Monson competed in Division I as a wrestler at the University of Oregon, as well as the University of Illinois and was a Pac-10 champion. For several years he performed at top level in American wrestling. He fought three fights in the professional boxing ring. His result was two wins and a draw. He is a two-time winner of the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship and NOGI World Champion. He is the current heavyweight title holder in the International Sport Karate Association and the Strength & Honor Championship. Member of the American Top Team, which is based in Coconut Creek, Florida. Jeff has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as well as 46 wins and 13 losses in mixed martial arts statistics. Jeff has a master's degree in psychology and worked in this specialty for several years (diagnosis of crisis conditions, as well as as a family and children's counselor) before becoming a professional fighter.
He is one of the best mixed-style fighters in the world in ground fighting, where he forced opponents to surrender after a choke or painful hold (28 wins). He won such competitions in NAGA, Grapplers Quest and International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles. He received the nickname "The Snowman" after performing in 1999 at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championship. The nickname was given to him by Brazilian fighters after Monson, unknown to the general public, defeated four Brazilians in weight category 88-98 kilograms. As the tournament progressed, he continued to defeat opponents and was like a snowman: white, compact, rolling and becoming bigger and stronger as the tournament progressed.
Beliefs
Jeff Monson calls himself an anarchist and anarcho-communist. So, in an interview, he said: “I am an anarchist, one who wants to end the class hierarchy in society and the institutions that give rise to this inequality.” Jeff is a member of the IWW, sponsored by AK Press, and has several anarchist tattoos on his body, including (on his right shoulder) the Russian words for "freedom" and "solidarity."
On January 14, 2009, Monson was charged with first-degree malicious damage to property for vandalizing the Washington Capitol with symbols of anarchy and peace, as well as "no poverty" and "no war." The warrant was issued by the Thurston County Superior Judge when photos of Monson spray-painting appeared in ESPN magazine. On July 29, 2009, Monson pleaded guilty and received 90 days of work and a $21,894 fine.
Fights in the professional ring
November 2011
On November 20, 2011, a fight took place in Moscow between Jeff Monson and Fedor Emelianenko. At the end of three rounds, Fedor won on points. According to the press secretary of the Russian Prime Minister, after the fight the audience “hooked” at Monson leaving the hall. A number of media outlets and eyewitnesses indicate that the negative reaction and whistles were directed not at Monson, but at Vladimir Putin, who was in the ring at that moment.
June 2012
On June 21, 2012, a fight took place between Jeff Monson and Denis Komkin in St. Petersburg. Monson won by submission (north-south).
Best of the day
Also noteworthy was the fact that Monson, a US citizen, entered the fight to the USSR Anthem.
November 2012
On November 15, 2012, a fight took place between Jeff Monson and Alexander Emelianenko in St. Petersburg. Monson won via north-south choke four minutes into the second round. Immediately after the fight, while still in the ring, Alexander Emelianenko said that he wanted to have another fight with Jeff Monson. Monson responded vaguely, saying that he respects the Russian people.
True to his custom of surprising, this time Monson entered the fight to the song of the Russian group “Lube” - “Kombat”, earning applause from the audience.
Date of birth:
Place of birth:
Saint Paul (Minnesota), USA
American and Russian athlete, winner of mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments, political activist.
BIOGRAPHY
Jeff Monson was born into a military family and a nurse. His father died when the boy was only two years old, but his mother, uncle and everyone else surrounded Jeff with care. Once he even admitted that he was a little spoiled by attention.
As a child, the future fighter played football and baseball. At first he just liked to play, but over time he began to take the sport seriously. At age 15, Jeff tried wrestling and was hooked. He liked the one-on-one confrontation with an opponent and the fact that success depended only on himself, on his own efforts in training.
In high school, Monson won championships in Greco-Roman wrestling, went to national competitions. In college, he continued his training and became one of the best wrestlers in the country, in parallel with his studies, he helped coach the university team. Then Jeff received a degree in psychology and worked in his specialty for several years: he worked with difficult teenagers and advised people with mental disorders. But he didn’t give up the sport either, he began to try other types of wrestling. He still really wanted to compete and eventually, after some success in various tournaments, he decided to leave practice and become a professional fighter.
SPORTS CAREER
At one of his first major tournaments, the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission World Championship, he received the nickname "The Snowman". Jeff Monson, unknown to anyone at the time, won several fights in a row, gained victories and received gold. It seemed to the opponents that it resembled a snowball, rapidly increasing in size as the championship progressed. Jeff himself is happy with his nickname and even got a tattoo of a snowman.
Soon Monson signed his first contract with the world's largest organizer of mixed martial arts tournaments, the UFC. However, at that time his striking technique left much to be desired, so he lost two out of three fights and was fired. Jeff continued to train, focused on striking techniques, and even fought several fights as a boxer. His level has grown noticeably, he won a series of 13 victories, becoming the champion of several organizations at once. In 2007, Monson was invited to the UFC again, and this time everything worked out well. Monson may have spent his best fights and won the right to fight for the championship title.
Jeff Monson then performed in other organizations, including Pride FC, Strikeforce, M-1. In total, he now has 85 fights in mixed martial arts oh and victories over such famous athletes, like Roy Nelson, Sergei Kharitonov, Alexey Oleynik, Kazuki Fujita, Alexander Emelianenko.
Jeff Monson VS Fedor Emelianenko
In November 2011, Jeff Monson fought the famous Russian fighter Fedor Emelianenko. This fight was previously called the fight of legends.
The day before, Fedor spoke about his opponent: “Jeff is very patient and resilient. He fought with eminent fighters. His defeats were mostly on points, he is very strong-willed.”
For three rounds, Fedor had the advantage. He broke Jeff's leg with one of his blows, but Monson did not give up. As a result, the judges awarded the victory to Emelianenko, but this fight became one of the brightest in the career of the famous Snowman and brought him the love and respect of millions of Russian fans.
Achievements
- Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- World Champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Two-time champion world grappling ADCC
- FILA World Grappling Champion
- MMA (mixed martial arts): 59 wins, 25 losses, 1 draw
POLICY
Jeff Monson is known for his anarchist and anti-fascist views. He is faithful to the ideals of freedom and dreams of ending class inequality in society.
“I was born and raised in a typical American family, where everyone was accustomed to unconditionally supporting their country and government. At the university, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by a professor from India. He told us about world social problems, about the bottomless abyss in financing the military industry and other public spheres. This excited me. I spoke with the scientist for a long time after his speech. This meeting changed my life forever. I took up the problem closely and read a lot of literature,” Monson told Lenta.ru.
The second turning point was signing a contract with the UFC. Jeff's sports career took off, he began to travel a lot, visited Brazil, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. With his own eyes he saw poverty, children who have nothing to eat while international corporations get richer day by day and do nothing. This is how Monson came to his worldview.
Jeff is not yet involved in politics professionally, but he is trying to change the world with his own methods. He conducts free seminars and master classes for children around the world, opened a sports school in Nicaragua, participates in demonstrations in his homeland, and writes articles.
In 2009, photographs appeared in the press showing Jeff Monson writing “no war” and “no poverty” on the columns of the Washington Capitol. For this he received three months of correctional labor and a fine of several thousand dollars.
In 2015, Monson donated his fee for winning the “Oplot 108: for the Glory of the Fatherland” tournament to the children of Donbass who are suffering from the war.
Russian citizenship
Several years ago, Jeff Monson said that he would like to have Russian citizenship. It turned out that the American fighter had been interested in Russia since childhood, read a lot about the revolution, and was interested in history Soviet Union. Having first arrived in Russia in 2011 to fight Fedor Emelianenko, Monson was amazed by the warm welcome he received here.
“After the battle, I stayed in your country for some time, and then came here again and again. I met new people, traveled around the country, and wherever I found myself, I felt at home. Everyone opened the doors to their home for me, people behaved as if I were part of their family. I feel that Russia is my home. I learned a lot about history and culture. It seems to me that I am already Russian, so I decided to become Russian officially,” the fighter explained his desire to the portal. Sportbox.ru.
Jeff Monson visited more than 30 Russian cities, was in Siberia, and saw Baikal. He made many new friends. Jeff is diligently studying Russian, knows more than 1000 words and can construct simple phrases.
In Russia, Monson plans to work actively, perform under Russian flag at tournaments and open sports schools for children. In addition, he began to write about politics and public life in Komsomolskaya Pravda. On at the moment Two of his columns have already been published.
In 2015, information appeared in the media that Jeff Monson officially became a Russian citizen. The athlete entered the fight against Cameroonian Donald Njatahi under the Russian flag. But it turned out that Monson did not yet have a Russian passport, and the tournament organizers were in a hurry with the announcement.
Russian citizenship was granted to Jeffrey Monson in 2018. The corresponding decree was signed by President Vladimir Putin.
PERSONAL LIFE
Jeff Monson has been married twice. In his first marriage, he had a son, Joshua, and a daughter, Michaela. Both are studying in college, Michaela followed in her father's footsteps and chose psychology.
In 2010, Monson married for the second time. His chosen one was a flight attendant named Daniella; they met when Monson was flying from another fight. That same year, the couple had a daughter, Willow.
Jeff strives to be a good father and spends every free moment with his children. He discusses sports and college activities with them, and plays her favorite games with his youngest daughter. And despite the fact that Willow lives in Miami, the elders are in Seattle, and Monson himself is constantly on the road, they communicate quite often.
Several years ago it became known that Jeff Monson was dating a Russian girl, Alesya, but, apparently, this relationship did not last long.
TATTOOS
“I have a lot of tattoos on different topics. This is my hobby. I like it,” Jeff Monson once said in an interview. A lot is putting it mildly. There are more than forty of them on the athlete’s body; he himself probably won’t name the exact number. Drawings can be divided into three groups: family, political and those made for fun.
Monson got his first tattoo at the age of 19. It was a scorpion on the right shoulder. But this drawing did not mean anything to him, so after a while a large star and the inscriptions “freedom” and “solidarity” appeared in this place, which speak for themselves.
Monson's tattoos include many images of his favorite fairy-tale characters. For example, a gothic fairy or an American comic book character named Lenore. "This is a dead girl who is both good and bad. She has kind heart, but she does bad things, pranks people. It kind of symbolizes me in the past, I did bad things, I had problems with the law, I did graffiti on the walls, I was detained by the police, but I always had a good heart, it’s just that my actions were not always liked by society,” Monson said .
According to experts, such pictures may have a subtext: despite the harsh appearance, at heart their owner is most likely a child and a rather sentimental person. However, the fonts of some of the inscriptions betray a tough character, and the black cat on the left shoulder hints that Jeff is a real threat to his opponents.
Monson made some of the tattoos during his visits to Russia. In particular, the image of the “Motherland” on the thigh. Jeff admitted that he experienced emotional shock when he was in Volgograd and visited Mamayev Kurgan.
The fighter calls the handprint of his daughter Michaela one of his favorite tattoos. “First they made an impression of her palm on paper, and then they enlarged it and transferred it to my body,” Jeff said.
- Jeff Monson doesn't like winter boots. In any weather, he wears flip-flops or regular sneakers. And no Russian frosts affect his habits.
- Before important fights, an athlete... paints his toenails! Now this is his ritual, and it all started when Jeff’s little daughter painted his nails one day for fun. Monson went into battle with a bright pink pedicure - and won.
- The athlete was offered several times to act in films, but so far to no avail. Filming schedules conflict with Monson's schedule.
- Many noted with surprise that the fighter eats while standing. But this is not a whim. Monson had a serious back injury, so he couldn't sit.
- Jeff Monson listens to Rage Against the Machine and System of a Down, loves Guy Ritchie films, and calls Leo Tolstoy his favorite writer.
- Jeff's youngest daughter Willow was not even five years old when she attended her first Brazilian jiu-jitsu training session.
INTERVIEW
About fear
“I’ve had a lot of fights, but I go into every new one with caution. It’s not the fear of pain or injury. I’m terribly afraid of losing.”
About working as a psychologist
“People often came to me and said that my child behaves badly, doesn’t go to school, indulges in drugs or something else. But there has never been a single case where there was a good family, and the child suddenly turned out so bad. 100% of the time the problem was in the family."
About the champions
When you go into a fight, you are determined to try your best to win. But how many people have the strength and willpower to train for years before this fight? When it’s hard, you’re tired, but you keep training. You have an injury, but you still need to train, train, train and prepare to win the fight. To me, that's what makes you successful. This is what separates the just good guys from the great guys, from the champions.
About the goal
“I want to be remembered after death not only as famous fighter MMA, but also how about good father and a caring person who strived to embrace the immensity and do as much as possible for those around him.”
Based on materials from the sites en.wikipedia.org, europe.newsweek.com, snowmanseminars.com, lenta.ru, sportbox.ru, sportstories.rsport.ru, akboxing.ru,kp.ru, mk.ru and the “All Inclusive” programs of the “Russia 2” TV channel.
Jeff Monson is a popular mixed martial arts fighter who has now retired from his career. During his time in the sport, he became a two-time world champion in wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Jeff is originally from America, but already in mature age decided to obtain Russian citizenship. Because he felt Russian in his soul. Throughout his career, Monson often performed to the works of Russian performers.
The beginning of the sports journey
Jeff Monson was born on January 18, 1971 in Saint Paul. As a teenager he took up classical wrestling. Monson began performing at various youth competitions. Over time, this wrestler began to master other types of martial arts.
He spent most of his time grappling. This is a dynamic type of wrestling in which fighters try to quickly apply a painful or choke hold to their opponent. Jeff also tried to achieve high results in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
After graduating from high school, Jeff Monson entered the University of Illinois, where he received a bachelor's degree in psychology. Jeff worked in this specialty for several years, while simultaneously studying martial arts. He understood that he would not be able to combine two professions. After a successful performance at the world championship, the fighter left his job and devoted himself entirely to martial arts.
Entering the UFC
Jeff Monson came in at the age of 26. At first, things weren’t going well for him, but after that he managed to win the World Grappling Championship. After this outstanding event, Jeff signed a contract with the UFC association. But there it was difficult for this fighter to compete against experienced athletes.
Jeff Monson suffered two defeats in three fights, and the association sent him to compete in less prestigious tournaments. Jeff realized that to return to the elite he needed to work hard. This fighter began to hone his striking technique, which had previously been his weak point. After hard training, Monson's career took off. He won 13 fights and began winning tournaments. In 2006, thanks to his victories, this fighter returned to the UFC. There he was given the nickname "Snowman".
Career continuation
After returning to UFC fighter Jeff Monson won confident victory over rising martial arts star Marcia Cruz. Then he defeated several more fighters, and Jeff had to fight Tim Sylvia in the finals. Monson lost that fight. This greatly angered the athlete, and he again left to compete in less prestigious leagues, where mid-level fighters and veterans fought.
During his career, the American fighter fought over 80 fights, in which he scored 58 victories. Jeff Monson's stats are certainly not outstanding. But he could defeat any opponent. That is why this fighter is an inconvenient opponent. The audience especially noted his brilliant performance against Alexander and Fedor Emelianenko.
Fights against the Emelianenko brothers
In 2011, a significant event took place for all martial arts fans. Fighter Jeff Monson met with the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. The fight promised to be spectacular and equal. Jeff Monson weighed over 100 kilograms and had good wrestling skills. This fight was won by Fedor Emelianenko by decision of the judges.
The very next year, a fight took place in St. Petersburg in which Monson fought against Alexander Emelianenko. The American fighter was full of desire to rehabilitate himself for his defeat in Moscow from Fedor. Monson performed a successful choke hold in the fourth minute of the second round and won the fight. Alexander demanded revenge, but Monson did not give an exact answer. There was never a repeat fight between these fighters.
The American surprised all the spectators by entering the fight to the song “Lube” - “Combat”. The fans were delighted with this and applauded the athlete. This was not the first time that Monson went into battle accompanied by patriotic works of our country.
Performances in the Colosseum series
On September 16, 2013 in St. Petersburg, spectators saw a bright spectacle. At the tournament New History"The Colosseum series brought together the strongest heavyweights. Jeff Monson's opponent was the well-known Denis Komkin.
The fights took place and the American fighter won by a split decision. He then had another spectacular fight against Satoshi Ishii. There have always been many fans of this fighter among Russian spectators. After all, he held several spectacular fights in our country.
Problems with the law and obtaining Russian citizenship
Jeff Monson has repeatedly told reporters that he is against class hierarchy in society. In his tattoo, Jeff Monson shows his attitude to the injustice of our time. He has many anarchist tattoos. In addition, on his body you can see inscriptions in Russian, Japanese and English.
In 2009, Jeff Monson was arrested. This news immediately spread throughout the world. This athlete painted messages about peace and equality on a government facility. Long legal proceedings began. Monson temporarily suspended his fighting career. The court found Jeff Monson guilty and sentenced him to 90 days in prison and a fine of $20,000.
In 2013, popular fighter Jeff Monson announced that he plans to change his citizenship: inside he feels Russian in spirit and wants to get a Russian passport. He officially became a citizen of our country in 2015.
Personal life of an athlete
Jeff Monson got married at the age of 20. In the marriage, he had a daughter, Michaela, and 3 years later a son was born, who was named Joshua. After many years of marriage, the married couple separated. In 2010, Monson walked down the aisle for the second time. His wife was flight attendant Daniela Dagan. They met in the cabin of the plane. Jeff and Danielle have a daughter, Willow. But the second marriage did not last long.
The popular fighter tries to see his children as often as possible. After the official divorce, Jeff Johnson briefly dated a Russian girl, Alesya Kartseva.
Participation in a Russian television project
Popular fighter Jeff Monson regularly gives interviews in Russia and often conducts master classes for young people Russian athletes. Most recently, he took part in the show “Dancing with the Stars.” His partner in the project was a professional dancer. Jeff trained a lot to perform well on the TV show. His sporty character and hard work helped to master new movements. This popular fighter was trained in tango, Viennese waltz and other ballroom dances. Fans all over the world watched with interest as their idol would perform on an unfamiliar stage.
Jeff Monson currently
For a long time the fighter did not want to complete his professional career. He participated in even little-known tournaments. Jeff has stated more than once that he is a fighter and wants to fight. Although he understands that by opening his own school, he could earn more. His name would bring her a lot of attention.
Jeff Monson's biography is full of ups and downs. This fighter was forced to perform in the lower leagues of America several times. But he returned again and defeated famous opponents. Monson loved wrestling on the ground. Therefore, it was difficult for many drummers to impose their fighting style on him. Jeff Monson's stats aren't outstanding. But at the peak of his career he was winning large number fights in a row.
- a unique phenomenon in world sports. No, he's not a record holder, he didn't break Tyson, did not overtake Bolta and didn't jump higher Bubki. In his track record enough defeats. There are probably more of them than even the average fighter needs. But he continues to remain unique and holds the attention of the sports media even at 44 years old, when normal fighters are already retiring and babysitting children.
But the soul of Russian fans especially became attached to Monson - his rebellious spirit is too close to the Russian soul, always looking for something.
Russia and USSR
And Jeff himself feels this, understands it, and, unlike many, many Americans, instead of fear and hatred towards our country, he feels respect and even love.
Lately he has been visiting us often. But Monson does not come to Russia for money or fame. Between fights, he travels a lot around the country, gives master classes, free for children and paid for adults, visits schools, hospitals and orphanages, and donates to charity.
During one of his fights, which he found himself in absolutely by accident Russian President Vladimir Putin, Monson forced the Russian head of state to greet himself standing - he simply entered the ring to the anthem of the Soviet Union, which, without words, repeats the current Russian anthem. How could I not stand up here?
We love him, even though he beat one of our heroes - Alexandra Emelianenko. The latter, by the way, is now in custody on suspicion of rape. To his brother Fedor, Monson, however, lost. But he lost in his own way, not the way many others did - until the last he refused to lie down and admit defeat. To prevent Fedor from killing him, the seconds had to literally carry Jeff out of the ring.
Jeff Monson and Fedor Emelianenko. Photo: RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich
“I’ve heard the expression that “Russia is a mystery country, shrouded in mystery.” Russia combines both Europe and Asia; no other country in the world has such diversity. It's unique. There are people of different races here, they coexist together and are united into one big culture. A culture unlike any other. This is very interesting. Russians are capable of doing more difficult things than Americans, passing more difficult tests and moving on. And here's another thing, political things. America, it's trying to become an empire. We have about one hundred to one hundred and fifty military bases around the world. And we are trying to control the World. Russia's army is not of this type. It is not aimed at the World. This is also a big difference,” the portal valetudo.ru quotes the fighter.
On the shoulder of the famous American fighter mixed style The words “fighter”, “freedom” and “solidarity” are written in Russian. On the lower leg there is a huge crossed hammer and sickle. A red and black star “burns” on the chest - a symbol of anarcho-communism. And one of the tattoos on his leg, although in English, was completed by Monson in Orenburg.
Jeff Monson. Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexey Druzhinin
Mom Anarchy
Tattoos are not just a fashion statement. In them, Monson expresses his beliefs, according to which this American is an anarchist. He is an anarchist international organizations, from his own pocket sponsors publishers of anarchist literature, and draws inspiration from the famous Russian philosopher and, of course, anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, whom Jeff calls his only idol from the human world.
Monson is ready to suffer for his beliefs - in 2009, a US court sentenced him to 90 days in prison for drawing a peace sign and two inscriptions “no to poverty” and “no to war” on the walls of the Capitol in Washington.
Americans continue to struggle with poverty and war today. While his native country is imposing more and more sanctions on Russia because of the events that are taking place on the territory of Ukraine, and is even thinking about providing military assistance to official Kyiv in the fight against the Donbass militias, Jeff donates his fees for the fight to ordinary residents of Donbass, who every day are suffering from this bloodbath.
And all of this, all of the above, coexists in one body with a sweet-hearted person who simply loves working with children, and is himself a child psychologist by training. On right leg he has a tattoo of one of the children's cartoon characters, a cute cat. Often this tattoo is in harmony with his toenails, which Monson paints pink before each fight. This has nothing to do with his beliefs - this is a sign that came after one of the won battles. The day before the fight, Monson's daughter jokingly painted her father's toenails pink, but he did not wash off the polish. The battle was won. Since then, Jeff has gone to every fight with pink toenails and a good-natured smile on his face.
