How tf was Jeff Monson

[November]

A pac 10 wrestling champion. Guy has awful takedowns. I have been watching some videos of him in grappling competition and he is getting takedown and dominated by nobodies. Its quite embarrassing. I have no clue as to how this man possibly won a pac 10 title. It baffles me. Here is video proof:

[YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ya-3bIrFo[/YT]

 

[fluffball]

Dude is pushin 50....

 

[Asurah]

That's also a recent match, his body has been broken down for years now. He has trouble just walking anymore.

 

[Darwinambrosius]

I'm sure he was different a few decades back. Age and 70+ professional fights may have something to do with decreased performance.

 

[ShinkanPo]

I remember his fight against Chuck Liddel and he can't take liddel down But that was FUCKING CHUCK LIDDEL that dude is really hard to takedown.


Randy Couture said that Jeff Monson has one of the tightest guard out there when he closed the guard on you its really hard to pass.

 

[ShinkanPo]

 

[Renegadewonder1]

Look at the bigger picture, he never made the US Olympic Wrestling team or won a gold medal in the Olympics. I am not trying to discredit Monson, but maybe the PAC 10 was week in his division that year.

 

[Renegadewonder1]

That Sa guy is very talented. I have seen him submit Hector Lombard as well. I think this guy may be a future UFC prospect.

 

[no fat chicks]

i think father time hasn't been the best to him. Anyone know wher hes training out of.

I feel he could make waves at grappling tourneys if he let old injuries heal.

 

[November]

Look at the bigger picture, he never made the US Olympic Wrestling team or won a gold medal in the Olympics. I am not trying to discredit Monson, but maybe the PAC 10 was week in his division that year.

Dude, just earning a starting position at a D1 school means you are an elite wrestler. Let alone winning a PAC 10 title.

 

[Renegadewonder1]

Dude, just earning a starting position at a D1 school means you are an elite wrestler. Let alone winning a PAC 10 title.

Winning a spot on the Olympic team means you are an elite wrestler as well. I have never discredited Monson's wrestling, but I am just saying he did not win a spot on the Olympic team.

 

[Zefram Cochrane]

the guy has more mileage on him than an 1967 camaro, give him a break

 

[tec87]

The year he won the Pac 10's was 1992 and his weight class that year at the NCAA tournament featured the 190lb final between some Mark Kerr guy and some Randy Couture guy.

 

[fluffball]

In 1992 Windows released version 3.1, Dan Qauyle jokes were popular, and the NKotB were on Arsenio Hall.

 

[slickster]

Jeff Monson is almost 50... and that is AN MMA 50!

He's still a legend.... lay off.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

He's damn near totally crippled. He can't sit in a regular chair for extended periods of time because of his back. His knees are destroyed. He has practically no mobility, so he focuses on only doing the few techniques he can still physically do.

 

[ShinkanPo]

He's damn near totally crippled. He can't sit in a regular chair for extended periods of time because of his back. His knees are destroyed. He has practically no mobility, so he focuses on only doing the few techniques he can still physically do.

Seems to me he just enjoys grappling no matter what form Catch,Folk style or BJJ,

Hope he does not get to crippled with age and could get some help with his back.

 

[anaconda]

Look at the bigger picture, he never made the US Olympic Wrestling team or won a gold medal in the Olympics. I am not trying to discredit Monson, but maybe the PAC 10 was week in his division that year.

lol. not winning a gold in the olympics is a clear sign of failure and lack of proficiency

This has got to be a joke.

 

[brendan raedy]

Anybody trying to diminish the accomplishment of being a Pac10 Wrestling champ is either trolling or incredibly ignorant. The talent pool for Pac10 wrestling alone is likely far deeper than the entire world of BJJ. Now, in terms of why a good wrestler might not look as good as you would expect in BJJ?

1) Wrestling for Jiu Jitsu (or MMA) is NOT the same thing as wrestling for wrestling. The number of attacks and freedom to finish is seriously altered by the presence of submissions and guard pulls. Just the very fact that people are ok with going to their back flips wrestling on its head and produces reactions wrestlers are unaccustomed to. That unpredictability prevents a lot of the "smooth" takedowns and moves you see in wrestling matches where both athletes are on the same script, so to speak.

2) Shoes. It's a lot harder to drive through shots, cut corners, and do lots of other wrestling movements without shoes. Especially on wrestling mats with no tatami surface and as sweat makes things slippery.

3) Age. Wrestling is a young man's sport. The speed and power it requires goes fast. Wrestling is a strictly weight class sport (no absolute) so there is no real imperative like in BJJ to learn how to wrestle against someone who is bigger (or stronger/faster) than you. The thinking is more: he is stronger than you? Get stronger yourself. Speed you can deal with to a degree by tie ups but against people your size.

4) Injuries. I'm sure Monson has plenty. After you blow out your shoulder(s) it is almost impossible to suck a leg in and finish against someone with a good sprawl. Back, hips, it takes everything and if one link in the chain is out you are in trouble.

 

[Rich959]

Don't know how far back we'd have to rewind the clock in order to be evaluating a relatively healthy Monson, but I saw him in matches against guys like Almeida, Ribeiro, Brandon Vera, Dave Avellan and others during the early 2000s. The majority were GQ matches at Marist High School, but I think I also might have seen him in a match at a Maxercise tournament & in a few matches at a Naga Battle at the Beach ('03 or '04. Whenever they first had an Expert division & it carried a cash prize).

Overall, it was clear he was very hard to turn or sweep, but I don't recall a lot of impressive takedowns. His matches tended to be dull.

Now, in his defense, his reputation sort of preceded him & guys often pulled guard. But, I do recall instances where a few would choose to fight the standup battle with him (Almeida & Avellan come to mind) and would do surprisingly well [given Monson's wrestling credentials].