Barnett vs Monson at Sengoku II

by Robert Sargent

World Victory Road has announced a blockbuster heavyweight bout for its upcoming Sengoku II event, as former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett will battle the former #1 heavyweight contender in the UFC, Jeff Monson.

This will mark the second consecutive event for Barnett (21-5) where he has faced off against a friend. He last defeated Hidehiko Yoshida at WVR's Sengoku I.

Monson (24-7), one of the best heavyweight grapplers in the world, with incredible wrestling skills and submission prowess, has been defeated just twice in his last 20 fights. He lost a UFC Heavyweight title fight to Tim Sylvia at UFC 65, then rebounded with a highly impressive submission victory over Kazuyuki Fujita at PRIDE 34.

Barnett did not compete at all in 2007, after issues with his PRIDE contract, but looked to be on the top of his game against Yoshida in March. Monson suffered a TKO loss to Pedro Rizzo last September, but won his most recent fight against Hakim Goram in The Philippines in December.

Barnett's battles with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in PRIDE were two of the best heavyweight fights in the promotion's history. While Monson is a wrestler and Nogueira is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, their styles on the ground are similar. If the Nogueira fights were any indication, Barnett's bout with Monson could be a candidate for the best heavyweight clash of the year.

While it is conceivably possible that the two could engage in a striking battle, it is highly probable that the fight will go to the ground early on. What remains to be seen is which fighter will hold the edge in the ground war. Both are extremely talented wrestlers with a large arsenal of submissions.


Also on the card will be a heavyweight bout between another former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Kevin Randleman, and Ryo Kawamura, a Japanese knockout artist who was victorious at Sengoku I.


With the UFC's heavyweight division in complete disarray, World Victory Road and Adrenaline MMA have both made the most of their heavyweight talents.