Following a tough loss in late April—which was only the fifth of his professional career—Jake Shields, although disappointed, views UFC 129, its lead-up, and fallout, as positive experiences and is hungry to make his way to the top of the division once again.
The defeat, which came at the hands of UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, albeit disappointing to Shields, was a long time coming.
“I really liked fighting right away. I think, initially, I thought it was a one- or two-time thing, but I think after four or five fights, I thought that I could make it,” said Shields in an exclusive interview with Ed Kapp, “Of course, it took longer than I thought; I thought that I’d be fighting for UFC titles in just a few years. It took a bit longer, though [laughs].”
Despite dropping two out of his first five matches, Shields, from February 2001 to October 2010, only lost a pair of bouts and registered notable victories over Hayato Sakurai, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Nick Thompson, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller, Dan Henderson and Martin Kampmann before falling to St. Pierre in Toronto.
“Losing sucks—I broke my huge winning streak—but to go out there and fight GSP for five rounds in front of 60,000 people was quite a cool experience.”
“Of course, it’s a little disappointing; when you go out there and lose, it’s always disappointing. I look back at a lot of things that I did wrong and wish I did it differently, but you can’t dwell too much on the past. All you can do is move forward, try to learn from your mistakes, and get prepared for your next fight. “
As for Shields’ next match, although he is unsure when he will return to the Octagon, the Cesar Gracie student admits that he, once again, is feeling “the itch to compete.”
“I’m starting to feel that again. I was a little burnt out after the last fight from the long training camp and all of the media. Plus the letdown of losing really had me burnt out for a month afterwards, but two months later, I’m ready to call the UFC and ask who they’ve got for me.”
Shields, although ready to make a call to the UFC, in an effort to establish another impressive winning streak and an eventual title shot in the Octagon, is ready and willing to take on all callers.
“It’s not up to me who I fight—I’m willing to fight whoever—so I’m just waiting for the UFC to call me, so I can get back on the winning track. I’ve just got to get back on track. I still want that belt, so I’ve got to go on to win a couple fights and, hopefully, I can get a title shot, again.”
Although many fighters, following disappointing losses, question their future in the sport, Shields’ lofty ambitions in mixed martial arts, after more than a decade of professional competition and championships in Shooto, EliteXC and Strikeforce, are yet to waver.
“My goal—even though I fell short last time—is to hold the UFC belt. That’s the most honourable belt that anyone can hold in this sport.”
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