For Jake Shields, Title Shot Against Georges St. Pierre Is a Family Affair

Filed under: UFCThese days Jake Shields has a problem he’s never dealt with before. For most of his career, he was one of the best, but least recognizable fighters in MMA.

Now, thanks to his title shot against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129 on April 3…

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These days Jake Shields has a problem he’s never dealt with before. For most of his career, he was one of the best, but least recognizable fighters in MMA.

Now, thanks to his title shot against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129 on April 30 – and a significant promotional push from the UFC – his anonymity is a thing of the past.

“Sometimes just random people come up – and they’re fans, you have to be nice to them and I completely appreciate my fans – but sometimes when you’re just walking around you don’t want to think about [the fight],” Shields told MMA Fighting. “Sometimes guys will come up and ask me how much I weigh or telling me how I should fight GSP. It’s like, come on, man. Don’t tell me how I should fight him. I have trainers for that.”

Then again, every fighter has trainers. Shields also has something else that most don’t: a manager who treats him like family. Because, well, he is.