(Looks like T-Wood traded his lay-n-pray for some float-n-gloat. / Photo via Getty Images)
In terms of job security, Jake Shields has every strike against him right now. He’s coming off a six-month drug-suspension, his UFC appearances have been either forgettable or memorable for the wrong reasons, his official Octagon record is an uninspiring 2-2, and he’s even more expensive than Jon Fitch. It’s safe to assume that Shields will need to win his next match to avoid the axe — and according to new reports, that’s not going to be easy.
As first revealed by MMAJunkie, a welterweight bout between Shields and Tyron Woodley is being targeted for a June 15th UFC event in Canada (city/venue TBA). The fight will mark Shields’s return to the 170-pound division after his brief trip back up to middleweight at UFC 150, where he defeated Ed Herman by decision before that victory was overturned.
Like Shields, Tyron Woodley has endured “boring fighter” criticisms in the past for the way he’s used his suffocating wrestling to prevent opponents such as Paul Daley from standing and banging. But in his UFC debut earlier this month at UFC 156, Woodley showed off his tremendous knockout power, blitzing Jay Hieron in just 36 seconds. T-Wood’s previous fight against Nate Marquardt in Strikeforce was also an entertaining scrap, although it ultimately led to the first loss of Woodley’s career.
So will Shields fight any differently when it’s clear that his job is at stake? How do you see this one going down?
