In 2018, MMA fighter Jeff Monson received a Russian passport, and 5 years later he renounced his US citizenship — all that remained was to resolve all the issues on paper. The athlete claims that he lived in complete comfort in the States, but still chose Russia: “I had a good house, a car, more money. In general, the infrastructure there is better — roads, for example. But the problem is different: there are good people in America, but the country itself is soulless. I miss my family, but that’s all.”
Before the fight with Russian Oleg Taktarov, Jeff Monson admitted that some relatives and friends stopped communicating with him — all because of the procedure for renouncing American citizenship. “Some family members refused to communicate with me and are not talking. The same thing happened to several friends in my circle. I will never come to the USA again, and they won’t even give me a visa,” the fighter shared in a conversation with TASS.
On August 18, the fight between Monson and Taktarov is scheduled to take place — the last fight in Jeff’s career. In turn, the first UFC champion from Russia will enter the professional ring for the first time in 15 years.
Who will win?
Both fighters are honored veterans of mixed martial arts and are in approximately the same age and weight categories (Jeff is 52 years old, Taktarov is 55 years old), but Monson has the advantage of never stopping participating in fights. True, Jeff came out of one such bare-knuckle fight with Alexander Emelianenko as a loser.
Before the head-to-head fight, the two heavyweights traditionally took part in the weigh-in. Taktarov and Monson showed almost the same body weight — 105.35 kg and 105.15 kg. The battle of views took place in Zaryadye Park against the backdrop of the Kremlin.
Bookmakers are betting on 55-year-old Taktarov: the Russian’s victory is estimated at odds of 1.50, but Monson’s victory has odds of 2.40. The head of the FIGHT NIGHTS promotion company, Kamil Gadzhiev, suggested that the fight would end in a draw. The fight will take place as part of the Fight Club tournament and will begin no earlier than 23:00 Moscow time.
Alexander Emelianenko has his own forecast: “I’m definitely betting on Monson. Jeff, unlike Taktarov, was active, he performed all these years. And Taktarov talked more than played sports. If this fight is real, then Taktarov has no chance — Monson will smash him to one wicket.” The MMA fighter is also confident that he could beat Taktarov even with his eyes closed, Match TV reports.
Taktarov’s secret technique
Earlier, the first UFC champion from Russia said that he wanted to apply a painful technique to the Achilles tendon: “To be honest, I would like to break his Achilles or give him a knee lock.” Taktarov admitted that the fight with Monson forced him to return to proper physical shape, which he was very happy about.