Tag: Jake Shields

MMA Top 10 Welterweights: Where Does Johny Hendricks Belong?

Filed under: UFCJohny Hendricks did at UFC 141 what was once viewed as nearly impossible: He finished Jon Fitch.

And Hendricks didn’t just finish Fitch, he obliterated Fitch with a knockout punch that completely shakes up the welterweight division in …

Filed under:

Johny Hendricks did at UFC 141 what was once viewed as nearly impossible: He finished Jon Fitch.

And Hendricks didn’t just finish Fitch, he obliterated Fitch with a knockout punch that completely shakes up the welterweight division in mixed martial arts. Fitch no longer even has a claim for the No. 2 spot in the Top 10, where he has resided for years on many lists (though not on mine), and Hendricks has a strong claim not just to be in the Top 10, but to be towards the top.

So how high does Hendricks go? And how far does Fitch drop? And how does the rest of the welterweight division look at a time when Georges St. Pierre is in the midst of an extended layoff? We rank the Top 10 below.

Top 10 welterweights in MMA
 (Editor’s note: The individual fighter’s ranking the last time we did welterweights is in parentheses.)

1. Georges St. Pierre (1): GSP had demonstrated his dominance over the division so completely that even with a long layoff, he deserves to stay on the top. Unless he has a setback in his recovery from ACL surgery he’s expected to face the winner of the upcoming Nick Diaz–Carlos Condit fight in the summer or fall of 2012.

2. Nick Diaz (2): Condit will be the best opponent Diaz has ever faced, but I like Diaz to win the interim welterweight title fight in February. The big question after that will be how long Diaz has to wait for his shot at GSP.

3. Josh Koscheck (4): With two losses to St. Pierre, Koscheck won’t get another title shot any time soon, so he’s in more of a gatekeeper role in the UFC right now. Koscheck draws Mike Pierce at UFC 143.

4. Johny Hendricks (NR): The quick knockout of Fitch moves Hendricks all the way up to No. 4 in the welterweight Top 10. As an NCAA champion wrestler who hits hard, Hendricks has the right skill set to beat St. Pierre, although he probably won’t get the chance to do that any time soon. The UFC should keep Hendricks active against good competition, and if he keeps winning he’ll be ready for a title shot once the Diaz-Condit winner has faced GSP.

5. Carlos Condit (5): Condit likes to stay active, so it’s disappointing for him that circumstances outside his control led to him fighting just once (and for only half of one round) in 2011. He’ll be chomping at the bit for Diaz.

6. Jake Ellenberger (6): The silver lining of the St. Pierre injury is that it has given new contenders in the welterweight division time to establish themselves. It used to be the case that St. Pierre was No. 1 and he had beaten all of the other elite 170-pounders. But now the division has sorted itself out to the point that Koscheck is the only one of the five best welterweights after St. Pierre has previously faced him. Diaz, Hendricks, Condit and Ellenberger would all be new opponents for St. Pierre.

7. Jon Fitch (3): Fitch fought twice in 2011, his draw with B.J. Penn and his loss to Hendricks. Once viewed as a guy who just wins and wins consistently, Fitch hasn’t won since he beat Thiago Alves in August of 2010.

8. Rory MacDonald (7): MacDonald should dispatch Che Mills in March, and after that he’d make a lot of sense as a future opponent for Hendricks or Ellenberger. Someone from that group will emerge as a welterweight title contender in late 2012 or early 2013.

9. B.J. Penn (8): Penn is taking some time off following his loss to Diaz, and there’s been talk that he just doesn’t have the desire to fight anymore. But when he’s on his game he’s still one of the elite mixed martial artists at either 155 or 170 pounds.

10. Jake Shields (9): With losses to St. Pierre and Ellenberger, Shields went 0-2 in 2011. He should get started with a much better 2012 by beating Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144.

 

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CagePotato Presents: The Ten Most Forgettable Fights of 2011


(Similar to Georges St.Pierre, MMA pundits, and most fans heading into UFC 129, Dana White was looking right past Jake Shields.)

2011 is approaching it’s final hour, Potato Nation, and when we typically take a look back at the year that was, we often lump things in terms of the very best, and more often than not, the very worst. But even though it has been arguably the biggest year in the sport’s History, it hasn’t gone without it’s fair share of snoozefests, sparring matches, and fights that simply didn’t live up to their own hype. For every Rua/Hendo, there was a Torres/Banuelos, so to speak, that kept us from having a full-on Chuck Liddell style freak out. It’s not that these fights made us angry, it’s just that they failed to make us feel anything.

In a way, they were actually a good thing for the sport, as they raised our appreciation for the epic slugfests, the back and forth brawls, and the technical battles to new heights. So it is for these unsung heroes that we bring you The Ten Most Forgettable Fights of 2011, presented in chronological order.

#10: Jacob Volkmann vs. Antonio Mckee

We know what you’re thinking, Potatoites, you’re thinking, “My God, it’s only been a year since this clown (dis)graced the UFC with that performance?” Well the answer is yes, and almost to the exact date. On January 1st at UFC 125, Anthony Mckee made his long awaited debut in the UFC. And when we say “long awaited,” we mean by none other than Mckee himself. You see, Anthony Mckee followed the James Toney method of trolling his way into the UFC through a shitstorm of self absorbed and ridiculous claims, despite only claiming seven finishes in his previous thirty contests. Well, DW took the bait, and threw Mckee humble wrestler and future threat to Homeland Security, Jacob Volkmann, for his big debut.


(Similar to Georges St.Pierre, MMA pundits, and most fans heading into UFC 129, Dana White was looking right past Jake Shields.)

2011 is approaching it’s final hour, Potato Nation, and when we typically take a look back at the year that was, we often lump things in terms of the very best, and more often than not, the very worst. But even though it has been arguably the biggest year in the sport’s History, it hasn’t gone without it’s fair share of snoozefests, sparring matches, and fights that simply didn’t live up to their own hype. For every Rua/Hendo, there was a Torres/Banuelos, so to speak, that kept us from having a full-on Chuck Liddell style freak out. It’s not that these fights made us angry, it’s just that they failed to make us feel anything.

In a way, they were actually a good thing for the sport, as they raised our appreciation for the epic slugfests, the back and forth brawls, and the technical battles to new heights. So it is for these unsung heroes that we bring you The Ten Most Forgettable Fights of 2011, presented in chronological order.

#10: Jacob Volkmann vs. Antonio Mckee

We know what you’re thinking, Potatoites, you’re thinking, “My God, it’s only been a year since this clown (dis)graced the UFC with that performance?” Well the answer is yes, and almost to the exact date. On January 1st at UFC 125, Anthony Mckee made his long awaited debut in the UFC. And when we say “long awaited,” we mean by none other than Mckee himself. You see, Anthony Mckee followed the James Toney method of trolling his way into the UFC through a shitstorm of self absorbed and ridiculous claims, despite only claiming seven finishes in his previous thirty contests. Well, DW took the bait, and threw Mckee humble wrestler and future threat to Homeland Security, Jacob Volkmann, for his big debut.

And after unleashing a verbal assault on Volkmann the likes of which we had yet to experience, “Mandingo” proceeded to stick his foot so far down his mouth that his leg nearly snapped at the knee. The fight was terrible, with neither fighter even attempting to engage over the course of 15 minutes. In fact, Mckee’s most significant offense was captured in the above photo, in which he decided to use his strongest asset as a fighter to attempt a takedown. Volkmann would walk away the victor via split decision, and Mckee would be served his walking papers, which he would then try and pass off as some old school racism by the UFC. Good riddance, d-bag.

#9: Steve Cantwell vs. Cyrille Diabate – UFC Live 3 

Best known for his trilogy of wars with top middleweight contender Brian Stann, Steve “The Robot” Cantwell found himself sidelined and on a two fight losing streak in 2009. His losing efforts to Stann and Luiz Cane had been relatively entertaining, and before that Cantwell had scored a SOTN award by breaking Razak Al-Hassan’s arm at UFC: Fight For the Troops. Cyrille Diabate, on the other hand, had scored a TKO victory over Cane in his debut before being submitted by Alexander Gustafsson. The fight was placed on the Facebook prelims, and promised to be a technical kickboxing clinic. To say it was a letdown would be an understatement.

The match was little more than a light sparring session, at one point drawing that exact comparison from Joe Rogan during the third round when neither fighter remotely attempted to pick up the pace. It would be mark the halfway…uh…mark of Cantwell’s current four-fight losing streak, and would be Diabate’s last win as well; he would go on to drop a second round submission to Anthony Perosh at UFC 138.

#8: Phil Davis vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueria – UFN 24

Phil Davis had a hell of a year in 2010. Not only did he go 4-0 in the UFC, scoring wins over the likes of Alexander Gustafsson and Brian Stann, but the man even invented a submission, a hammerlock/kimura hybrid dubbed “The Mr. Wonderful.” Not bad for someone who had been training MMA for less than two years at the time. With his aforementioned submission win over Tim Boetsch, Davis was almost immediately pegged as the next Jon Jones by MMA critics and fans alike, despite the fact that Jon Jones had barely begun his own rise to success. When Davis was placed against former PRIDE star Antonio Rogerio Nogueria, who had knocked out then undefeated Luiz Cane in under two minutes and scored a razor thin decision over Jason Brilz in his own UFC run, the MMA community was ready a grand display of fireworks, and walked away with sparklers.

After a tense first half that saw little to no significant strikes landed, the first round was mainly comprised of Davis trying unsuccessfully to take Nogueria down. And when he was forced to stand, we saw a different, less wonderful version of Davis, complete with an array of awkward push/teep kicks and one-to-two punch combinations that were all but completely ineffective against Lil Nog. Davis was able to secure his first takedown midway through the second round, and to his credit, was able to control the BJJ black belt down when he did so. “Minotoro” on the other hand, never really looked like he was that concerned about finishing the fight, despite Davis’ increased takedown success over the next round and a half. His punches came slower and slower, and by the end of it many in the silent audience were simply awaiting a decision.

It’s not that there was anything particularly bad in this fight, it’s just that there wasn’t much to write home about, including Phil Davis, who’s momentum train found itself at the bottom of a very large hill afterward. And as it turns out, this would be the first of many lackluster main events to come…

Bad-Idea Callout of the Day: Jake Shields Still Wants Anderson Silva


(“Take that, logic!”)

With a pair of decisive losses in his last two Octagon appearances, Jake Shields‘s career is at a crossroads. He could try to scrape his way back up the welterweight ladder — starting with his fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144 — or he could try to re-invent himself completely. Since his homey Nick Diaz is now competing for interim titles in the same weight class, it’s clear which way he’s leaning:

“I would have no problem fighting there,” Shields told MMAWeekly.com in regards to returning to 185 pounds. “It’s something I’ve thought about before and I was thinking about it (before) this fight, but they offered me this fight (and) I took it. Especially with my teammate, Nick Diaz, challenging for the welterweight title, it’s definitely in the back of my mind going up to 185 (pounds)…I’d fight sparring partners, but (Nick and I) are different. We trained together for, like, 11 years; so it’s a little different.”

So who does Shields have his eye on, hypothetically, at 185? Hint: It’s the same guy he’s always wanted — Anderson Silva. Oh Jake, you crazy dreamer. Here’s what he told MMAFightCorner:


(“Take that, logic!”)

With a pair of decisive losses in his last two Octagon appearances, Jake Shields‘s career is at a crossroads. He could try to scrape his way back up the welterweight ladder — starting with his fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144 — or he could try to re-invent himself completely. Since his homey Nick Diaz is now competing for interim titles in the same weight class, it’s clear which way he’s leaning:

“I would have no problem fighting there,” Shields told MMAWeekly.com in regards to returning to 185 pounds. “It’s something I’ve thought about before and I was thinking about it (before) this fight, but they offered me this fight (and) I took it. Especially with my teammate, Nick Diaz, challenging for the welterweight title, it’s definitely in the back of my mind going up to 185 (pounds)…I’d fight sparring partners, but (Nick and I) are different. We trained together for, like, 11 years; so it’s a little different.”

So who does Shields have his eye on, hypothetically, at 185? Hint: It’s the same guy he’s always wanted — Anderson Silva. Oh Jake, you crazy dreamer. Here’s what he told MMAFightCorner:

“That’s a fight I’ve wanted for a long time. Anderson’s a phenomenal fighter, one of the best of all time, but I just think stylistically the guys that match up best against him are wrestlers with good jiu-jitsu. Chael did great with him until he got caught in a triangle right at the end. His worst matchup’s against good wrestlers and jiu-jitsu, and it’s just he’s a great matchup. Obviously it wouldn’t be an easy fight because I think he has the best standup in the sport, but that’s a fight I would love an opportunity to do…I’d love to see Nick take that [interim UFC welterweight] belt. And then at that point I’ll try to get through Akiyama and then probably start putting on some weight.”

I’m glad that Shields clarified that it wouldn’t be an “easy fight,” considering that he couldn’t even handle Jake Ellenberger’s striking. There’s also the fact that — no matter what Jake accomplished as a middleweight in Strikeforce — he’d have to work his way up the ladder at 185, and the contender pool there is deeper than ever. With Chael Sonnen, Mark Munoz, Michael Bisping, and Demian Maia battling for the next two title shots, Anthony Johnson already making a run up from welterweight, and Josh Koscheck considering the same thing, middleweight is a hot mess right now.

Make no mistake, I give Shields massive cojones-points for wanting to see how he stacks up against the best in the world, especially since Georges St. Pierre claims that he’d need himself and Anderson to sit out for an indefinite period of time before he does it himself. But it’s really not worth discussing until Shields beats a couple of UFC middleweight contenders first — and does it with such authority that the fans actually want to see a Shields vs. Silva superfight come together. Okay, we might be approaching “alternate universe” territory here. The only thing we know for sure is that Jake had better not lose to Akiyama.

Jake Shields: Would He Stand a Chance Against Anderson Silva?

Jake Shields recently spoke about how he would love the opportunity to throwdown with UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva in the not too distant future.”That’s a fight I’ve wanted for a long time. Anderson’s a phenomenal fighter, one of the best of al…

Jake Shields recently spoke about how he would love the opportunity to throwdown with UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva in the not too distant future.

“That’s a fight I’ve wanted for a long time. Anderson’s a phenomenal fighter, one of the best of all time, but I just think stylistically the guys that match up best against him are wrestlers with good jiu-jitsu. Chael did great with him until he got caught in a triangle right at the end. His worst matchup’s against good wrestlers and jiu-jitsu, and it’s just he’s a great matchup. Obviously it wouldn’t be an easy fight because I think he has the best standup in the sport, but that’s a fight I would love an opportunity to do,” Shields told MMAfightcorner.com.

Truth be told, “The Spider” has most definitely had problems with wrestlers in the past—from Dan Henderson to Chael Sonnen, who was just a whisker away from being crowned the division’s new champ.

In addition, Silva has succumbed to jiu-jitsu practitioners—Daiju Takase (triangle choke) and Ryo Chonan (flying heel hook).

Still, the last time The Spider was submitted was almost seven years ago, and his only other loss following the Chonan submission was against Yushin Okami via illegal kick.

And that was back in January of 2006.

Since then, Silva has amassed a 15-fight winning streak. He also captured the middleweight crown along the way, and at present, has defended it a record nine times.

During that time, he’s taken on the best of the best, and regardless of their all-around capabilities, no combatant as of yet has been able to decipher the enigma that is Anderson Silva.

It will be no different with Shields. Sure, he has the jiu-jitsu and wrestling pedigree to unsettle Silva, but as The Spider has shown time and again, he has that innate ability to overcome any and all adversity.

If Shields takes the fight to the ground, there’s always the likelihood that he himself might be the victim of a submission as was nearly the case with Jason “Mayhem” Miller at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers.

And if the fight were to remain standing, then it’d be good night, sayonara—Shields doesn’t possess the striking savvy to generate any sort of impact on Silva.

MMA in general is the most unpredictable of sports, though in this case, Shields doesn’t stand a chance of upending Silva.

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Jake Shields Would "Love an Opportunity" To Fight Anderson Silva

The last time we saw Jake Shields in the Octagon, Jake Ellenberger ended his night in a mere 53 seconds. Prior to the loss to “The Juggernaut,” he dropped a unanimous decision to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129. Shields will face Yoshihiro Aki…

The last time we saw Jake Shields in the Octagon, Jake Ellenberger ended his night in a mere 53 seconds. Prior to the loss to “The Juggernaut,” he dropped a unanimous decision to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129.

Shields will face Yoshihiro Akiyama in his next bout, which will take place on February 26 in Saitama, Japan. While the Akiyama fight is at welterweight, Shields may very well be considering a UFC future at middleweight, months ahead of that UFC 144 battle.

While a loss against Akiyama would give Shields the dreaded three straight defeats in the UFC, it seems unlikely that he would be released, as he remains a viable “name” for the promotion. His move to middleweight would not be spurred on by the thought that he can’t compete at the welterweight level, but instead it would most likely be brought on by the fact that his training partner and friend Nick Diaz could very well become the interim UFC welterweight champion.

Diaz will face Carlos Condit on February 4 in the main event of UFC 143. With welterweight champion St-Pierre on the shelf due to recent ACL surgery, the UFC has elected to award the winner of the Diaz versus Condit fight the interim title while St-Pierre heals. If Diaz does capture the crown, the two fighters have made it very clear that they would never want to face each other in a non-training environment. 

If Shields does move to middleweight, he would welcome a shot at the 185-pound champion, Anderson Silva.

“That’s a fight I’ve wanted for a long time,” Shields told MMAFightCorner.com. “Anderson’s a phenomenal fighter, one of the best of all time, but I just think stylistically the guys that match up best against him are wrestlers with good jiu-jitsu.

“Chael did great with him until he got caught in a triangle right at the end. His worst matchup’s against good wrestlers and jiu-jitsu, and it’s just he’s a great matchup. Obviously it wouldn’t be an easy fight because I think he has the best standup in the sport, but that’s a fight I would love an opportunity to do.”

Obviously, a number things have to fall in line for Shields to make that move to middleweight, but if they do, Shields would gladly add his name to the growing list of fighters that want a shot at the man that has never lost inside the Octagon, Silva.

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Is It Harder to Fight in the UFC?

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind what the number one organization for mixed martial arts is. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the premiere place to be if you are a fighter, but it is not the only one out there.  MMA is a rapidly growi…

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind what the number one organization for mixed martial arts is. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the premiere place to be if you are a fighter, but it is not the only one out there. 

MMA is a rapidly growing sport, with much room for expansion and growth. The potential of financial benefits has created a giant that reaches to every corner of the earth. The UFC is the top of the heap, but do other organizations have legs to stand on in regards to the competitive level? 

Obviously marketing, pay per view success, sponsors, and business mergers have put the UFC on top; but for the fighters themselves, does this mean the UFC is at a higher level of competition than the others? 

What we have seen in the past few years is other organizations making their presences known. Strikeforce and Bellator are the most noteworthy, although others exist and do well. Before the purchasing of Strikeforce, the UFC had both organizations as competitors in the business, but what ultimately mattered to fans were the fantasized cross fights. 

Fans have been aware of Strikeforce and Bellator, and pay attention to their big name fighters, especially the ones that have never set foot in the Octagon. Critics of champions outside of the UFC tend to claim that those champs have “never fought anyone,” or imply in some way the challengers they faced were not anywhere near the caliber of UFC fighters in the same division. MMA fans salivate at the potential matchups of champions vs. champions and other big name fights that could be put together. 

Most of the time, the ideas stay in limbo, or have a plethora of prerequisites that must happen, paired with timing issues that lead to the fight never coming into fruition. But sometimes fighters do cross over to the UFC. 

 

An odd trend that has been happening with these crossovers is that, once they get into the UFC, they do not live up to the hype they carried elsewhere. In other words, they were great in their original organization, but once in the UFC, their success is limited. 

Take a recent fight, like Cung Le vs. Wanderlei Silva. This is a fight that many felt Cung Le should be able to win, especially since it was the backup to fighting Vitor Belfort. However, the night did not unfold that way. Another example is from TUF 14 Finale. Jason Miller put on a very lackluster performance against rival coach, Michael Bisping in his Octagon return. 

With any examples, there are always other variables as to why they did not seem to do well, but fighters who are usually more consistent in certain areas, seem to get caught up in the moment. 

Is it the bigger, louder crowd? Is it the extra publicity? Is it all just nerves? 

Jake Shields, a fighter who had not lost in almost six years, came to the UFC in October of 2010 and faced Martin Kampmann. Shields won a decision, but did not look as impressive as many thought he would. He then faced GSP and Jake Ellenberger, and lost both matches, leaving him 1-2 inside the Octagon. 

Many of the fighters that cross over (or return after a long time away) tend to lose their first fight in the UFC. This loss does not turn into a streak all the time, but the debut seems to be a curse many can’t escape. For example, Brian Stann’s first fight in the UFC ended with him being submitted in the first round, giving him his second loss of his career. 

This initial loss would hint at the previously mentioned nerves and whatnot, but one factor that needs to be taken into account is the opposition when looking at their challenges. 

 

Yoshihiro Akiyama won his UFC debut, but in a controversial decision. He then proceeded to lose three in a row, and now has dropped weight classes. This move may have saved him from being released, along with the fact that saving him for UFC Japan would be a smart business move. 

Akiyama was thrown into the fire and put against tough opponents. This may be why he has had difficulty finding success at the moment, but maybe welterweight is where he belongs in the UFC. Akiyama and Shields will be facing each other to figure out who is going to end their losing streak at UFC 144.  

Guys like Stann, Le, Shields and others all had initial issues, but could this be attested to them jumping into already developed divisions? 

When you look at other fighters who fought with the little black gloves on for the first time, they seemed to do well, and continue to. Take Urijah Faber, Miguel Torres, Joseph Benavidez, etc. They all won their debuts, but they were not jumping into a division, they were bringing theirs over to the UFC. 

On the other hand, you have guys like Dan Henderson, in which case you could argue that he was not gone from the UFC for long and had an abundance of UFC experience already. Nick Diaz could prove to be an exception, but after only one fight, we will have to wait and see.  

This would make one rethink and wonder if that would support the idea of the UFC being tougher to fight in. It is widely expressed that the best fighters in the world are in the UFC, a statement made by UFC brass and fans alike. But does the money, marketing and promoting inherently make them better? Or does it just motivate them to become better? 

While not a consistent policy by any means, the UFC looks to put fighters on the chopping block after two losses, thus providing a level of motivation there as well. 

 

When Gilbert Melendez comes over from Strikeforce, it will help add more data to this ongoing study, since he will be jumping straight into the huge fire that is the UFC Lightweight division. At the end of this year, we will also see how Alistair Overeem will fare against a now healthy Brock Lesnar. 

With Strikeforce being under the Zuffa banner, more of these crossovers will happen, and we will all see if this stays in effect. The “Octagon Curse” seems to make a substantial argument for itself, but time will help tell if it is more of a consistency than just coincidence. 

 

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