Though Fedor Emelianenko‘s M-1 Global management team has yet to confirm it, Jeff Monson told MMA Fighting he’s absolutely fighting the Russian heavyweight in St. Petersburg on November 12, and will head to Russia for a pre-fight press conference on September 16.
And no, he’s not kidding himself. He knows exactly why, after unsuccessfully angling for a fight with Emelianenko for years, he’s finally getting it now.
“I think basically it’s that he lost a couple and [M-1 Global] want[s] him to fight a guy with a name, but obviously they feel confident in the fight,” Monson said. “…Obviously, they think if he fought someone without a name that would look bad, and if he lost again that would also look bad.”
For the 40 year-old Monson, it’s a little bittersweet to get this fight only now, and only after Emelianenko was cut from Strikeforce following a three-fight losing streak, he admitted.
“I wish it was a year ago,” Monson said. “But I’ve said this before, he’s the best heavyweight of all time. Granted, he’s lost a couple in a row here, all against good guys, but other than that [TKO via cut] that wasn’t really a loss, what’d he go, ten years without losing? Nobody’s ever done that, ever. And he beat the best of the best. That was back when Pride definitely had the best heavyweights, and he beat everybody in Pride, and he finished people.”
And the fact that Emelianenko’s management called up Monson when they needed a beatable opponent with some name value? Monson’s not exactly taking it as a compliment, but he’ll still take it, he said.
“The thing is, he’s the only guy allowed in the ring with me. I feel confident. I would never take a fight I didn’t think I could win. It’s a fight I’ve wanted for a long time, and no one’s going to determine what happens in the fight except me and him. Regardless of why they gave it to me or whether my management thinks I can win it, when the bell rings that’s not going to mean anything.”
Though he lost his last fight to Strikeforce heavyweight Daniel Cormier in June, Monson said he is still under contract to the organization and is taking this fight with Strikeforce’s permission. Still, Monson’s plan to eventually cut to light heavyweight remains unchanged, even though he’ll fight Emelianenko at heavyweight.
“I will never fight another heavyweight fight for Strikeforce,” he said. “It will all be at 205 [pounds]. But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s just one of those things where you can’t turn it down.”
Weight isn’t likely to be a major factor in this fight anyhow, Monson said. Emelianenko is just a shade taller than Monson, but both men will likely come into the fight hovering somewhere in the 230-pound range.
This one is less about establishing a future at any particular weight class, according to Monson, and more about fulfilling a career goal and taking a swipe at one of the sport’s greats.
“I’ve never been in the ring with someone where I was like, it’s an honor to be in there with this guy, but it is,” he said. “That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try and beat him, but it is an honor to fight him.”