Jeff Monson called Maxim "The Axe" a strong and worthy opponent.

Russian athlete, deputy of the State Assembly of the Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan of the seventh convocation, vice-president of the Wrestling Federation of the Republic of Bashkortostan Jeff Monson spoke about the fighter Maxim Shcherbakov, nicknamed "Axe", with whom he will face in a duel. He announced this on July 16 at the Izvestia press center.

Monson noted that he highly appreciates his opponent as a professional and a person, despite the difference in age and experience.

"Yes, Max is young. Of course, he is strong and a very good, very strong fighter. But I have experience <...> He is a good athlete. I've met Max many times before. We did a few events together. He's strong. He looks like a strong warrior," Monson said.

According to the fighter, Shcherbakov is not only physically fit, but also possesses inner strength and kindness, which commands respect. Monson stressed that despite the tension inherent in the fight, respectful relations and mutual sympathy remain between the rivals.

Monson is 54 years old, during his career he has fought many fights in mixed martial arts: he won 61 victories, suffered 26 defeats, two fights ended in a draw. His last fight in MMA was on March 25, 2017, against Nikolai Savilov, when a draw was recorded.

In 2018, Monson received a Russian passport, and on May 23, 2023, he renounced his American citizenship. In an interview with Izvestia, he explained that he had decided to renounce US citizenship because Washington was helping Kiev to attack Russia. The fighter added that three of his friends had already died in Donbass.

Monson explained the decision to renounce American citizenship by disagreeing with the policy pursued by the United States. He stressed that he loves Russia and he "likes everything here."

The news is being updated