Jake Shields makes his return to the middleweight division against Ed Herman. If you haven’t heard of Ed Herman before, he’s sure to leave a lasting impression inside the Octagon.Shields is coming in fresh off of a win against Yoshihiro Akiyama at welt…
Jake Shields makes his return to the middleweight division against Ed Herman. If you haven’t heard of Ed Herman before, he’s sure to leave a lasting impression inside the Octagon.
Shields is coming in fresh off of a win against Yoshihiro Akiyama at welterweight in a fight where he put his grappling prowess on display. He’s back at middleweight where he last held a title in Strikeforce. Herman is riding a three fight win streak into this one and is looking to put himself into title contention with a big win over his most dangerous opponent yet.
So on paper who has the edge? And who’s the smart money on to win this fight? In this slideshow we’ll tackle those questions and get you ready for Jake Shields vs Ed Herman.
Fresh off a stellar UFC on FOX last week, the UFC will be looking to build on some much needed momentum heading into this weekend’s UFC 150 card, where Ben Henderson will look to defend his lightweight strap against the man he took it from, Frankie Edgar. Will Colorado’s ridiculously high altitude continue to plague fighter’s cardio as it did at UFC 135 and Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon? Possibly, but it’s going to take more than a shortness of breath to stop the Gambling Enabler from paying out, as we’ve landed in the money on our past two events. So join us for a fight-by-fight dissection of UFC 150 and an inside look at how to come away with a significantly fatter wallet. All odds, per usual, are courtesy of BestFightOdds.
Perez is a submissions specialist as is 1-0 in the UFC with a submission via armbar. Ken “Keith” Stone has more UFC experience and has lost two tough bouts to Eddie Wineland and Scott Jorgensen but has since won two straight fights. He has yet to be submitted in his MMA career, so I believe Stone will have enough to fend off Perez’s submissions game and win this fight on the cards.
Fresh off a stellar UFC on FOX last week, the UFC will be looking to build on some much needed momentum heading into this weekend’s UFC 150 card, where Ben Henderson will look to defend his lightweight strap against the man he took it from, Frankie Edgar. Will Colorado’s ridiculously high altitude continue to plague fighter’s cardio as it did at UFC 135 and Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon? Possibly, but it’s going to take more than a shortness of breath to stop the Gambling Enabler from paying out, as we’ve landed in the money on our past two events. So join us for a fight-by-fight dissection of UFC 150 and an inside look at how to come away with a significantly fatter wallet. All odds, per usual, are courtesy of BestFightOdds.
Perez is a submissions specialist as is 1-0 in the UFC with a submission via armbar. Ken “Keith” Stone has more UFC experience and has lost two tough bouts to Eddie Wineland and Scott Jorgensen but has since won two straight fights. He has yet to be submitted in his MMA career, so I believe Stone will have enough to fend off Perez’s submissions game and win this fight on the cards.
Chico is making his Octagon debut here and has the ability to grind out Pague in this fight. On the other hand, Pague is the type of fighter to fight his opponent’s fight, which this leads me to believe he may be upset by Camus. Pague is hovering around -200 favorite and I would not be willing to lay that price. I will look for the prop that this fight goes the distance.
Michael Kuiper will be looking for his first win in his second attempt inside the octagon, but he may come out on the short end if Hamman is able to use his size advantage to control this fight. Hovering around pick’em odds, I would place my money on Hamman here. Hamman is only 30 and is a tested veteran in the UFC, I would go again with the prop this fight goes the distance as Kuiper will surely not give away another loss easily.
Nik Lentz NCAA div 1 wrestling should get the job done here. The prop that this fight goes the distance should also be explored. “The Carny “is coming off back to back losing efforts, but actually managed to put in a thrilling effort in his most recent FOTN-earning loss against Evan Dunham at UFC on FOX 2. That said, I believe Mitsuoka will not have an answer for Nik’s ground game and will be frustrated up until the end of this fight with Lentz’s wet blanket routine. Not a great value at 30 cents on the dollar, but Lentz will make it into my parlay.
Tommy Hayden had a tough go in his UFC debut and I think history will repeat itself again as Bermudez has simply fought on another level of competition than that of Hayden. Bermudez will most likely be looking to finish this fight and the line is under -300 which makes parlaying Dennis rather alluring. I do not see this fight going to the cards; a prop the fight does not go the distance may also be a profitable option.
Last time Okami was a -600 favorite, things did not go so well for him. Granted, this time will surely be different, with Okami simply out powering the late replacement Roberts and coming out as the winner, but do you want to lay -600 on Okami? I don’t, because there’s nothing worse than having a parlay crushed by a -600 fighter losing (see Jay Glazer’s reaction to Tito Ortiz beating Ryan Bader from the dana vlogs).
Both fighter’s are coming off very impressive winning performances at the TUF 15 Finale; Holloway thoroughly dominated Pat Schilling and Lawrence broke out the highlight reel head kick KO on John Cofer for good measure. Pick’em odds on this fight are for good reason and I think this fight will be settled inside the distance. Holloway’s stand up is something special, even in a losing effort against Poirier he forced Dustin to take the fight to the ground because “The Diamond” did not like what he was seeing from Max on his feet. I think that the longer this fight goes, the better the chances are that Holloway will win. Not a parlay must, but good value on Holloway here.
I like Guillard as the underdog in this fight. Having trained at Jackson’s with Cerrone leads me to believe that Melvin has the upper hand going into this fight, considering he knows what Cerrone has been up to while training with a camp that Cerrone know’s very little about in the meantime. Now 1-0 with the Blackzilian’s, Guillard showed us that he has finally learned some submission defense in his UFC 148 win over Fabricio Camoes. The question is: What else has Melvin learned that may surprise Cerrone in this fight? I am not counting Cerrone out completely, as this could easily look like Cerrone vs. Stephens with the longer fighter simply getting off first and winning the fight on the outside, but the plus money on Guillard is tempting and I will save some space for a long shot parlay with “The Young Assassin.” This fight may go the distance as well, not so much the high altitude effecting the fighters (as they are both used to training at high altitude), but simply the fact that they are so familiar with each other’s style that we may see a 15 minute chess match.
I want to say Shields and move on here, but Herman simply seems to be the perfect type of fighter to give Jake a ton of problems. Herman is a strong grappler and Jake is returning to MW for the first time here, so couple that with the fact that Herman may be able to deliver his own Hendo like right hand in this fight and we have all the makings for an upset. If Shields is able to get this fight to the ground, will he be able to keep Herman on his back or submit him? It all depends on how strong Jake is now and this is where I am unsure and unwilling to lay -200 on Jake. The fight should go the distance and this is where I will place my money, picking Shields these days is too risky.
I like the bigger, stronger Bendo in this fight. Frankie may use all the footwork he wants and may stick Henderson with the jad for five rounds, but at the end of the day, Ben is simply going to remind us all why Edgar needs to drop down to 145 and start fighting guys his own size. I take nothing away from Frankie and I think he will be a top lightweight if he stays at 155, but Benson is the perfect mix between size and speed for Frankie, where prior opponents like Maynard had the power but lacked the speed to catch Frankie. As this fight goes into the later rounds, Benson should take control and get the win.
Parlay 1
Lentz-Bermudez-Henderson
Parlay 2
Lentz-Hamman-Stone-Henderson
*Parlay 3 (the degen special)
Holloway-Guillard-Henderson-Hamman-Bermudez
Props
-Lentz/Mitsuoka goes the distance
-Herman/Shields goes the distance
-Henderson/Edgar goes the distance
-Bermudez/Hayden does not go the distance
Bet what you feel comfortable with, higher on the parlays and lower on the props.
As an example, if you place $20 on parlay 1 and 2, with $5 on each prop you should be safe, as this was profitable on the past two GAE’s which is where you want to be.
Again, feel free to share hostility when/if these picks fall apart.
The UFC hits Denver on Saturday night for UFC 150. Headlining the fight card will be a title bout in the UFC’s lightweight division, as champion Benson Henderson puts his title on the line against the man he defeated for the belt, Frankie Edgar. Hender…
The UFC hits Denver on Saturday night for UFC 150. Headlining the fight card will be a title bout in the UFC’s lightweight division, as champion Benson Henderson puts his title on the line against the man he defeated for the belt, Frankie Edgar.
Henderson wrested the title from Edgar at UFC 144, earning a unanimous decision victory. The fight was also declared “Fight of the Night,” earning each fighter a tidy $65,000 bonus.
Saturday’s co-main event will also feature a pair of lightweights, as former training partners Donald Cerrone and Melvin Guillard square off. If you think the friendship between the two fighters is going to cause them to hold back, you can think again: both fighters have made it clear that they will be looking to end this fight early.
UFC 150 will feature eight other bouts, including Jake Shields’ return to the middleweight division as he faces off against Ed Herman.
Full Weigh-in Results
Benson Henderson (154.4) vs. Frankie Edgar (154.6)
Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Melvin Guillard (157.5)*
Jake Shields (185) vs. Ed Herman (185)
Yushin Okami (185) vs. Buddy Roberts (184)
Justin Lawrence (145) vs. Max Holloway (145)
Dennis Bermudez (145) vs. Tommy Hayden (144)
Jared Hamman (184) vs. Michael Kuiper (185)
Ken Stone (135) vs. Erik Perez (135)
Dustin Pague (136) vs. Chico Camus (135)
Nik Lentz (145) vs. Eiji Mitsuoka (145)
*Guillard will be given additional time to make the 156 pound limit
Shields is returning to middleweight after a largely unsuccessful run at welterweight. He hopes to reinvent his consistent winning ways at middleweight and intends to fight Anderson Silva as soon as possible. While it’s true that Jake Shields has not h…
Shields is returning to middleweight after a largely unsuccessful run at welterweight. He hopes to reinvent his consistent winning ways at middleweight and intends to fight Anderson Silva as soon as possible.
While it’s true that Jake Shields has not had an impressive UFC run thus far, it should be noted that Shields was never a welterweight competitor before joining the UFC. He was always a middleweight.
And when he was a middleweight, he was a force to be reckoned with.
Starting in late 2004, Shields went on an undefeated streak that extended 15 fights, up until he fought GSP for the UFC welterweight title.
And he was not fighting solely cupcakes in this time. He fought and bested many capable opponents. Mike Pyle, Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller and Paul Daley are respectable opponents he defeated.
In addition to the many respectable opponents he defeated, he also defeated elite opponents. In particular, he secured wins over Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit and Dan Henderson in this time period.
And he beat them all with his incredible Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He uses solid wrestling to bring his opponents to the mat, where he utilizes a brilliant top game to secure dominant positions over his opponents and forces many of them to tap out.
In terms of styles, Jake Shields is absolutely one of the biggest threats to Silva. A solid wrestler who is remarkably difficult to knock out with a high-level jiu-jitsu game. In terms of grappling, Shields is a less impressive wrestler but more impressive BJJ artist than rising middleweight star Chris Weidman.
Unfortunately for Shields, while he may have the style to beat Silva, he does not have the skill.
Shields boasts 10 submission wins in 27 fights, but very few of those have come skilled grapplers. Shields’ strength is primarily in his control rather than in his submissions. Giving Silva 25 minutes to work his magic is not a winning strategy.
Shields has unimpressive standup. I would not describe it as being bad, but I certainly wouldn’t call it good. While the solution to beating Silva obviously isn’t to strike with him, more striking-competent fighters are more likely to survive long enough to implement other plans.
The striking difference is going to be made obviously apparent since Shields isn’t skilled enough to take Silva down.
The days of Silva being taken down by average takedown artists have passed. Silva would not allow Chael Sonnen, the most effective wrestler in the division, to take him down after the opening stanza of the fight. And any fighter who could successfully stop three of four takedowns from Sonnen can certainly stop any number of takedowns from Shields
Shields does not have the grappling ability to submit Silva in an MMA match, doesn’t have the wrestling to take him down and doesn’t have the striking to hang with him for more than two rounds.
Shields is a legitimate middleweight. His accolades outside the UFC and victories against current UFC stars prove that.
Unfortunately, against Silva, Shields is just another hopelessly outmatched challenger.
Edit: I ended up completely confusing Shields’ history with respect to what weight classes he fought at. My statement that all of Shields’ successes have been at middleweight is entirely wrong.
He did fight at welterweight earlier in his career, and had several matches at 175 pounds and catchweight. Aforementioned wins over Daley and Pyle were at 170 pounds. His wins over Condit and Okami came at 175 pounds. He beat Lawler at 182 pounds, and beat Miller and Dan Henderson at 185 pounds.
It was a factual error on my part that could have been fixed by looking at Shields’ record at any point during the writing of this article. It was lazy writing on my part and I apologize.
If Jake Shields dispatches Ed Herman at UFC 150, he has his eyes set on a possible shot at the middleweight crown currently in the possession of Anderson “The Spider” Silva.Shields told MMA Weekly Radio (via MMAWeekly.com): I want to get ri…
If Jake Shields dispatches Ed Herman at UFC 150, he has his eyes set on a possible shot at the middleweight crown currently in the possession of Anderson “The Spider” Silva.
I want to get right in that title mix. 185 is wide open and everybody’s talking about who’s next. I want to go out there and hopefully put on a great performance and get to throw my name in the mix.
Following the first and last defense of his Strikeforce middleweight belt, Shields headed to the UFC and was instantaneously thrust into the thick of things. His first bout was a welterweight title eliminator matchup against Martin Kampmann, a fight he won via split decision.
However, he would lose an eventual title tilt to reigning 170-pound champion Georges St-Pierre before going on to suffer an opening-stanza starching, courtesy of Jake Ellenberger.
Before opting to make his third jump to middleweight, Shield’s faced off against Yoshiro Akiyama. He won that matchup by way of unanimous decision.
To date, the erstwhile Strikeforce champion is 2-1 in his middleweight foray. Two of those victories came against Dan Henderson and Jason Miller. His sole loss at said weight was against Marty Armendarez, which also happened to be his third professional outing.
With that in mind, the Cesar Gracie fighter believes his triumph over the former Strikeforce 205-pound champion should at least give him some sort of latitude regarding the current middleweight picture.
You never know what counts for what, but it’s got to count for something. I’m the last guy to beat Dan Henderson and he’s fighting for the 205-pound belt, so that’s got to give me some credit at 185 and if I can go out there and win, and win in a dominant fashion, it will get people talking about me and other contenders at 185.
On that note, Shields figures there’s no clear-cut No. 1 contender to Silva’s crown.
It’s up for grabs and that’s why it’s hard to say who deserves a title shot. I don’t even know. (Chris) Weidman looked amazing versus Mark Munoz, and then you have (Michael) Bisping’s got to be close, and even though Chael Sonnen lost, considering what he did the last time, a couple more wins he could be right back in there. There’s lots of guys in the mix.
Still, the 33-year-old Californian native is pragmatic enough to comprehend a victory over Herman—who, at present, is riding a three-fight win streak—won’t automatically guarantee him an immediate tilt at the title. And as such, he’s all for locking horns with the division’s upper-echelon combatants.
I wouldn’t be next in line, but if I beat him, there’s not one particular person I want to fight, but I want one of the big contenders. A Bisping, Weidman, (Tim) Boetsch, one of the guys that’s close to the title.
Apparently, Shields (27-6-1 MMA, 3-0 SF, 2-2 UFC) has always wanted to throw hands with Silva, as he believes his wrestling pedigree will cause Silva problems, a skill set former NCAA Division l standout Chael Sonnen was able to employ in his two championship fights with the Brazilian.
UFC 150: Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar ll is scheduled to take place on August 11, 2012 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.
Even though Nick Diaz has seemingly decided to retire from the “UFC game”, his younger brother Nate Diaz has made quite a name for himself. He has always been a phenomenal fighter, even with his.
Even though Nick Diaz has seemingly decided to retire from the “UFC game”, his younger brother Nate Diaz has made quite a name for himself. He has always been a phenomenal fighter, even with his very deceiving record. When his name appears on a card, rest assured, it will be an all out brawl that will live up to its hype. Nate Diaz is currently the number one contender for the lightweight division, but has decided to take a title fight against the winner of Henderson vs. Edgar this Saturday, instead of putting his contendership on the line.
This leads to Diaz signing a new deal with the UFC soon, as well as his manager pushing for a title fight as early as December of this year. Diaz only has one fight left on his current contract, so a new deal has to be agrees upon. The remaining factor to be decided is how many fights the new deal will consist of. Normally, Dana white makes deals consisting of four fights, but Diaz’s manager, Cesar Gracie, hopes to have more fights guaranteed in the deal for his fighter.
Nate Diaz has been helping his training partner, Jake Shields, prepare for his upcoming fight which will also occur this Saturday at UFC 150. Nate Diaz won’t just be in the audience on Saturday to dissect the main event determining his future opponent in his own title fight, but he will be cornering Shields as well.
Gracie also discussed the future of Nick Diaz with White. While the outcome of it hasn’t been discussed with the public, Gracie said in the future, both Diaz brothers will be fighting in the UFC in the future. The roadblock of Nick Diaz’s suspension for a failed drug test still remains. While Nick’s first appeal did nothing for the fighter, his lawyer is currently appealing to a higher court.
With a prospect for a title fight right around the corner for Nate Diaz, we can only hope that his brother will be back into the octagon soon to support his brother and continue his own reign in the welterweight division of the UFC. Saturday will tell a lot for Nate Diaz as he works towards the opportunity to become a world champion.
Shields is returning to middleweight after a largely unsuccessful run at welterweight. He hopes to reinvent his consistent winning ways at middleweight and intends to fight 