UFC!!SYLVIA RESPONDS TO MONSON, AND SAYS HE WANTS FEDOR!

["THE" MoSav]

Two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Tim Sylvia has never been shy with his opinions.

So when the man known as "The Maine-iac" heard about the leftist political views of his next opponent, Jeff Monson, a man who once wore an "Assassinate Bush" t-shirt to one of his fights, Sylvia didn't hold bac

"I've heard about some of the things he's said and I think he's a piece of s---," said Sylvia, who defends his title against Monson at UFC 65 at Arco Arena in Sacramento on Nov. 18. "He disrespects our soldiers and our country and our President. I've been out to talk to soldiers and they deserve all the support they can get. I want to go out and teach this guy a lesson."

The soft-spoken, eloquent Monson, a resident of Olympia, WA, advocates anarchy, is a member of the International Workers of the World, and boasts a tattoo of a Soviet hammer and sickle on his calf.

"I believe in peace on earth and I want to see everyone learn to get along," Monson said in an interview with FOXSports.com after he defeated Anthony Perosh at UFC 61.

Sylvia, the MFS Elite Fighter and Iowa resident by way of Ellsworth, Maine, doesn't respect Monson's political views, but he does respect his opponent's fighting abilities. Monson, an American Top Team wrestling and jiu-jitsu specialist, has won 16 consecutive matches since his last loss, a decision against Forrest Griffin in 2002.

"The guy can fight," said Sylvia. "He's a better fighter than he gets credit for. I don't care for what he stands for but that doesn't mean I'm not taking him seriously as an opponent."

This matchup figures to be a classic cat-and-mouse game. Sylvia's style is no secret, as the 6-foot-8 monster plays his reach advantage for all it's worth. This is a tough enough challenge for someone like 6-foot-4 Andrei Arlovski, who Sylvia defeated to win the title, but Monson is 5-foot-9 and has bumped up from light heavyweight. As a grappler, Monson, who took Chuck Liddell the distance before losing a decision at UFC 29, will need to find a way to broke through and take Sylvia down in order to play his game. Sylvia knows this.

 
UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia celebrates with welterweight champ Matt Hughes at UFC 60. Both will defend their titles at UFC 65. (Gene Kim / FOXSports.com)

"Let him come after me," Sylvia said. "He has to take it to the ground to try to defeat me and I don't get taken down too easily. I've been working on my grappling, but I don't plan to get taken down."

With a win over Monson, Sylvia would finish a tremendous year undefeated in four fights. Nearly left for the scrap heap two years ago after a series of setbacks in and out of the octagon, the 22-2 Sylvia worked his way back into title contention and scored what at the time was considered a major upset over Arlovski in Anaheim to win the title at UFC 59.

As for the future? Let's just say Sylvia was paying attention a couple months back when the PRIDE promotion tried to call him out for a matchup with their heavyweight champ, Fedor Emelianenko.

"I want to fight Fedor," Sylvia said. "We're the two champs, we're the two best in the world in our weight class. I want to prove I'm the best.

"When all the talk was happening with Wanderlei (Silva, about a potential match with UFC light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell), I called Dana (White) and told him to get a match made with me and Fedor. Dana said 'slow down, let's do things one at a time.' I know the way things are and I know this is all politics. If it could happen I know I want it and I know Fedor would take the fight."


Around the MMA world
*Steroids were back in the news this week, hitting both of the world's major MMA groups. Stephan Bonnar was suspended nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for the drug Boldenone after his loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 62 in August. The suspension is retroactive, meaning he'll be eligible for compeition again in May. UFC president Dana White has indicated he will stick by Bonnar, since Bonnar is a first-time offender who fessed up to his actions when he was caught.

The NSAC also announced that PRIDE's Kevin Randleman provided the commission with a fake urine sample after his loss to Mauricio Rua on Oct. 21. Randleman has 20 days to formally respond the charges. Randleman joins Pawel Nastula and Vitor Belfort as Real Deal fighters who ran afoul of the commission.

*The pay-per-view broadcast of last weekend's PRIDE Bushido show debuts on Sunday. Spoilers are available on the FOXSports.com MMA blog.

*Saturday marks the UFC's Ultimate Fighter 4 finale at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The winners in each division get a $100,000 prize, another hundred grand in sponsorship money, and a future title shot. Matt Serra takes on Chris Lytle in the welterweight finals; Patrick Cote and Travis Lutter square off in the middleweight division for the right to be a very big underdog against Anderson Silva. The rest of the show: Rich Clementi vs. Din Thomas; Edwin Dewees vs. Jorge Rivera; Jeremy Jackson vs. Pete Spratt; Scott Smith vs. Pete Sell' Gideon Ray vs. Charles McCarthy; Thales Leites vs. Martin Kampmann.

*The International Fight League's 2006 World Team Championship finals are set, as Pat Miletich's Quad City Silverbacks will square off with Matt Lindland's Portland Wolf Pack. Both teams were victorious in the semifinals front of a crowd of 7,632 on Nov. 2 in Portland, as the Silverbacks beat Carlos Newton's Toronto Dragons 4-1 and the Wolf Pack edged Bas Rutten's L.A. Anacondas, 3-2. The finals will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on Dec. 29. That show also features a superfight between Newton and Renzo Gracie.


Reader feedback
Who will win the Matt Hughes-Georges St. Pierre fight at UFC 65? How about Sylvia-Monson? Tell us what you think.

   
Subject:
 
Comment/Question:
 
Name:   (ex, john doe) 
Email:   (ex, a@b.c) 
Hometown:   
 
 
 

I am a big fan of your blog and MMA as a whole, but find that the coverage for the sport is still lacking. My question for you is do you see MMA taking over boxing's hold on mainstream sports in America and the world? I also would kind of like MMA to get its own section on various web sites instead of digging through the boxing news to find MMA headlines. Do you have thoughts on why MMA is not regarded as highly as boxing in terms of legitimacy? — Craig, Reno

Things are changing. Just not fast enough for most fans' tastes.

I don't see this as an MMA vs. boxing issue as much as an issue of when MMA will get the place at the table it deserves among mainstream sports.

FOX has long been on the MMA bandwagon. The Best Damn Sports Show, Period was the first cable show to regularly feature MMA stars once the UFC got back on cable pay-per-view. FSN airs PRIDE and IFL; UFC is on FOX Sports on Espanol.

I couldn't tell you why our online and television competitors don't cover MMA, especially when the big one makes time for boxing, kickboxing, and K-1 (not to mention spelling bees, tiddlywinks, and hour after hour after endless excruciating hour of sportswriters screaming cliches at each other).

As for newspapers, many newspaper editors are creatures of habit and can be slow to adapt to changing times, which may in part explain why it sometimes seems like no one reads newspapers anymore. How many papers still have greyhound or horse racing listings? How many people actually follow either of those sports anymore? One legitimate point about newspaper coverage regards the 10 p.m. Eastern start time to most pay per views. If a newspaper needs to roll off the press at midnight and the main event doesn't get started until 12:15, it won't make the next day's paper.

Still, things are slowly changing. It seems with each UFC PPV, there is another major newspaper on board. Most papers of note in the Southwest, including the Los Angeles Times, are starting to give the sport regular coverage. And, you might have noticed that the ignorant, trashy "this is human cockfighting"-type stories seem to be finally vanishing from the media landscape. So things have improved, even if it is incremental.



This is gonna be a CRAZY MATCH! I think Sylvia will get him! And i really dont know what Sylvia is thinking saying he wants Fedor Emilianko, he has never seen that kind of handspeed, Arlovski aint even on Fedor's level. Fedor would crush Sylvia IMO! Knockout in the 2nd rd.

[acgrundy]

I ain't reading all that shit, but I will be at the fight next Saturday, should be a real good one

[Bramsterdam (see ya)]

I hate Tim Sylvia almost as much as Tito, he's one of the worst HW champs ever. I hope Monson beats him but the chances arn't very good. If he fought Fedor he would get dropped like a sack of potatoes, there is no way he could take on Fedor.

["THE" MoSav]

I hate Tim Sylvia almost as much as Tito, he's one of the worst HW champs ever. I hope Monson beats him but the chances arn't very good. If he fought Fedor he would get dropped like a sack of potatoes, there is no way he could take on Fedor.

lol exactly.
hed get crushed. Fedor>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.sylvia

["THE" MoSav]

I ain't reading all that shit, but I will be at the fight next Saturday, should be a real good one

why wouldnt you read it?

[WC Iz Active]

I ain't reading all that shit, but I will be at the fight next Saturday, should be a real good one

why wouldnt you read it?

getting Michelle and Stef's lunch every mornin takes alot of time, eaze off on Tanner he has alot going on, it's hard being a single dad with 3 kids and 2 boyfriends that live with you.

["THE" MoSav]

I ain't reading all that shit, but I will be at the fight next Saturday, should be a real good one

why wouldnt you read it?

getting Michelle and Stef's lunch every mornin takes alot of time, eaze off on Tanner he has alot going on, it's hard being a single dad with 3 kids and 2 boyfriends that live with you.

LOL!!!!!! OH MAN I CAN GO TO BED HAPPY! FUNNIEST SHIT I HEARD ALL DAY! 2 BOYFREINDS!! UH OH! Now Tanner is gonna challenge you to a fight, cuz he catches feelins on the internet...

[acgrundy]

Naw I wouldn't waste my time, because I know both you lil girls are just pussies, that hop on my nutsack any chance you get.  But just for fucks sake spice girl, I'm just down the road from you, and I know you are a sloppy wet pussy just like mogay, so if you would like to say that to my face, let me know.  Anytime.  See, I can talk my shit, because I'm not a lil girl that hides behind a computer screen.  I got something that neither one of you lil girls have and never will have, and thats pride.  It ain't called catching feelings over the net, its called pride.  You wouldn't know about it.  Hell you lost your manhood a long time ago when you wouldn't even collect the $100 I owe you.  And Scary Spice...psh...the name says it all.  Ya know where I'm at.

[acgrundy]

Its funny how Scary Spice will respond to pretty much any other of my posts quicker than flash, but when I call him on his little scary ass bullshit, he don't come around, only gets his lil faggot ass butthurt.  And yeah, I'll say that to your face, I'm only 20 min away Scary, ya fuckin groupie.

[WC Iz Active]

Its funny how Scary Spice will respond to pretty much any other of my posts quicker than flash, but when I call him on his little scary ass bullshit, he don't come around, only gets his lil faggot ass butthurt.  And yeah, I'll say that to your face, I'm only 20 min away Scary, ya fuckin groupie.

HAHAH the internet daddy is in full effect again.  I dont fuck w/  ebeefs Tanner, even though you have ur panties in a bunch its a internet forum you tool. go back to suckin Joey's dick no homo.

[PLANT]

tonights gonna be crazy, I cant wait to see the fights!!!

[acgrundy]

Its funny how Scary Spice will respond to pretty much any other of my posts quicker than flash, but when I call him on his little scary ass bullshit, he don't come around, only gets his lil faggot ass butthurt.  And yeah, I'll say that to your face, I'm only 20 min away Scary, ya fuckin groupie.

HAHAH the internet daddy is in full effect again.  I dont fuck w/  ebeefs Tanner, even though you have ur panties in a bunch its a internet forum you tool. go back to suckin Joey's dick no homo.

PUSSY

["THE" MoSav]

Its funny how Scary Spice will respond to pretty much any other of my posts quicker than flash, but when I call him on his little scary ass bullshit, he don't come around, only gets his lil faggot ass butthurt.  And yeah, I'll say that to your face, I'm only 20 min away Scary, ya fuckin groupie.

HAHAH the internet daddy is in full effect again.  I dont fuck w/  ebeefs Tanner, even though you have ur panties in a bunch its a internet forum you tool. go back to suckin Joey's dick no homo.

PUSSY

youre challenging people to fights on the INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how much pride is that?  Think about it.

["THE" MoSav]

Sylvia vs Monson was boring but im impressed with Tim. He gets hated on but he does what he has to do to get it done.

[acgrundy]

Its funny how Scary Spice will respond to pretty much any other of my posts quicker than flash, but when I call him on his little scary ass bullshit, he don't come around, only gets his lil faggot ass butthurt.  And yeah, I'll say that to your face, I'm only 20 min away Scary, ya fuckin groupie.

HAHAH the internet daddy is in full effect again.  I dont fuck w/  ebeefs Tanner, even though you have ur panties in a bunch its a internet forum you tool. go back to suckin Joey's dick no homo.

PUSSY

youre challenging people to fights on the INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how much pride is that?  Think about it.

don't talk to me about pride you fuckin girl.  You don't even know what pride is.  You are just a lil girl that talks shit to people over the internet.