This Saturday, Jake Ellenberger is going swimming in the deep water. That’s where top welterweight contender Jake Shields is waiting for him at UFC Fight Night in New Orleans on Sept. 17.
This isn’t just Ellenberger’s first test against a bona fide elite. It’s his first main event in a major promotion.
The question is, is the 26-year-old ready for the challenge?
Clearly, we won’t have a definitive answer until we see the hard-hitting, 24-5 Ellenberger in the cage on Saturday. But we can speculate—hey, it’s what the Internet is for.
In this video, Ellenberger calls Shields “just another guy,” adding that Shields “is not a huge step up in competition” for him.
Ellenberger isn’t blind, so I imagine he realizes those statements are not exactly accurate (especially given that he admitted this was “a huge opportunity” at the outset of the interview). Still, the fact that he seems fairly calm and collected about said opportunity, and doesn’t seem overanxious for the opponent or the moment, is a telling sign.
And it’s not like Ellenberger’s 29-fight career to this point is Tomato Can Central. John Howard, Mike Pyle, Carlos Condit and Rick Story have all crossed paths with Ellenberger. The latter two defeated Jake by split decision and unanimous decision, respectively.
Stylistically, Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt and college wrestler Jake Ellenberger is formidable on the ground, but there’s probably not a great deal he can do to match Shields’ world-class grappling pedigree.
Ellenberger has one submission loss on his resume and, if he gets on the ground with Shields, there’s a good chance he could take a second. Then again, that’s the case for pretty much everyone Shields faces.
But as they say, the best defense is a great offense. Ellenberger’s game involves putting his fists on guys and knocking them out; it’s an effective strategy regardless of the color of your opponent’s belt. He has surely prepared for every eventuality during his 10-week training camp, but everyone knows what his primary weapon of choice will be against Shields—and it’s not a weapon that gets rusty.
Bottom line: Ellenberger has the tools to win, the confidence to fight his fight and a good body of experience despite his youth. Will he win Saturday night? The oddsmakers don’t think so; they have him as a plus-170 underdog. He may not be the better fighter, and he may not score the win, but whatever happens won’t be from a lack of readiness.
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