If your cable provider doesn’t offer Fuel and you missed the UFC 144 countdown show last night, not to worry, we got you covered again.
It’s been a quiet week media-wise for the event, mostly because the majority of the fighters on the card and the few reporters planning on attending the show have been travelling to Japan. It seems like more focus of MMA news this week has been on the upcoming Strikeforce card, which is curious considering Saturday night’s event is a decent one.
Enjoy it. After this event and UFC: Alves vs. Kampmann on March 2, there won’t be another show until UFC: Sweden on April 14. That’s a six week stretch without a UFC show. At least our wives will be happy.
Anyway, this countdown show was a decent one. It’s interesting to hear guys like ‘Rampage’ and Akiyama talk about the difference between the North American and Japanese crowds, especially when it was like comparing apples to oranges between PRIDE and the UFC. Now we’ll finally get to see the disparity first hand.
I think I was most impressed with the level of respect Akiyama showed his opponent, Jake Shields, whom he praised for his skill level and fight smarts. It’s rare to see that in a pre-fight interview. He even found a way to make boring and conservative sound better by saying that Jake “isn’t explosive.” ‘Sexyama’ could sell a Kia to a BMW enthusiast.
Check out part two after the jump.
(Video courtesy of Sapo/IronForgesIron)
If your cable provider doesn’t offer Fuel and you missed the UFC 144 countdown show last night, not to worry, we got you covered again.
It’s been a quiet week media-wise for the event, mostly because the majority of the fighters on the card and the few reporters planning on attending the show have been travelling to Japan. It seems like more focus of MMA news this week has been on the upcoming Strikeforce card, which is curious considering Saturday night’s event is a decent one.
Enjoy it. After this event and UFC: Alves vs. Kampmann on March 2, there won’t be another show until UFC: Sweden on April 14. That’s a six week stretch without a UFC show. At least our wives will be happy.
Anyway, this countdown show was a decent one. It’s interesting to hear guys like ‘Rampage’ and Akiyama talk about the difference between the North American and Japanese crowds, especially when it was like comparing apples to oranges between PRIDE and the UFC. Now we’ll finally get to see the disparity first hand.
I think I was most impressed with the level of respect Akiyama showed his opponent, Jake Shields, whom he praised for his skill level and fight smarts. It’s rare to see that in a pre-fight interview. He even found a way to make boring and conservative sound better by saying that Jake “isn’t explosive.” ’Sexyama’ could sell a Kia to a BMW enthusiast.
The upcoming UFC 144 in Japan on Saturday is stacked with championship-caliber fights. Four of the fights feature at least one fighter who has either directly competed in a championship fight or been mentioned as a top contender. One fight …
The upcoming UFC 144 in Japan on Saturday is stacked with championship-caliber fights.
Four of the fights feature at least one fighter who has either directly competed in a championship fight or been mentioned as a top contender.
One fight is a to gain ground in a suddenly tough and still growing division between two big MMA names. And finally, we have the actual Lightweight Championship fight.
I’m excited. There is so much at stake in terms of relevance for many of these fighters that it could be a while before we see them in the spotlight again.
Let’s start with the sort of “honorable mention” fight…
Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, th…
Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, this will analyze what could happen in the fight and end with this writer’s prediction.
Next Saturday, the UFC returns to the “Land of the Rising Sun” to put on a stacked card at UFC 144. Japan was the Mecca of MMA at one point in time, hosting Pride FC, which was the premiere organization in the world. Now, the UFC is going back to the Saitama Super Arena to put on one of the biggest shows of the year so far.
Headlined by the lightweight championship on the line, the rest of the main card is filled with exciting fights. But the one that may carries just as much importance as the title fight is the bout between Jake Shields and Yoshihiro Akiyama.
In the blue corner you have Jake Shields. An American jiu-jitsu fighter looking to bounce back from two losses, Shields now is at a point where he desperately needs a win. With his fame and popularity, it is not likely he will be cut if he loses against Akiyama, but having three losses in a row puts you very far away from attaining a title shot.
In the red corner you have Yoshihiro Akiyama. The Asian superstar will be making his welterweight debut after losing three in a row at middleweight. An excellent striker and Judo practitioner, Akiyama will be looking for success at the new weight, and will avoid a dangerous situation in his career as well.
It’s rare for a fighter not to be cut after three losses, so taking a fourth loss might send Akiyama on his way out of the UFC. On the other hand, he has a big draw in the Asian public, and keeping him around might be another Dan Hardy situation where his ethnicity helps keep him afloat.
This fight will be determined on whether they fight mostly standing or mostly on the ground. If it stays standing, Akiyama holds a distinct advantage in the striking game. His judo should help him in close quarters, especially if Shields decides to try to take him down from a clinch or cage position.
If this fight goes to the ground, Shields will have the upper hand. Akiyama is no slouch on the ground, but Shields’ skills are superior.
Shields’ fusion of wrestling and no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu will be the biggest challenge for “Sexyama.” Having the ability to control his opponents on the ground and finish them in stunning technical fashion, Shields is one of the most dangerous guys once it hits the mat.
The question will be how both of these fighters bounce back from multiple losses and how Akiyama will fare at the new weight class. Both have the skills and technique to make this an exciting fight, and with so much on the line, it should live up to the hype.
Prediction: Jake Shields wins via submission late in the first round or midway through the second.
Jake Shields, as expected of a teammate, claims to believe that Nick Diaz should have been crowned the UFC interim welterweight champion instead of Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit in their recently concluded UFC 143 main-event tiff….
Jake Shields, as expected of a teammate, claims to believe that Nick Diaz should have been crowned the UFC interim welterweight champion instead of Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit in their recently concluded UFC 143 main-event tiff.
Just the same, he digresses from his controversial training partner in Team Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu—knowingly or not—when it comes to attitude towards a loss.
Gregory Chase: It was extremely unfortunate that your father passed last year as well, but even more admirable that you walked into the cage about two weeks after it had happened. Do you feel like the whole situation had an impact on your fight with Jake Ellenberger, and, if so, in what ways?
Jake Shields: You know, there was so much going on at the time. It was tough, but I felt like it was the right decision to go out and fight, and I made that decision to not make any excuse about the fight. I went out there and it wasn’t my night, so all I can do is move forward and try to bounce back with Akiyama.
You read it right: Shields “went out there and it wasn’t (his) night.” Period.
Shields can teach a thing or two to Diaz and the rest of their team about facing one side of the same coin in MMA fighting, which is the bitter opposite of winning.
UFC 144 (Japan) is approaching, setting the stage for a night of spectacular fights with the lightweight title on the line in the headliner. UFC will go to the “Land of the Rising Sun” and deliver one of the most stacked cards of this year….
UFC 144 (Japan) is approaching, setting the stage for a night of spectacular fights with the lightweight title on the line in the headliner. UFC will go to the “Land of the Rising Sun” and deliver one of the most stacked cards of this year. This will truly be a night of crucial nature in each of the fighters’ careers.
For Rampage Jackson, he is looking to bounce back from his recent loss. For his opponent, Ryan Bader, it is to reestablish himself in his division after a rough 2011. For Cheick Kongo and Mark Hunt, this is the fight that will determine who moves up into the upper echelon of the heavyweight division.
Similarly, for Anthony Pettis and Joe Lauzon, a win will help throw their name back into the list of talent-heavy contenders in the lightweight division. In the main event, Frankie Edgar wants to keep his belt, and Benson Henderson wants to make his own history as UFC champion.
But the most vital fight is a welterweight matchup between Jake Shields and Yoshihiro Akiyama. Both are in dangerous waters right now, having acquired a few losses in a row. Not necessarily to the point of getting cut, but either man taking on another loss would be devastating at this point. Akiyama is coming off three losses, and Shields two.
This is the debut of Akiyama as a welterweight, and Jake Shields is set to give him a welcome party like no other.
Gregory Chase spoke with Shields about his upcoming fight, his camp, his training partner Nick Diaz, and more:
GC: You have a big fight coming up at the end of February at UFC Japan, facing Yoshihiro Akiyama in his Welterweight debut. Is this a fight that sparked any particular interest to you when it was offered?
JS: Yeah, you know it kind of came unexpected with Akiyama being a 185 pounder, so I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m down for the fight. I lost a fight and thought it would be a good win, especially in Japan, so I took it right away.
GC: In what ways have you prepared for Akiyama, and is there anything new that went on in your camp for this particular fight?
JS: Mostly the same training. I am always trying to tweak things and make some little changes. I trained with [Michael] Bisping for a week, been out in Florida here training with the guys out here in Imperial. No big changes, but I really want to go out there and pressure him and fight and make him tap out.
GC: So you’re going to be looking for a submission?
JS: Yeah, of course. If something else comes, of course, I’ll take it. But I’m a submission fighter, so I would love to go out there and tap him.
GC: Now you describe that style as “American Jiu-Jitsu,” could you go into further detail as to why you call it that?
JS: Yeah, well I never train with a G.I., so my style is more of a mix between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and American wrestling. I took the two and kind of fused them. There are a lot of guys who have done both, but I have really mixed the two and turned it into one thing, which is kind of an American Jiu-Jitsu.
GC: Last year, you “upgraded” to vegan status, how do you think your diet helps you, or hinders you, in ways compared to other fighters who are not vegetarian or vegan?
JS: I think it gives me more energy and better cardio, and I feel really good. It is easy making weight right now. My weight’s down, so that’s good. I’m not a strict vegan; I’ll still eat a little bit of egg, not a lot, but occasionally. But yeah, I feel great right now.
GC: It was extremely unfortunate that your father passed last year as well, but even more admirable that you walked into the cage about two weeks after it had happened. Do you feel like the whole situation had an impact on your fight with Jake Ellenberger, and, if so, in what ways?
JS: You know, there was so much going on at the time. It was tough, but I felt like it was the right decision to go out and fight, and I made that decision to not make any excuse about the fight. I went out there and it wasn’t my night, so all I can do is move forward and try to bounce back with Akiyama.
GC: Now, you train with some top-level guys, the Diaz brothers, and, very notably, Gilbert Melendez. What are your views on the whole Strikeforce situation and what the future may hold for the organization, since many feel it is up in the air right now?
JS: Yeah, really what I hear is it is up the air, just from meeting other fighters. I don’t really have any information that you guys don’t have, but it definitely seems up in the air. They’re not pushing it that heavy…they don’t seem to be putting up many shows. It seems like they only have a couple of real fighters left.
You know, Gilbert I’m sure, is the biggest guy now. Luke Rockhold is a great up-and-comer, but they just don’t have big divisions. You know, send some talent over there and promote it more, or just kill it.
GC: A lot of controversy came out of your training partner, Nick Diaz’s fight with Carlos Condit. Since you train with him, I want to get your thoughts on how you think the fight went and if you agree with the decision made.
JS: No, I don’t agree with it at all. I was really surprised when they gave it to him. I thought Nick was chasing him all over the place, and I don’t know how you’re going to win running backwards, throwing leg kicks. I mean, you can argue Condit landed a few more strikes, but the majority of those were tiny little leg kicks.
I really don’t see how. I mean, I give Condit the fourth, but other than that, I thought Nick took all the rounds. I don’t know, I can’t imagine Condit really being too happy with himself right now.
GC: I think a lot of people are on the same page with you. Even Joe Rogan, for instance, went back and looked at it and agreed that he would give the fight to Diaz after a second thought and look at it.
JS: Yeah, and I would say at least half the people that think Condit won, probably picked that because Rogan picked it, because a lot of the fans don’t really know what’s going on and will just kind of pick whatever the commentator says.
You don’t realize how much sway that has. I think if Rogan would have picked Nick winning the fight, I think pretty much everyone, maybe like 10 percent would have picked Condit.
GC: The UFC Japan card is stacked and have some really exciting fights. I want to get some predictions from you for the main card. So first, Anthony Pettis versus Joe Lauzon?
JS: That’s a tough fight, I haven’t really watched either one of them fight enough to say.
GC: How about Cheick Kongo versus Mark Hunt?
JS: I would probably go with Kongo. It’s an interesting style matchup, but Mark Hunt hasn’t been that “on” in the past couple years.
GC: So how would Kongo win the fight?
JS: I think he would probably take him down and ground-and-pound him. He has showed it in the past, he’s one to take people down.
GC: How about Rampage Jackson versus Ryan Bader?
JS: It’ll be a good fight back and forth. I gotta favor Rampage by a little bit but it wouldn’t be a total shock if Bader pulled off an upset either.
GC: Do you think Bader will just be looking for the takedown, or do you think he’ll stand up and trade with him?
JS: I think he’s gonna do both. His hands have been improving. He’s a tough guy and he’s right in his prime. I think he’ll go out there and bang with him a little bit. But Rampage, you know, definitely has some advantages as well. So I have to give a slight favor to Rampage.
GC: And of course the main event, Frankie Edgar versus Benson Henderson?
JS: These are all good competitive fights. They’re tough to call. It’s a really tough one to call, I guess I would give a slight edge to Frankie just because he’s on such a good winning streak. He’s really evasive and hard to get your hands on, but I think Henderson holds the advantage in jiu-jitsu if he can get him down there.
GC: Last but not least, who wins between Jake Shields versus Yoshihiro Akiyama, and how does that fight end?
JS: Oh, that’s an easy pick…Jake Shields (laughs), by submission!
Before Jake Shields made his long-awaited UFC debut in the fall of 2010, he was already regarded by many as one of the top mixed martial artists in the sport. Prior to first stepping foot in the Octagon at UFC 121, Shields claimed notable victories ove…
Before Jake Shields made his long-awaited UFC debut in the fall of 2010, he was already regarded by many as one of the top mixed martial artists in the sport.
Prior to first stepping foot in the Octagon at UFC 121, Shields claimed notable victories over Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Jason Miller and Dan Henderson en route to winning championship belts in EliteXC, Shooto and Strikeforce.
What is perhaps more impressive than Shields’ run in the sport—which dates back to October of 1999—is the fact that he has accomplished everything he has in athletics without eating meat.
“I’ve been a lifelong vegetarian,” Shields, 33, explained to Bleacher Report. “I’m a vegetarian and it’s always been a way of life. It seems normal.”
Aside from the fact that Shields was born into a home of vegetarians, he emphasized that there are also ethical considerations behind his diet.
“I personally don’t like eating animals,” Shields noted. “I’m not the kind of person that tries to preach to other people. But, for me, I don’t feel right about doing it. That’s the main reason why I stay vegetarian.”
Although some have assumed that Shields’ diet has, perhaps, held him back in the highly-competitive world of mixed martial arts, the UFC welterweight, who is to return to action against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144 in late February, doesn’t necessarily share that view.
“I’ve never eaten meat, so I can’t see the differences, but I think it definitely helps with my cardio,” Shields offered. “I know Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz say it makes them feel way better, having switched over. I’m guessing it most likely helped. It’s really hard for me to judge, having never been a meat-eater.”
“I know the guys that have switched all swear by it—they say they love how it makes them feel.”
While Shields is more than willing to give his take on his lifestyle when solicited, he also emphasized that he is careful to respect the views of others.
It’s really important to let people know that this stuff is out there and you have an alternative, rather than telling people what they’re doing is not right. You’ve got to be careful, I guess, about how you come across. You don’t want to come across as a guy that’s trying to force your beliefs on people—and I’m definitely not.
Moving forward, Shields, who has worked with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and given his time to help raise awareness of dog fighting in the past, insisted he has all but written off the prospect of more advocacy work in the future.
Really, I started fighting because I love it, but once you get in the spotlight, you are kind of a role-model. I’m not the kind of person that’s preachy, but I think that being a vegetarian and an athlete has been positive to a lot of people. I have people writing me or coming up to me every day, telling me that they’ve switched to vegetarian because of me. Not because I’m telling everyone to do it, it’s just the fact that I’ve shown that it can be done—you can be an athlete and a vegetarian.
“I like animals a lot,” Shields continued. “I’ve helped with the anti-dog fighting cause—and I would definitely be willing to work with more causes that are for helping animals.”
Ed Kapp is an Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations were obtained first-hand.
Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, this will analyze what could happen in the fight and end with this writer’s prediction.