Ultimate fighter Jeff Monson (left) trains at American Top Team Martial Arts Academy in Olympia with Marcos Oliveitla, a Brazilian fighter who will also be instructing at the gym. Monson, a 1989 Timberline High School graduate, is a former Pac-10 Conference wrestling champion at Oregon State. Photos by Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Monson fights with a passion
Olympia native has 7-match win streak in ultimate fighting
GAIL WOOD
THE OLYMPIAN
Jeff Monson wanted a challenge after his collegiate wrestling career – which included a Pac-10 championship – ended.
He found it in ultimate fighting, the intense sport that combines wrestling, boxing and karate.
Five years ago, Monson, an Olympia native and Timberline High School graduate who wrestled at Oregon State, walked away from a job as a mental health counselor to pursue ultimate fighting.
“It’s his passion,” Jennifer Monson, Jeff’s wife, said about fighting professionally.
On Dec. 18 in Sheffield, England, Monson won the Cagewarriors Fighting Championship heavyweight title by beating Tengiz Tedoradze with a submission hold in the first round. Tedoradze, the defending champion, had won 11 consecutive bouts since 2002.
Monson, whose nickname is “The Snowman,” won his seventh straight bout on Jan. 8 in Gresham, Ore., beating Oregon native Brian Stromberg with a submission hold in the first round.
The Monsons recently began what they hope will become a profession when they opened American Top Team Martial Arts Academy, a 5,400-square foot gym in Olympia that will include training in martial arts, boxing and conditioning. Jeff will continue to fight as he works as an instructor at the academy.
Monson’s next big fight will be in a tournament called the Euphoria 3 Challenge on Feb. 26 at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.
To improve his boxing skills, the 6-foot, 240-pound Monson fought three professional bouts last year, winning two and receiving a draw in the other. Monson works on each of his fighting skills every day.
“You used to be able to get by with being just a good boxer or a good wrestler,” Monson said. “Not any more. Now everyone crosstrains.”
As the prize money improves – the winner of the Euphoria 3 tournament will pocket $250,000 – the level of competition has improved.
“The sport is really catching on,” Monson said.
Monson, a 1989 Timberline graduate who turned 34 in January, said his career unexpectedly took off in 1999 when he won a professional tournament in the United Arab Emirates.
“I was really surprised to win,” said Monson, whose is 18-5 in ultimate fighting. “I think everyone was.”
Monson said he got into that 16-man tournament only because of his friendship with Matt Hume, a world class trainer.
In December, Monson’s career took another leap when he defeated Tedoradze just 3 minutes, 51 seconds into in the scheduled five-round bout. Tedoradze, a two-time world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, took Monson down quickly, but Monson reversed and applied the submission hold.
To stay sharp, Monson alternates fights between ultimate fighting, grappling and boxing. He’ll fight nearly every weekend for the next month, with bouts in Seattle, New York and Mississippi.
Needless to say, injuries are part of the job. Monson has had his nose and ribs broken, had surgery to both arms and a knee and was knocked out cold once. Yet he doesn’t think ultimate fighting is any harder on his body than collegiate wrestling.
“My face is all beat up, but my back is better,” said Monson, who still sees his chiropractor, Roy Evans, three times a week.
The financial supporter behind the new Olympia gym is American Top Team founder Dan Lambert, a hotel and cruise ship owner from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Lambert, who has several American Top Team locations in Florida, sponsored Monson for the past three years.
When Monson wanted to return to his hometown, Lambert was willing to open a new gym in Washington.
The club will have six world-class instructors in kick boxing, jujitsu and grappling, an extreme style of wrestling in which Monson is ranked No. 1 in the world.
But it’s not just about martial arts. There’s also “boot camp” conditioning classes.
“We’ve got something for everybody,” said Jennifer, who will manage the new gym.
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20050216/sportssection/89137.shtml
At the bottom of the article are links to the ruleset, terms and styles from the UFC website.
Fairly good article, interesting to see a gym funded by a hotel and cruise operater.