Knockdown in the first round and a deep cut: how Emelianenko defeated Monson in a bare-knuckle fight

The idea of ​​holding a fist fight involving Emelianenko and Monson initially seemed a little strange.

Alexander acted in the status of a clear favorite and should not have experienced any problems in the battle with a 51-year-old opponent.

So even Sergei Kharitonov thought, who has long been in a very strained relationship with his compatriot and rarely speaks positively about him.

But this time, even he did not doubt his success and noted that the Russian would win even if he came out to fight while intoxicated.

“Young Jeff was a machine.

Today, both ring announcers and haters are fighting Monson.

A man is 50 years old... Today he is a man who can barely carry his legs.

He can make a beautiful master class, he can teach young guys a lot.

But today you need help so that he reaches the cage or the ring, ”Kharitonov told Sport-Express.

And it was hard to argue with that.

Emelianenko was superior to his opponent in both anthropometry and boxing skills.

All his recent failures were primarily due to gaps in wrestling technique, while in the stance he still remained a rather dangerous fighter.

At least for the age-old Monson, who was not famous for his striking technique even in his best years.

Grappling has always been Jeff's trump card, thanks to which he once received the status of the first contender for the UFC heavyweight title.

True, more than 15 years have passed since that moment, so it was not worth taking it seriously into account.

As well as the fact that in 2012 Monson got the better of Emelianenko.

Then most of the fight took place on the ground, and Alexander again found himself defenseless in a duel with a strong grappler.

As a result, the defeat by the choke "North - South" in the second round and the end of an unbeaten streak of four bouts.

This time, it was not easy for Monson to imagine such a successful end to the battle, also because at the end of October he performed extremely unsuccessfully in a boxing match with Timur Nikulin.

Jeff moved with difficulty around the ring, did not deliver a single accented blow, and survived to the end only due to the fact that the opponent himself openly felt sorry for the famous athlete in the past and beat far from full strength.

And it was difficult to say for sure whether Emelianenko would be just as supportive of his offender in revenge.

“I think it’s not him, that he got into boxing in vain.

Especially in bare fists.

Well, he expressed a desire to fight.

So, I will beat Monson while standing, ”said Emelianenko.

However, Monson himself highly appreciated his chances in the battle with Emelianenko and admitted that he had a plan for a fight that could bring him success.

And in the first seconds it became clear what it was.

At the first opportunity, he tried to knit Alexander in the clinch, preventing him from working at a distance convenient for him.

The American himself practically did not attack, but at least kept the threats to a minimum.

However, even this did not save him from a knockdown in the first two-minute round.

A combination of a left jab and a right uppercut landed on Jeff's jaw and sent him nearly flying out of the nonagon.

Monson entered the second round with a broken nose and traces of blood on his head.

Emelianenko had only to deliver a couple of accurate blows to finish the fight ahead of schedule, but he was not particularly eager to win by knockout.

This is what Jeff did.

He did not stop letting them pass, but gradually began to answer himself.

A series of right shots on the jump proved to be accurate and allowed him to briefly seize the initiative.

He drove Alexander into a corner and began to hit the body with all his strength, which impressed the audience.

By the final round, both were tired, but the fearless Monson continued to go forward, despite the missed blows and the blood flooding his face.

Emelianenko completely forgot about the combinations and calmly kept the opponent at a distance with single hits until the end of the fight.

The judges decided to do without sensationalism and, as expected, gave the victory to Alexander by unanimous decision.

At the end of the fight, Monson thanked Russia for their support, and also acknowledged that Emelianenko deservedly won this fight.

As for Alexander, he was pleased with his performance.

“For me, this year started wonderfully, with a victory.

I will try to continue to please you with my successes, not to upset you with defeats ... Now I will heal my fists during the training process and am ready to continue to perform, fight, ”said the ex-champion of ProFC.