Monson-Russow to headline Adrenaline show

First event from promotion to feature several UFC veterans

Josh Hedges / Zuffa

Former UFC fighter Jeff Monson will headline the first Adrenaline MMA event.

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updated 11:58 a.m. ET May 8, 2008

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In the already-crowded world of mixed martial arts, new promotion Adrenaline MMA will be the next to attempt to get a piece of the pie when it promotes its first card on June 14 in Chicago suburb Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Former UFC heavyweight Jeff Monson will headline the inaugural event against Chicago policeman and pro fighter Mike Russow

Monson, 23-7, is primarily known for his jiu-jitsu. The muscular black belt once fought Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title in November 2005, but suffered a decision loss.

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Since then, the 1992 190-pound Pac-10 wrestling champ at Oregon State has fought in several different promotions before signing with Adrenaline.

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Russow, an active police officer, has a 9-1 record and has fought in the former PRIDE promotion. He has five straight win, including a recent first-round submission over MMA veteran Roman Zentsov.

Other fighters of note performing on the card include a matchup of former UFC fighters Tony Frylund vs. Brian Gassaway, and Daiju Takase vs. Terry Martin.

In addition, IFL fighters Rory Markham and Bart Palaszewski will also have matches.

Adrenaline MMA formed from the remnants of M-1 Global, a group that made a splash last year when it signed the man man consider the world's top heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko. But the promotion never got off the ground and disbanded before running a show. The formation of the Adrenaline promotion was announced in late March, with former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia its first major signing.