in a Pride ring mind you).Whoever gets put in front of him loses. That simple. No ifs, ands, or buts. His record says it all. And he has fought top competition. He beat the current UFC champion twice. And he beat the top contender for the UFC championship. He beat Heath into a pulp. Just like he would Tim Silva, and just like he will his next victim. I hope it’s Monson. It would be fun to watch Fedor throw him around and eventually submit him, or beat him senseless. But its NOT Monson.
April 29th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
you should challenge chuck lidel because he thinks he the best fighter?