Knuckleup

After the successful Knuckle "Origin" show back in Feburary Matt Hand  Dane Bowers returns to yet another classy venue with another stacked fight card With Jeff monson Vs Neil Wain topping the bill.....

Matt Hand and Dane Bowers are proving once again that the Knuckle Up organization is dedicated to putting on the fights that fans want to see. This will be evident at the Knuckle Up event “Kings of the north” to be held at the Bolton Arena, Bolton on September 4th, 2010. The doors will open at 6 p.m. and the fights to commence promptly at 7 p.m. The card will have an international appeal as the main event will pit the American Jeff “The Snowman” Monson against the U.K.’s own Neil “Old Skool” Wain.

This bout is sure to have fight fans on the edge of their seats. Take a virtually flawless ground game in Monson and mix it up with a devastating striker in Wain and this could be one continuous highlight reel. It’s the classic grappler versus striker scenario with both fighters knowing each other’s strengths and trying to capitalize on the other’s weaknesses.
 

Jeff Monson has earned numerous accolades in wrestling, Jiu Jitsu and MMA. He is a PAC 10 Wrestling Champion from the University of Oregon, two times Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Champion, and has fought for the UFC Heavy Weight title. His previous bouts read as a who’s who in MMA. The list includes Sergei Kharitonov, Roy Nelson, Pedro Rizzo, Tim Sylvia, and Mark Kerr just to name a few. The experience factor (44 fights total) and caliber of opponents definitely favor the American. Monson’s elite ground game is perfectly complimented by his explosive takedowns.

Once on the ground he gives opponents no space to move and is constantly hunting for the submission. The black belt BJJ practitioner also has three professional boxing matches with a record of 2 – 0 – 1. Bottom line this is a fighter who has tasted success at the highest levels and is looking to leave his mark in the U.K., so look for an impressive performance on the 4th of September in Bolton.

Neil Wain is currently riding a two fight win streak and both of those have come by way of KO or submission by way of punches. He has dynamite in both hands and is not scared to trade. His fight style is exciting, in your face, and always a crowd pleaser. His only losses have been to current UFC Interim Champion Shane Carwin and Former Cage Rage Champion Rob Broughton. The majority of his fights usually end up with his opponents looking up at the ceiling wondering how they got there. In fighting Monson he will have to use a sprawl and brawl technique and also utilize his reach advantage.

The game plan will be to soften him up, defend against the take down, and look to land the money maker. The big question is can he stay disciplined and not rush in as this would play into Monson’s game. If he tries to rush the K.O. he will be more susceptible to the takedown, which with Monson is never a good idea. If “Old Skool” can find a way to keep it on his feet and pull off the win he has to know that this could prove to be his ticket back to the UFC???