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Russia’s US-born fighter Monson says rematch MMA bout against Taktarov unlikely

Jeff Monson and Oleg Taktarov fought each other in a boxing match on August 18, 2023, with the bout ending in a draw

MOSCOW, March 6. /TASS/. A touted rematch between Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters Jeff Monson and Oleg Taktarov will not take place, Monson told TASS on Wednesday.

"I believe the return bout is not taking place. There are no proposals; there are no set dates," he said.

Monson and Taktarov fought each other in a boxing match on August 18, 2023, with the bout ending in a draw. A source on Monson’s team announced to TASS in late November 2023 that both fighters would meet for a rematch on December 15, but this time to square off under MMA rules. Monson disclosed later that the bout had been postponed indefinitely.

In late January, Monson told TASS that his likely rematch bout against Taktarov could be organized in March.

Russian fighter and international movie star Oleg Taktarov, aged 56 and dubbed "The Russian Bear," has a record of 17 wins, five defeats and two draws. In addition to winning the sixth Ultimate Fighting Championship MMA event (UFC-6) in 1995, Taktarov has appeared in numerous Hollywood movies, including "Air Force One," "Predators," "Bad Boys 2," "Righteous Kill" and numerous others.

Jeffrey William Monson, 52, dubbed "The Snowman," hails from the state of Minnesota in the United States. In his MMA career, Monson has fought 85 times, chalking up 60 wins. He is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion. His last fight was in Belgorod, Russia, on October 22, 2016, when he defeated Russian fighter Alex "Bizon" Kardo, using a chokehold.

Monson announced to TASS last September that he had been elected to a seat in the regional parliament of the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan following Russia’s Single Voting Day elections.

The US-born MMA fighter was granted Russian citizenship in May 2018 and in September of that year was elected to the Council of Deputies (City Council) in the Krasnogorsk District, Moscow Region, an inner suburb of the neighboring City of Moscow.

Monson is known for his love of Russia and its Soviet past. On many occasions, he has appeared in the ring to the strains of the Soviet national anthem. In 2016, he was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Abkhazia; in 2017, he became a citizen of the Lugansk People’s Republic in the Donbass region.

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