Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Monson video: Cormier’s opponent talks motivation while getting a tattoo

Jeff Monson has always struck me as a little bit off. He's clearly a smart cookie with intense political philosophies, but he marches to the beat of a different drum. The 40-year-old, who once challenged for the UFC heavyweight title, is returning to the big stage to battle Daniel Cormier at Strikeforce in Dallas tomorrow.

It's an intriguing matchup. Monson is a nasty grappler with dangerous submissions and Cormier is an Olympic-level wrestler. What happens if it goes to the ground?

I don't think I'm going to bring anything to the table with my wrestling that he hasn't seen before. But, I hope he does (take it down). It's not really a secret that he's a better wrestler than I am. But, it's a weird thing because once he gets me to the ground, we are in my world," Monson told The Times and Democrat in South Carolina. "I don't care who he is or what he is doing, I'm going to do well on the ground. It certainly interests me as a fighter, we have two different styles that are kind of related. You just never know what is going to happen."

Monson is well-aware that Cormier isn't your typical 7-0 MMA fighter.

He wouldn't have been my first choice to fight coming into Strikeforce. (Cormier) knows what it is like to compete at the highest level. Wrestling is the toughest sport in the world. He has less MMA fights, but he is working with King Mo (Lawal) and Cain Velasquez and feeling those guys in the room.

With the buzz of the tattoo gun, this isn't the easiest video to watch, but it is interesting to hear Monson's motivation to continue fighting.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Monson-video-Cormier-s-opponent-talks-motivatio?urn=mma-wp3649

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