Fighters Only

Issue 052

July 2009

Muscular anarchist Jeff Monson is a leading figure in the world-renowned American Top Team and is one of the most controversial fighters in MMA today.

Riding high on the crest of a six-fight winning streak, he has cemented his position as one of the world’s most respected heavyweight competitors. ‘The Snowman’ has a reputation for doing things his own way and recently demonstrated his healthy distrust for the machinery of government by having ‘Destroy Authority’ tattooed around the bottom of his neck. An intense political thinker with an incredibly active mind, Monson explains how music helps him to stay focused and face up to the demons from his past.

What kind of music are you into?

I like alternative music and rock; Rage Against The Machine is my favorite band. I like slow things as well, depending on the mood. I’m not really into country or rap.

What do you listen to first thing?

I don’t drink coffee, so I like music like Rage or rock, I like music which gets me motivated to get out of bed in the morning.

Does Rage get you psychologically into the groove for fighting?

With training and the daily grind, it’s a good thing to have something to pump you up. To make me get motivated and stuff, Rage or something like that would be more the kind of thing that I would listen to.

Right before I go out there [to compete], I kind of prefer something softer. I like to listen to something that makes me think about the things in the world that are important to me. Something that doesn’t get me all pumped up, because I’m already pumped up for the fight, I don’t need anything more to get me to go and do my best. I want something that will relax me so I’ll have a peaceful mind as I walk out to the ring.

Are there any tracks which really remind you of times from the past?

That’s a real good point, a lot of songs take you to a point in time, like when I fought Chuck Liddell in Japan. He came out to The Prodigy, ‘Breathe’. Every time I hear that song now, it reminds me of the time when he was walking out to the ring, and he just whipped my ass in that fight. In a way it’s a good thing because now I’m determined not to let it happen again, so sometimes when I train I will listen to that song, thinking about ‘Oh yeah, that time when he did this to me’.

Do you have the track on your iPod?

Yeah, I do! [Laughs] It was a bad thing at first, but I don’t like to run from things; if I’ve had a bad experience in a particular city, I like to change it. I wrestled in college and every time I came to Vegas I lost or I didn’t win the tournament, something like that. I didn’t want it to happen again, so I made myself enter jiu-jitsu tournaments there. Now, I’ve had success there, I haven’t lost there for years.

What is the most listened to song on your iPod?

Right now, it’s ‘No Shelter’ by Rage.

What’s the most embarrassing track on there?

I’ve got some 80s stuff, Men at Work. I have a lot of 80s stuff on there.

Which album would you recommend to someone else?

Probably ‘War’ by U2, it’s got some really deep songs which really get me in the mood for a fight. It’s soft and you can relax to it, it really makes me think a lot.