Will Jake Shields be Georges St. Pierre's toughest opponent to date?
Posted on April 26, 2011, 02:50 AM by Ryan VenturaWhen Jake Shields beat Dan Henderson to a unanimous decision at Strikeforce: Nashville last year I was shocked, did he ever prove me wrong. At the time Hendo left the UFC fresh off his devastating KO victory over Michael Bisping and was the favorite against Jake Shields in his Strikeforce debut. Before he defended his Middleweight crown against Dangerous Dan, Shields fought for at the time vacant Strikeforce belt against Jason Miller in a grappling clinic put on between the two and in the end took the unanimous decision.
I personally believed that Jake didn't have what it took to beat not only an Olympic class wrestler, but a very dangerous power puncher. Most of us should know that Jake Shields doesn't exactly have the best stand up in Mixed Martial Arts. But what he lacks in the striking department, he completely makes up for with his Caesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt and his very strong wrestling. If Shields can grab a hold of any fighter against him, you'll be in very big trouble trying to defend his takedown, submissions, and transitions. And if somehow you can get him on the ground, he has the tools to get out of any nasty situation grappling wise.
Against Dan Henderson, Shields was hit with some very dangerous shots but survived, and used his grappling abilities for five rounds to successfully defend his Middleweight strap. Months after that bout, he faced Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut and although he didn't look quite like the Jake Shields that beat Dan Henderson, he came home with the split decision, and a chance to fight arguably the world's best Welterweight in Georges St. Pierre. Since it's only Jake Shields 2nd fight in the promotion, many fans not familiar with his name have wondered why he deserves this big shot.
Since November 2005, Jake Shields has been undefeated for a total of fifteen straight fights. He has worn the Strikeforce Middleweight strap, the Elite XC Welterweight belt, was a Rumble on the Rock tournament Welterweight tournament winner, and a Shooto Middlweight champion. He has beaten names like Toby Imada, Yushin Okami and Carlos Condit on the same night, Nick Thomson, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, and of course Jason Miller, Dan Henderson, and Martin Kampmann as mentioned above. And also I can't forget to mention his credentials before he started his winning run in MMA. A three time Grapplers Quest Advance winner, a Gracie Open Superfight Champion, a 2005 Pan American BJJ Champion in the -77kg division, and a 2005 ADCC Bronze medalist. How does he not deserve this title shot and why is Georges St. Pierre such a heavy favorite?
Not taking away anything from GSP, he truly is the top dog in the welterweight division. He is the champion for a reason, he has outclassed the likes of BJ Penn, Jon Fitch, Matt Hughes, Thiago Alves, Josh Koscheck, and Dan Hardy. As good as Georges is, I don't doubt for one second that this bout against Jake Shields will be his toughest test to date. Georges St. Pierre may have some of the best wrestling in the game, but Jake Shields is on another level in the grappling department. If GSP can use his striking that made fans notice him in 2005 and exploit Shields' stand up game, he could leave Toronto as champion. If the fight goes to the ground, it'll be a long 25 minutes for both men, and I'd favor Shields in that situation. Jake Shields will and should be taken seriously, he seems to thrive been an underdog in his fights. Sleep on Shields, be put to sleep.
Photo: Jake Shields, left, spares at a open media workout session to promote a Strikeforce MMA card at the Legends gym on March 17, 2010 in Hollywood, California. Francis Specker
Comments
although they lack the submission ablities that sheilds have i think that both koschech and fitch are better wrestlers than sheilds(i know that shields has beaten fitch in a grappling contest but fitch has also beat shields and mma is not a grappling contest)alves is way more dangerous than sheilds. really i think shields is getting a lot of hypes becuase quite frankly there is no one else.
holy Sh*t your my idol thats what i always wanted to say! im just too lazy to write.
Kampmann should have beat Shields... 30 - 27 for Shields get the f*ck outa here! He is just being hyped up to the point he's going to look pathetic out there fighting GSP.
yes kampman should of won ! but shields likes too lay on ya all day .
Everything you say is correct but I have to say I didn't belive Shields could hang with Hendo and after the first round I thought he was toast but he came back beautifully. GSP's toughest opponent to date? Nah, Hughes, Penn 1 etc. I wish they made this a poll tho.
WHY IS JAKE ALWAYS SHOWING THOSE GIDDY TOYS R US SMILES>?!?!?!?
Just watched the Mayhem Miller/Shields Fight again. Really I don't think Shields has anything that GSP can't handle.
GSP vs Nick Diaz is another story.
Toughest fight for St. Pierre was Penn I.
dropkickmurphy .... i voted the only cool because i want to see the Diaz GSP fight
Me too. I think that Diaz is the only welter weight that has a stand-up that will make St. Pierre want to take it to the ground, and the skills on the ground to submit him. Do I think Diaz will beat St. Pierre? No. But I think that he has the a lot better chance than Shields.
well I voted "sharp" because another weak would crush my self-esteem
Nice article Ryan. I personally dont believe in Shields chances in this fight, i figure that what has worked against shields's previous opponents wont work against Gsp.
Gsp is a strategist and like he always does, will fight his opponent weaknesses. I hope Shields worked on his stand up since his appearance in bully beatdown where the bully almost outboxed him lol
If shields wants the fight to the ground, he's gonna have to take st pierre down and set it up with punches and a perfect timing, not sure shields has the best timing, he's more a grinder and i believe it will not work on GSP, a guy that even Rashad struggles to take down in practice lol
GSP has more tools and thanks to them he can decide where the fight goes and avoid the one area where shields could have an advantage.
However, If he gets gsp on his back, its gonna be interesting to see how gsp reacts to it, compared to Hendo.
Concerning the mental aspect, both guys are strongly motivated. Gsp is taking this fight seriously and i doubt he is going to loose in front of 55 000 people in his home land.
Now Mr shields, prove me wrong ! Good luck.
LMAO seriously Ryan ''arguably the world's best Welterweight in Georges St. Pierre'' LMAO Keep lying to yourself that Sheilds has a better chance any other opponent he has faced LMAO. I am not a big fan of GSP BUT, I have no doubt in my mind he will destroy Jake Sheilds standing and on the ground. I'm sorry but i just can't get the image of Mayhem back dropping this ''grappler on another level'' Jake Sheilds, not to mention Hendo had 3 chances to finish him and should have. Got a prediction for you RV do not be surprised if Jake Sheilds doesn't even get one takedown. He might sweep GSP and thats a big maybe but I promise you he won't even be able to pin GSP against the cage to get a takedown. I'd advise any american who is new to mma that reads this comment not to waste 50 bucks and simply watch online for free. If you need any links just PM me i'll gladly send you PLENTY.
I'm not lying to myself, I already stated that Shields isn't a finisher and he LACKS big time in the striking department. But his ground / grappling game is something to fear, I'm sure GSP has been working very hard on his game. How many men out there do you know that is not only a takedown wrestling expert and a BJJ black belt with legit skills? Not many.
Fair enough, to be honest RV i'm just venting my frustrations about the UFC match making on you lol, I feel like the UFC are stretching out Silva's and GSP title run. Don't get me wrong as champions they should defend their belts but I wanna see GSP fight at MW his next fight to peak my interest and it doesn't even have to Silva. Same thing for Silva I wanna see him fight more at LHW. Both have been champs for a long long time nowGSP is human after all and he could make a mistake and get caught i just don't believe it will happen. I wanna watch a GSP fight thinking he might really loose, it's been a while since i had that feeling about a GSP fight.
I understand that frustration 100% man. He's been a while since he's been truly tested and I'm not going to lie, I actually believe Jake Shields will be a wonderful test for him. Josh Koscheck had the wrestling pedigree and GSP neutralized it with his jabs. But I believe Shields is a higher caliber grappler and he has 25 minutes to get GSP on the ground.
I've been wrong many times before, my opinions in this piece could be dead wrong, but I could be right. You just never know with the fight game. I thought Maynard / Edgar II would be the biggest snooze fest ever and it turned out to be one of the best fights this year.
I also believe its the Hype around this fight. I honestly don't think Shields has a chance in this fight even if he takes GSP down. I cant see Shields keeping GSP there long enough for him to get a submission or outpoint GSP in a 5 round fight.
...I just get frustrated with Shield's boring wins. I feel both him and Fitch are on the top list of most boring fighters.
Toughest opponent. If Kampmann (and I say this loosely considering Jake had a bad weight cut) could handle the "grappler" and this supposed "toughest" challenge GSP has ever had, couldn't really finish Kampmann or do anything dangerous to him, then no. GSP will come in, out box Shields. Stuff a take down or two and just for kicks, actually ****ing take Shields down and submit his ass. Just cause he can.
i wanted to hit sharp and funny on your comment...but i could only chose one....sigh.
Fitch was GSP's toughest test to date.
Please Shields is Fitch that can actually Finnish u with a sub. Shields is by far the toughest opponent GSP has faced. That being said, GSP will not loose. The man's a man amongst boys.
Koschek was GSPs toughest test, and still is his #1 threat. With the right gameplan he could have made it a very close fight.
people sleeping on shields...
And for good reason.
Once they lock the cage up, both fighters have a chance of winning the fight IMO.
Chances are Slim that Shields will be able to keep GSP on his back long enough to edge out the win IMO. With that said its going to be interesting to see what GSP's gameplan is; Its been a while since he has competed against another legit champion. Most Def a step up in Competition, Ya DiGG?!
Aside from Penn, no other fighter GSP has faced is as decorated as Shields. This will be a very tough fight.
I'm glad I can get all of you talking, GSP or Shields? May the better man win.
When I watch Shields vs. Miller - I remember thinking to myself, as Mayhem was about to choke out Shields, only for Shields to be saved by the bell (quite literally) that I hope GSP never has to fight this guy (JS).
I remember thinking to myself - there is no way that GSP could roll with that guy; Jake Shields.
...cough....cough.
I can understand why the majority of people are backing St Pierre to win this fight, i mean, i also know just how good GSP is in every facet of the game. What i dont get is why Shields isn't getting the respect he deserves (imo), to say he doesn't have a chance is just madness, peolpe have counted this guy out many times before only for him to pull off the 'W' what's to say this fight will be any different? Shields is a dangerous opponent for anybody, the only area Georges really has a big advantage in is the stand up but the ju jitsu and grappling advantage has to go to Shields. All i'm saying is this guy is more of a threat than people are giving him credit for imo, i mean everyone knows it isn't easy to compile a 6 year winning streak in MMA. Either way, makes for a great, and interesting, fight...............
Is GSP's stand up really that good or Shields is just that bad? Well, maybe Shields is just that bad.
Well said..........
I think losing to kampmann but still getting the crap judging in his favour put many fans off him. I dont even think he is worthy of this title shot, it should have been kampmanns. his record speaks for itself with Shields but he is very very good at only one aspect of MMA, GSP is very very good and some at all areas of MMA and barring a bad mistake on the ground should win this as easily as he did Kos - he is just too good.
Tell you one thing, Joe Rogan does his job well. He can hype a wool sweater as a fashion accessory to people living on the sun! Sorry, I'm not impressed with a 15 fight win streak or Jakes so called domination over an old, weak and gassed man that is Hendo.
I'm with Firas; if you can beat George, I won't scold you. I'll praise you.
That old, weak, and gassed man earned the right to be the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Hendo maybe 40 years old, but the man still got skills, and he can beat anybody on any given night.
And not being impressed with that 15 win streak? Not many guys in the game today have a double digit win streak and if they do your talking the cream of the crop. Guys like Anderson Silva (14), Nick Diaz (10), Jose Aldo (11). Jake Shields deserves to be on that list of that caliber of fighters, how many do you know could beat Yushin Okami and Carlos Condit on the same night? Okami and Condit are legit fighters, it takes a special man to be the likes of them back to back in on night.
Yeah, at 205. Henderson isn't the same at 185. If Jake had 15 UFC back to back wins, then maybe I'd be impressed by his performance. It's a known fact when you are facing UFC fighters, is a different game. Guys who were cut went on to win outside of the UFC. 15 wins is nothing when they weren't in the UFC. Put George out there and he'd clean each organization out.
Far as I'm concerned, Jake has 15 Little NHL wins. He barely won his first "NHL" match.
Terrible matchup. There are ten guys in the UFC who have a better chance of beating GSP because they have stronger, better punches, and landing that Serra-shot is the only way to beat him. Shields will not take GSP down - St. Pierre will dictate where the fight takes place, and he will pick Jake's face apart and land one of those spinning Rogan-kicks. Koscheck was BARELY able to get him down, and once he did, was able to hold St Pierre on his back for about 1.2 seconds. Shields doesn't stand a chance. The only way he'll slap a sub on is if Georges REALLY messes up.
St. Pierre, Rd 3 TKO
Who are ten of the guys in the UFC right now that deserve to fight GSP? The only man in my honest opinion who should get a shot against GSP fights under the Strikeforce banner and his name is Nick Diaz.
I didn't say there are ten guys who DESERVE it more, I said there are ten guys who would have a better chance because they have better, stronger punches than Jake. You can't think of ten guys who can punch better than Shields??
No Jake Shields is not GSP's toughest opponent to date. I can't remember the last time I thought GSP was better than someone at every facet of the game and that his opponent had no threat for the champ. I thought that Alves, Kos, and Hardy could potentially knock out GSP. I thought FItch and Hughes could potentially out wrestle GSP. When I see Shields, I see no possible way he can win. Usually these kind of statements comeback to bite me in the ass but I would still bet my life savings on GSP.
How did Jake Shields' training in Thailand go? I remember Lowkick put up a video clip of it a few months back. Hopefully he continues to improve his striking and although I don't care who wins the match, I can always appreciate an inspiring underdog win. Good luck Jake!
imo
the win of Kampman was a gift
the win of Henderson was a gift
and
the win of Miller was questionable
but
each match is a different fight
and
only one leaves a winner
I favor GSP
but wouldn't be surprised if it is a draw or split or very close
Shields is a grinder, a clinger, literally a damp rag slung over a fight and fighter
and makes guys look bad, win or lose
but then again
he is on the Big Show this time
in front of 50K+ screaming Canucks
so jitters wouldn't be a surprise either
look for GSP surprise with an early stoppage this time out
what are you a poet?
If Shields wins, its because GSPs ground game is vastly overrated. I've had questions about it myself, but I think he can do enough to avoid submissions.
Explain overrated.
Personally I think that we have all (myself included) been lulled into just assuming that GSP will walk through him. Granted, he very well could. But one simply cannot dismiss Shields. The fight against Kampman was not impressive. But didn't he cut some ridiculous amount of weight right before that fight? 30lbs? That would of negatively affected his performance. I'm pretty sure I even heard Jake say something about the weight cut to Gilbert Melendez between rounds, which Gil promptly told him to forget about. As that fight started, I leaned over to my buddy and said "This will either be really quick or really boring." And boring it was. A gassed out submission expert sitting on a striker. But we have all seen what he did to Hendo. Of course, he did ride Dan for decision, but he was way more active AND recovered from one of Hendo's H-Bombs. Is GSP too well rounded form Shields? Perhaps. Maybe Shields hasnt faced the "UFC elite" like GSP, but that is all relative. A fifteen fight winning streak is nothing to sneeze at. Jake seems to find his way to a belt in every organization he's ever been in (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). Who's to say that he won't get the UFC strap. Also, we must take into account Shield's demeanor after his UFC debut. At the post fight presser. He did not look like a man glowing with victory. He looked like a man humiliated by a less than savory performance. I have no doubt in my mind that he will be looking to erase that gas-fest from the collective fan memory. He also feels over looked, despite his great many accomplishments in the sport, further adding to his motivation. And was the last time that someone really took the fight to George? I mean really took it to him like that all the Ceaser Gracie champs are known for? If Jake can put pressure on GSP (and Imean serious pressure) George might break mentally.
These are all "what if's" and "maybes". I dont know for sure. But i do know that I am certainly not counting Shields out until he's out.
He's not. I'd have to say BJ Penn and Thiago Alves were his toughest tests. No stand-up, and so far no cardio at 170....shields won't last. It'll be a boring decision, or a tired tko.
How can someone with a face like Jake Shields beat GSP! Just look at him in the photo,lol
I agree with RabbitPuncher Sheilds hasn't faced UFC competition. Martin Kampmann is tough for any WW. I kind of think Shields was suppose to walk through him so the UFC could hype Sheilds. Didn't happen that way. Sheilds got extremely gassed, and did not perform well. The UFC already had plans on putting him up against GSP. So they continued the hype. Sheilds is an awesome grappler, but that's it. GSP 3rd.
Jake has a chin, I don't think GSP will finish him. I've never seen anybody take an H-Bomb and come back from the dead like Shields. If Jake can keep an Olympic wrestler down then he'll be able to keep GSP down, it just depends if he can do it consistently.
YES to this date Jake will be the biggest test in GSP's career and I can prove it.. Cause the most dangerous opponent is the one your about to face..
Jeeeeeez everyone on this thread including the TS seems to have about 3rd grade literary skills. "If Shields can grab a hold of any fighter against him". I guess it's the COOL thing to be stupid these days. GSP by 4th rd doctor stoppage.