First off, it’s tough not to love the classic “side-profile staredown” image on a fight card.Second off, we’re a little ways away from “The War Master” Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier but, on Saturday, September 17th, UFC fans can salivate over a ca…
First off, it’s tough not to love the classic “side-profile staredown” image on a fight card.
Second off, we’re a little ways away from “The War Master” Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier but, on Saturday, September 17th, UFC fans can salivate over a card that’s the UFC’s first in Louisiana since 2002.
This nine-years-in-the-making return to The Bayou may not have a lot of people reacting like the crowd at UFC 134 in Rio but, with the caliber of guys on the card, it does have fight-drunk lunatics such as myself thinking sober thoughts.
As a matter of fact, I have ten of them right now, and if you’re as fight-drunk as I am, there’s a good chance you might be having at least one of these sober thoughts.
Jake Shields is a winner.The submission specialist has proven that against most odds, he almost always manages a way to win.He proved it against Dan Henderson, the former two-time PRIDE champion who dropped Shields in the opening round of their middlew…
The submission specialist has proven that against most odds, he almost always manages a way to win.
He proved it against Dan Henderson, the former two-time PRIDE champion who dropped Shields in the opening round of their middleweight bout in April of last year.
Shields, like the tireless worker that he is, never gave up in the fight. He eventually walked away the victor by unanimous decision after he managed to gut out takedown after takedown over the course of their five-round tilt, out-grappling the the two-time Olympian for the biggest win of his career.
The win eventually earned Shields his shot into the big leagues of the UFC, where over 10 years of work had finally brought him to the precipice of his career. After defeating the always-tough Martin Kampmann in his organizational debut, Shields met with pound-for-pound great Georges St-Pierre for the 170-pound title.
The Cesar Gracie black belt never committed to a takedown or even pulling guard in order to bring the fight to his domain and eventually lost a unanimous decision, breaking his impressive 15-fight win streak in the process.
Now, Shields is on the comeback trail against budding contender Jake Ellenberger, a fellow collegiate wrestler who also relies on his own speciality of sorts: punching people in the face.
Ellenberger is currently riding a four-fight win streak inside the Octagon, three of which have come by way of TKO. In fact, 15 of his 24 career wins are by some form of knockout.
It’s a battle of polar opposites, but it’s nothing that Shields hasn’t faced before. The Jiu-Jitsu practitioner will always be regarded as one of the best in his class, beating all mid-level competition and most of the upper echelon, but against a fighter as intelligent as St-Pierre, Shields will always falter.
The Canadian is believed to be one of the more cerebral fighters in the sport. Taking very little chances in his bouts, St-Pierre remains calculated and precise in his attack.
A black belt in multiple disciplines, “Rush” is the consummate definition of mixed martial artist. Shields’ striking is light years behind where it should be at this point of his career, but when you’ve been so good at what you do for so long, how do you presume to know you hold a weakness?
At 32 years old and closing in on his 12th year as a pro, time isn’t on Shields’ side—and for that reason, he will never be able to claim UFC gold.
In preparation for his upcoming bout against Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 25, Jake Shields has gone through a hard time in the past month. The former Strikeforce middleweight champion recently lost his father—and long-time manager&mda…
In preparation for his upcoming bout against Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 25, Jake Shields has gone through a hard time in the past month.
The former Strikeforce middleweight champion recently lost his father—and long-time manager—Jack Shields, earlier this month.
Shields spoke to KNOXX video and said that he decided to continue training despite his father’s passing. Shields said he found his training was an outlet to cope with his death.
“It’s one of those things, I think is all you can do is move forwards in life, I’m just trying to move forwards, I think he would want me to continue fighting and doing well, so I’m going out there ready to fight,” Shields said.
While this bout might be emotional for Shields to compete in, he said he is happy with how his record so far in the UFC, and he wants to remain in the main event picture.
“I want to stay in this position,” he said.
“I think it’s really important that I go out there and win this fight and dominate. I don’t want to be on the undercard, I want to be headlining shows, so I need to go out there and show why I deserve this fight.”
During the interview, Shields goes on to discuss other topics including Nick Diaz’s current situation, and a potential middleweight bout with Anderson Silva.
Jake Shields entered UFC 129 having won 15 straight fights, defeating opponents such as Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Dan Henderson and Martin Kampmann. He was essentially on top of the world in the welterweight division.He entered UFC 129 just one vict…
Jake Shields entered UFC 129 having won 15 straight fights, defeating opponents such as Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Dan Henderson and Martin Kampmann. He was essentially on top of the world in the welterweight division.
He entered UFC 129 just one victory away from being declared the welterweight champion of the world. His opponent: the longtime champion, George St. Pierre.
St. Pierre had been tops of the welterweight division since his victory over Matt Hughes at UFC 79. Since then St. Pierre has defended his title seven straight times and has remained the greatest 170-pound fighter in the world.
When Shields and St. Pierre squared off at UFC 129, something was different, something wasn’t the same. It had been the first time in over four years that an opponent stood toe to toe with the champion.
Despite being in the home country of St. Pierre, Shields didn’t back down. He exchanged almost identical strikes with St. Pierre throughout five grueling rounds. The only difference in the fight was Shields was taken down twice but the rest remained even.
The judges’ scorecards indicated the victory to St. Pierre by unanimous decision. Instead of giving credit to Shields, UFC fans across the globe believed St. Pierre just had an off evening.
They didn’t want to admit their longtime champion had finally met his match. While Shields walked out of UFC 129 with his first loss in nearly six years, he caught the eyes of many.
Shields will square off with Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night on Saturday, September 17th in hopes of getting another title shot.
Ellenberger, no slouch himself, will look to win his fifth straight fight and move himself also closer to a title shot.
If Shields walks out of UFC Fight Night with another impressive victory he will have earned himself another immediate title shot against St. Pierre, granted he defeats Nick Diaz at UFC 137.
Would a title shot be too soon? Absolutely not. Shields has been the only man to truly test St. Pierre in nearly four years.
With a win at UFC Fight Night, expect to see Shields back in the Octagon against St. Pierre fighting for the welterweight championship very soon.
Over the past several years, the UFC has displayed some of the greatest entertainment known to man. The sport allows fans to witness first hand, real-life excitement through fighting.The sport of MMA is filled with hundreds of different personalities a…
Over the past several years, the UFC has displayed some of the greatest entertainment known to man. The sport allows fans to witness first hand, real-life excitement through fighting.
The sport of MMA is filled with hundreds of different personalities attracting fans of all kinds. We’ve seen fighters who aren’t the slightest bit shy to say what they feel and we’ve seen fighters play the role of the silent assassin.
While these fighters are currently fulfilling a career in the UFC, what about after? The following slides display the Top 10 Fighters that could pursue a career in acting after their fighting careers are over.
Even with the recent passing of his father, Jack, Jake Shields has decided to remain in the main event of UFC Fight Night 25.Shield’s manager, Cesar Gracie, confirmed that Shields will stay in the bout by saying to MMAWeekly, “He will fight.”Shields wa…
Even with the recent passing of his father, Jack, Jake Shields has decided to remain in the main event of UFC Fight Night 25.
Shield’s manager, Cesar Gracie, confirmed that Shields will stay in the bout by saying to MMAWeekly, “He will fight.”
Shields was last seen at UFC 129, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title.
Shields is set to fight against Jake Ellenberger in the main event of the “Battle on the Bayou,” which takes place September 17 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all the UFC updates that you need.
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