However, the event’s preliminary card has suffered a setback, as DaMarques Johnson and Mackens Semerzier have both withdrawn due to injuries. Johnson has already been replaced by returning TUF 11 vet Seth Baczynski. UFC Fight Night 25’s current lineup is after the jump…
However, the event’s preliminary card has suffered a setback, as DaMarques Johnson and Mackens Semerzier have both withdrawn due to injuries. Johnson has already been replaced by returning TUF 11 vet Seth Baczynski. UFC Fight Night 25′s current lineup is after the jump…
Main Card
Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger
Court McGee vs. Dongi Yang
Jonathan Brookins vs. Erik Koch
Alan Belcher vs. Jason MacDonald
Preliminary Card
Cody McKenzie vs. Vagner Rocha
Evan Dunham vs. Shamar Bailey
Matt Riddle vs. Lance Benoist
Ken Stone vs. Donny Walker
Seth Baczynski vs. Clay Harvison
Daniel Roberts vs. TJ Waldburger
Justin Edwards vs. Jorge Lopez
After losing to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, Jake Shields was left at a crossroads in his career. Now, life has thrown an even bigger curveball at Shields, who lost his 67-year-old father on Tuesday.Jack Shields was not only a father to…
After losing to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, Jake Shields was left at a crossroads in his career. Now, life has thrown an even bigger curveball at Shields, who lost his 67-year-old father on Tuesday.
Jack Shields was not only a father to Jake Shields but also a manager. In fact, according to Sherdog, Jake Shields said that his father had been working on sponsorship deals for the fighter before sitting down and passing away on Tuesday.
According to Sherdog’s report, Jack Shields was diagnosed with congestive heart failure last year. At the moment, it is unknown whether or not that condition played a part in his death.
Jake Shields has been preparing for an upcoming fight with Jake Ellenberger, which is scheduled to take place in less than three weeks at UFC Fight Night 25. This bout will now take on a whole new meaning for Jake Shields, who will compete in the main event on the fight card.
While he is usually a fighter who draws mixed emotions from MMA fans, it is probably safe to say that there will be plenty of support for Jake Shields heading into this fight.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com and LowKick.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
Jack Shields passed away from natural causes at the age of 67. Jack was the father and manager of son, Jake Shields. GracieFighter.com has posted on their website: The father of Jake Shields has passed.
Jack Shields passed away from natural causes at the age of 67. Jack was the father and manager of son, Jake Shields. GracieFighter.com has posted on their website:
The father of Jake Shields has passed away. It was learned that he died peacefully as he slept. Jack Shields was instrumental in his son’s MMA career. He taught Jake the values of hard work and perseverance. He was always there and was a fervent supporter through Jake’s early years in wrestling and when Jake transcended to MMA.
With only three weeks left until Jake Shields headlines UFN 25 against Jake Ellenberger on September 17th for the much talked about Battle on the Bayou card, it is uncertain if Jake will still want to take the fight. So far, Jake Shields has only posted the following statement via the Gracie Fighter website: ““lost my father manager and one of my best friends today!! R.I.P jack you will be greatly missed and loved by many”
Just a few weeks ago, UFC Lightweight, Sam Stout lost his coach and brother-in-law, Shawn Tompkins to natural causes, as well. Tompkins had unexpectedly suffered a heart attack in his sleep at the age of 37. Stout was to compete against Dennis Siver at UFC 137 on October 29th, but pulled out of the fight yesterday. Many assumed it was due to the loss of Tompkins, but it appears Stout may have suffered an injury in training.
Should Shields decide to remain in his headlining bout on the UFN 25 card, it should be a very emotional night. Jack Shields was Jake’s constant supporter and never missed his son’s fights.
The father of Jake Shields has passed away. It was learned that he died peacefully as he slept. Jack Shields was instrumental in his son’s MMA career. He taught Jake the values of hard work and perseverance. He was always there and was a fervent supporter through Jake’s early years in wrestling and when Jake transcended to MMA.
Jack would often make the long drive from his home to watch Jake practice and was always at Jake’s fights. He was part of our team and we will miss him.
The father of Jake Shields has passed away. It was learned that he died peacefully as he slept. Jack Shields was instrumental in his son’s MMA career. He taught Jake the values of hard work and perseverance. He was always there and was a fervent supporter through Jake’s early years in wrestling and when Jake transcended to MMA.
Jack would often make the long drive from his home to watch Jake practice and was always at Jake’s fights. He was part of our team and we will miss him.
“lost my father manager and one of my best friends today!! R.I.P jack you will be greatly missed and loved by many” – Jake Shields
Jack Shields coached his son in wrestling from the ages of nine to 19, and first got involved in Jake’s MMA career when the Cesar Gracie product had trouble finding opponents following his 2002 Shooto upset of Hayato Sakurai. Our thoughts are with Jake during this sad time.
(All in favor of seeing Anderson attempt to improve his moneyweight record, say ‘I.'”)
Since Anderson Silva has effectively cleared out the UFC’s middleweight division and will likely eventually start a string of rematches against the likes of Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson, we figured why not come up with a list of fights he could take in the interim that stoke the fires of fans.
Check them out, in no particular order after the jump.
(All in favor of seeing Anderson attempt to improve his moneyweight record, say ‘I.’”)
Since Anderson Silva has effectively cleared out the UFC’s middleweight division and will likely eventually start a string of rematches against the likes of Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson, we figured why not come up with a list of fights he could take in the interim that stoke the fires of fans.
Check them out, in no particular order after the jump.
A few months after Jake Shields suffered his first loss in six years, the Cesar Gracie camp is preparing for a second crack at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz will be standing opposite the French-Canad…
A few months after Jake Shields suffered his first loss in six years, the Cesar Gracie camp is preparing for a second crack at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
Former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz will be standing opposite the French-Canadian phenom this time around, and Gracie is every bit of as confident in the controversial Stockton native as he was in Shields.
“It should be a really good fight,” Gracie said in an interview with Full Contact Fighter. “Nick is really going to press the action. He’s going to force GSP to fight. I was just really happy that Nick is going to get the opportunity to show just how good he is now.”
Diaz has seen significant strides in his overall game since his last UFC appearance in November 2006. While his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has always been considered the most dangerous aspect of his game, Diaz’s improved boxing could rival his grappling base.
Training with WBA and WBC World Boxing Champion Luisito Espinosa and Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist Andre Ward, Diaz has quickly become one of the best boxers in the entire 170-pound division.
Will it all make any difference against St-Pierre, arguably the best wrestler in MMA?
“Georges is a great athlete and pretty smart fighter,” said Gracie. “His athleticism often lets him dictate where the fight is going to go, and if he’s comfortable where he can take the finish, without taking too many risks, he will.”
St-Pierre, who hasn’t finished a fight in over two years, has often been criticized for utilizing “safe” tactics to coast to decisions.
From a purely coaching perspective, St-Pierre’s way of fighting doesn’t faze Gracie. He is only worried about guys on his own team.
When he looks at things from a fan’s perspective, Gracie has a much different opinion of the champ.
“The thing is, it’s really not my business how he fights. He’s not on my team, so, I truly don’t care how he fights,” Gracie said. “Now if you’re asking me as a fan, yeah, that style is not what I like to watch. I like to watch guys that just completely go for it, take chances, and give crowds what they want, which is ‘Ultimate Fighting,’ not ‘ultimate stalling’ or anything like that.”
It may not be Gracie’s business how St-Pierre fights, but it is his business in making sure Diaz is fully prepared come fight night. Perhaps the most well-rounded fighter in the world, St-Pierre is a tough guy to plan for.
When looking at past bouts, Gracie sees similarities between Diaz and former two-division champion B.J. Penn. Like “The Prodigy,” Diaz is a world class boxer with a flexible guard, which allows him to seamlessly flow through sweeps and submission attempts.
“I think [GSP] is going to approach this fight somewhat like the B.J. Penn fight,” Gracie stated. “I think he’ll try to fight Nick the same way, where he’ll tie up with him, try to keep him up against the cage, do a little dirty boxing and try to get him arm weary, maybe get some takedowns and see how that goes. He’ll probably be cautious from the top position but try to inflict damage depending on how it’s going.”
St-Pierre and Diaz are expected to headline a stacked UFC 137 card on October 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
While Diaz looks to win his first ever UFC title, St-Pierre seeks his seventh successful welterweight title defense, which would tie the record of MMA legend and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes.
After losing to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, 
A few months after Jake Shields suffered his first loss in six years, the Cesar Gracie camp is preparing for a second crack at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.