Jake Shields | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

UFC 171: Elite Jake Shields Still Under the Title Radar

Being consistent in mixed martial arts is one of the most difficult tasks a fighter can accomplish, and Jake Shields has been as consistent as they come.
Over the course of his 14-year career the San Francisco-based fighter has claimed a multitude of c…

Being consistent in mixed martial arts is one of the most difficult tasks a fighter can accomplish, and Jake Shields has been as consistent as they come.

Over the course of his 14-year career the San Francisco-based fighter has claimed a multitude of championships from organizations around the sport and lined his resume with wins over a collection of elite-level competition. Furthermore, throughout the last 10 years, the Team Cesar Gracie fighter has only come out on the losing end of two bouts, one of which came at the hands of former welterweight king Georges St-Pierre.

With a track record as impressive as the one Shields owns, praise and accolades would seem to come in abundance, but this just isn’t the case. Where he once defeated Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami in the same night and proceeded to rattle off eight consecutive victories by way of finish, his time of under the UFC banner has failed to provide the type of spark his previous efforts once generated.

While fans fall in love with highlight reel finishes, the simple truth of the matter is that Shields is ultimately getting the job done in whatever fashion he has to. That said, he understands that styles and dynamic finishes boost a fighter’s profile in the MMA game, but winning is what matters. One-punch knockouts and slick submissions will certainly earn the favor of an action-hungry fanbase, but winning every step of the way is what makes a fighter a champion. And once again…that is what Shields is chasing.

“I think the fact I’ve lost two fights over a long stretch of time definitely gets lost on people,” Shields told Bleacher Report. “I’m not an easy guy to beat and a tough guy to deal with. I’ve beaten some very tough guys and I plan on going out and doing it again on Saturday night.

“A win over Lombard definitely puts me right there for a title shot, especially if I can go out and finish him. That should definitely put me in line for the title or at least the No. 1 contender.”

The 35-year-old has his sights set on earning UFC gold—one of the few major titles that has eluded him—and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get there. The next major step on his quest for the throne will come on Saturday night when he faces off with Cuban powerhouse Hector Lombard at UFC 171 in Dallas.

The former Olympic judoka has a vicious style and has the potential to end a fight in abrupt and violent fashion. While Shields is aware of the dangers the former Bellator champion will bring into the cage, he’s had great success against some of the heaviest hitters to ever step inside the cage.

In addition to Lombard’s striking, the American Top Team fighter also has world-class judo credentials. With Shields bringing his personal brand of American jiu-jitsu into the Octagon, the tussle between the two highly ranked welterweights could get interesting on several levels.

“Judo traditionally is all big throws and tosses, which Lombard is great at,” Shields explained. “He’s been fighting so long his wrestling has come around as well. He has a good double leg and a good sprawl so he’s not just a pure judo guy anymore. AJJ is my mix of American wrestling style and Brazilian jiu-jitsu that is a hybrid for MMA. It’s definitely going to be an interesting clash of styles, but as far as the ground goes, I’m a lot better than Lombard.

“He definitely has a lot of power and his power is legit,” he added. “But I’ve fought guys in the past like [Dan] Henderson and [Robbie] Lawler so it’s not the first time I’ve done this. But again, he’s a dangerous guy and I had to watch some tapes and make some small changes. But I’ve fought guys like him before and I’ll be ready.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 171 Tweet-Sized Stats: 26 Surprising Facts for Hendricks vs. Lawler

(Fan-made poster by Frank G.)

By Reed Kuhn

Note: Reed’s book ‘Fightnomics’ is available now on Amazon (in Kindle and paperback versions), featuring 336 pages of statistical analysis on UFC fighters and the “hidden science” behind their fights. If you’ve been a fan of his Databomb columns on CagePotato, pick up a copy today.

With UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler coming up this Saturday, I decided to put together another batch of interesting facts and stats about the event, all of which fit inside Twitter’s 140-character limit. Feel free to tweet ’em out yourself during the event, and let us know which ones surprised you the most. (And of course, follow @cagepotatomma and @fightnomics if you’re not doing so already.) Let’s begin…

The Good

7 of the Top 15 ranked @ufc welterweights are competing at #UFC171. That includes numbers 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 12, & 14. Post GSP-era starts now.

Welterweight sluggers at #UFC171: punch for punch @TWooodley has the highest WW Knockdown Rate-13%. Lawler-10%, Lombard/Hendricks-6%. Ave=4%

Myles Jury has the best head striking defense at #UFC171. He makes opponents miss 93% of the time. Next best is Tyron Woodley at 80%.

Alex Garcia’s UFC debut lasted just 43 seconds. He landed 9 total strikes, dropped his opponent and won by KO. He opens FS2 #UFC171 prelims

Best Takedown Defense at #UFC171 goes to Tyron Woodley-94%, Dennis Bermudez-89%, Hector Lombard-79%

Highest paced striker at #UFC171 is Jake Shields. He averages 17 strikes per minute while standing, and outworks opponents by 75%
[Ed. note: WTF???]

(Fan-made poster by Frank G.)

By Reed Kuhn

With UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler coming up this Saturday, I decided to put together another batch of interesting facts and stats about the event, all of which fit inside Twitter’s 140-character limit. Feel free to tweet ‘em out yourself during the event, and let us know which ones surprised you the most. (And of course, follow @cagepotatomma and @fightnomics if you’re not doing so already.) Let’s begin…

The Good

7 of the Top 15 ranked @ufc welterweights are competing at #UFC171. That includes numbers 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 12, & 14. Post GSP-era starts now.

Welterweight sluggers at #UFC171: punch for punch @TWooodley has the highest WW Knockdown Rate-13%. Lawler-10%, Lombard/Hendricks-6%. Ave=4%

Myles Jury has the best head striking defense at #UFC171. He makes opponents miss 93% of the time. Next best is Tyron Woodley at 80%.

Alex Garcia’s UFC debut lasted just 43 seconds. He landed 9 total strikes, dropped his opponent and won by KO. He opens FS2 #UFC171 prelims

Best Takedown Defense at #UFC171 goes to Tyron Woodley-94%, Dennis Bermudez-89%, Hector Lombard-79%

Highest paced striker at #UFC171 is Jake Shields. He averages 17 strikes per minute while standing, and outworks opponents by 75%
[Ed. note: WTF???]

Jake Shields has already beaten 3 other ranked welterweights competing at #UFC171, including Carlos Condit, Robbie Lawler & Tyron Woodley

Arms Race: Ovince St. Preux has the longest reach at #UFC171 at 79”. His opponent Nikita Krylov has the 2^nd longest reach at 77.5”

Two fights into his UFC career and Nikita Krylov has yet to be hit with a head jab. He also hasn’t landed one yet himself #UFC171

.@jakeshieldsajj has spent more minutes in control on the mat than any other fighter at #UFC171 & 17% of that time was in full mount.

Carlos Condit & Jake Shields are most likely to advance position while on the mat at #UFC171. Each average several advances per takedown landed

The Bad

Hector Lombard (36) and Jakes Shields (35) are the two oldest competitors at #UFC171. When they face each other it’s 71 years combined age in the Octagon

With a reported reach of 62″, Jessica Andrade has the shortest wingspan of any fighter in UFC history #UFC171

Worst Takedown Defense to date at #UFC171 goes to Nikita Krylov. Opponents were 4 for 4 in takedown attempts against him

The most experienced UFC veteran at #UFC171 is Diego Sanchez. In his UFC career he’s been hit in the head 920 times total (5^th all-time)

Jake Shields is the least accurate striker at #UFC171, he only lands 12% of his power head strikes

No one at #UFC171 has attempted more takedowns in the UFC than Diego Sanchez. Of his 133 attempts, however, he has only landed 19%.

The Weird

There will be (at least) 11 Southpaws competing at #UFC171 which is more than any card in @ufc history. It’s the most UNorthodox card ever!

In the main event at #UFC171 both fighters will come out Southpaw. And with the nicknames given to them when they were two: Johny & Robbie.

Most likely to attempt a takedown at #UFC171 are Johny Hendricks & Jake Shields. Each average 1 attempt per minute they are on their feet.

Most likely to mix up his striking attack at #UFC171 is Carlos Condit. He throws body and leg kicks way more than average

Young Guns at #UFC171: Nikita Krylov, Kelvin Gastelum & Jessica Andrade are all just 22 years old. Justin Scoggins turns 22 in May

Arms Race: Jimmy Hettes will have the biggest Reach Advantage at #UFC171. His reach is 71” and he’s facing Dennis Bermudez-66”

Although Robbie Lawler rarely attempts takedowns, his success rate is 70%, the highest at #UFC171. Myles Jury is 2nd at 64%

Rick Story, the lowest of the 6 ranked Welterweights at #UFC171 has a UFC win over Johny Hendricks, the highest ranked Welterweight

No one at #UFC171 faced more takedowns than Carlos Condit (81). He defended 41% leaving opponents with a high collective takedown success %.

Jake Shields Wants Title Shot with UFC 171 Win over Hector Lombard

Jake Shields isn’t getting any younger, and the former Strikeforce champion wants another crack at the UFC welterweight championship.
Shields had one shot already, losing to Georges St-Pierre by unanimous decision at UFC 129. Since then, Shields has go…

Jake Shields isn‘t getting any younger, and the former Strikeforce champion wants another crack at the UFC welterweight championship.

Shields had one shot already, losing to Georges St-Pierre by unanimous decision at UFC 129. Since then, Shields has gone 3-1-1, with the one no-contest actually being a win that was overturned due to Shields failing a drug test for a still-undisclosed substance.

Riding what essentially amounts to a four-fight winning streak, Shields believes he’s closing in on the title. He told MMAjunkie Radio that an emphatic win over Hector Lombard at next week’s UFC 171 event in Dallas should be enough to do the trick.

I’ve gotta be close. I’m on a good win streak right now, and I want to go out there put Hector away and hopefully finish, which isn’t an easy task. I would be the first guy to do it and get a title shot.

Shields told MMAjunkie that he believes the Lombard fight is the last on his current contract. And so, much like longtime friend and teammate Gilbert Melendez, Shields is in what amounts to his “contract year.”

He needs to go out and put on an impressive performance, just like Melendez did against Diego Sanchez at UFC 166. That performance made Melendez one of the hottest free agents in mixed martial arts, and he cashed in with a lucrative new UFC deal last week.

Shields wants the same scenario to play out in his favor.

I can’t go out and lose to Hector and ask for more money, so I’ve got to take it one step at a time. I’ve got a beast standing in front of me next week.

If Shields can beat Lombard the way he wants to, he’ll certainly put himself near the front of the line to face the winner of the main event between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler that will determine a new UFC welterweight champion.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Nine Most Disappointing Debuts in UFC History

(Photo via Getty)

By Adam Martin

Tomorrow night in Georgia, former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold returns to the Octagon for the first time since having his face kicked into space by Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 8 last May. Although Belfort was coming off a blistering head kick KO of Michael Bisping at UFC on FX 7, many were still picking and betting on Rockhold to defeat “The Phenom” in his UFC debut, and the betting line surprisingly closed as a pick ‘em.

Things didn’t go Rockhold’s way that night, to say the least. In hindsight it’s not such a bad loss considering what Belfort did to iron-chinned Dan Henderson in his next bout, but it was still incredibly disappointing for the highly-touted Californian to be knocked out in less than five minutes when — on paper at least — the fight with Belfort should have been much more competitive.

Of course, Rockhold isn’t the first UFC fighter who fell short of expectations in his Octagon debut. The question is, will he rebound in his second fight, or fall deeper into “bust” territory? Read on for our list of eight other fighters who didn’t live up to the hype in their first UFC appearances, and let us know if we’ve left out any notable disappointments.

Ben Rothwell

(Photo via Getty)

After the IFL collapsed, the promotion’s former heavyweight champion Ben Rothwell made his way over to the UFC and debuted against fast-rising contender Cain Velasquez at UFC 104. Although Rothwell’s aura of invincibility had been cracked by Andrei Arlovski’s limbs at Affliction: Banned the previous summer, there was still hope that he could get back to his winning ways and make a run for the UFC heavyweight title.

But against Velasquez, it was clear that Rothwell was thoroughly outclassed by a far superior mixed martial artist, and “Big Ben” suffered the second true knockout loss of his career. In hindsight, it’s not surprising that Rothwell couldn’t hang with Velasquez, the current UFC heavyweight champion, but at the time it was a harsh reality check for those hardcore MMA fans who believed in Rothwell after his IFL run.

(Photo via Getty)

By Adam Martin

Ben Rothwell

(Photo via Getty)

Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto

(Photo via Tracy Lee/Yahoo!)

For years, North American fans were hoping and praying for Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto to make his way over to the WEC and fight the other top bantamweights in the world. “KID” never fought in the WEC, but after the UFC swallowed up the promotion and transferred their fighters over to the Octagon, the Japanese superstar got his shot at the big show and took on Demetrious Johnson at UFC 126.

But although Yamamoto was a 2-to-1 favorite over Johnson, he was outwrestled by Johnson and ended up losing a very disappointing three-round decision. Yamamoto then followed that up with two more losses to Darren Uyenoyama and Vaughan Lee, and when you think about how bad he looked in all three bouts, it’s clear Yamamoto wasn’t the same guy who was knocking dudes out left, right and center in Japan. Not even close.

Anthony Pettis

(Photo via MMAWeekly)

Anthony Pettis had just won the last-ever WEC championship with his highlight-reel showtime kick against Benson Henderson at WEC 53 and had earned his way into a UFC title fight against the winner of UFC 125’s Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II. But when Edgar and Maynard fought to a draw, UFC president Dana White told Pettis to take another fight and at the TUF 13 Finale he took on veteran Clay Guida in a fight most expected him to dominate.

But despite Pettis’s flashy striking and Guida’s love of standing and banging with his opponents, “The Carpenter” was able to use a smart wrestling gameplan against Pettis, scoring takedowns and sitting in top control long enough to get the judges’ decision. It was a poor performance by Pettis and he had to win three more fights before he finally got his UFC title shot, but when finally got his crack at the belt he made the most of it, with a submission win over Benson Henderson at UFC 164.

Jake Shields

(Photo via Getty)

Jake Shields had won 14 fights in a row and was coming off a gigantic win over Dan Henderson to retain the Strikeforce middleweight championship when the UFC decided to sign him and put him on the fast track to a title shot. For his first fight, Shields would take on top contender Martin Kampmann at UFC 121, and the winner would earn a fight against UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

Despite Shields being a sizeable favorite heading into the match, Kampmann and Shields grappled back-and-forth for 15 minutes, and at the end of three rounds it was tough to say who had won. Although many thought Kampmann did enough to secure the victory, Shields ended up getting his hand raised by split-decision. But while the fight went down as a win on his record, it didn’t help him win any fans in his Octagon debut, as his bout with Kampmann was a total snoozer — something that nearly all of Shields’s UFC fights have ended up being.

Jake Shields (Zzzz) vs. Hector Lombard (!!) Added to UFC 171

(“For the last time, I’m not Charlie Brenneman and I don’t have any weed for sale.”)

This morning, the UFC announced (via ESPN.com) that a welterweight contest between former title challenger Jake Shields and former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard has been booked for UFC 171: Jones vs. Teixeira. While we assumed that this matchup was just Dana White’s way of further punishing anyone and anything related to Bellator, it turns out that “Lightning” actually requested the matchup because, like the rest of us, he finds Shield’s style somewhat underwhelming:

I think he’s been so boring and me always trying for the KO, it’s going to be exciting. He’ll make it boring, or I’m going to end up knocking him out. It’s going to be one or another.

You’d think that Lombard would have already learned his lesson about calling out “boring” fighters after he fought the Jake Shields of the UFC’s middleweight division and came up short, but it appears otherwise. Let’s hope Lombard can bring the same kind of ferocity against Shields as he brought against Nate Marquardt or we’re gonna be in for a long night, folks.

(“For the last time, I’m not Charlie Brenneman and I don’t have any weed for sale.”)

I think he’s been so boring and me always trying for the KO, it’s going to be exciting. He’ll make it boring, or I’m going to end up knocking him out. It’s going to be one or another.

Currently 3-0 1 NC in his past 4, Shields is apparently coming off a unanimous decision win over Demian Maia at Fight Night 29. I say “apparently” because I have no recollection of this fight happening and neither do any of you, right? Come to think of it, I have no recollection of Shields ever fighting Tyron Woodley or Ed Herman for that matter…

…if you guys will excuse me, I’ve got some investigating to do regarding this so-called fighter name “Jake Shields.”

–J. Jones

Jake Shields vs. Hector Lombard Official for UFC 171

There is no other weight class under the UFC banner that can boast the depth of elite-level talent the welterweight division does. The 170-pound collective is home to a crowded upper tier of fighters who are all looking to earn a shot at the championsh…

The race for title contention in the welterweight division was intense in 2013, and it won’t be slowing down in the coming year as high-profile bouts continue to be made. The latest of which is a tilt between former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields and former middleweight turned welterweight powerhouse Hector Lombard.

News of the fight was first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com Sunday as the outlet confirmed the two contenders will step in to handle business at UFC 171 on March 15, when the UFC touches down in Dallas, Texas.

The bout will come at a crucial time for both fighters and will certainly have heavy implications on the future title hopes of both men.

Shields has won back-to-back fights since dropping down from middleweight, as he edged out Tyron Woodley and Brazilian submission ace Demian Maia. The San Francisco native won both bouts via split decision, and while he pulled out victories in both fights by razor-thin margins, those wins kept his quest for the welterweight title alive.

While the welterweight division is a new home for Lombard, the former Olympic judoka certainly made a huge statement upon arrival, as he knocked out Nate Marquardt in devastating fashion in his 170-pound debut at UFC 166 back in October.

The American Top Team fighter had found mixed results in the middleweight ranks, and upon the urging of UFC president Dana White, he decided to make the drop down to welterweight. The decision proved to be wise, as Lombard notched his most impressive showing to date inside the Octagon.

The matchup between Shields and Lombard will pit one of MMA‘s best submission grapplers against one of the most devastating strikers to step inside the cage. In addition to the stylistic clash, the bout will also determine which fighter will remain in the title hunt and who will get reshuffled into the highly competitive deck at 170.

The race for a championship opportunity in the welterweight division has never been more heated than it is now. So heated in fact, that the weight class was recently the focus of Bleacher Report’s Fantasy Matchmaker column, and we proved to be spot on with our call, as both welterweight tilts have now been made official. The first of which was Rory MacDonald vs. Demian Maia, which was confirmed for UFC 170 by the UFC last week, and now there’s this matchup between Jake Shields and Hector Lombard.

Both fights make a tremendous amount of sense in the bigger picture at 170 and will ensure the race for gold continues to roll full steam in the coming year.

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com