Two 170-pound champions are set to collide during the next installment of Elite XC: “Saturday Night Fights” on CBS at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., on October 4.
Sources close to Elite XC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields (21-4–1) have confirmed that he has verbally agreed to put his newly-won title on the line against Cage Rage Welterweight Champion Paul “Semtex” Daley (18-6 –2).
Both fighters were penciled in to compete against different opponents on the recently canceled Albuquerque, N.M., show that was set for September 20. However, now it appears the promotion has opted to go a new direction and stage one of the best possible match ups in the weight class.
Shields -– widely regarded as the top welterweight in the world not fighting in the UFC -– recently won the inaugural division title for the promotion when he essentially ran through a very tough Nick Thompson at Elite XC: “Unfinished Business” last month.
The Cesar Gracie-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout is on a blistering 10-fight win streak, racking up impressive wins against top-level talent such as Mike Pyle, Renato Verissimo, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit and others.
Perhaps most impressive is that he’s been able to improve fight after fight, finishing his last five opponents –- something that was a knock on him midway through in his blossoming career.
For “Semtex,” this will mark his first fight on United States soil since a knockout over Sam Morgan January 25. Daley went into a quasi-retirement after the win and just recently returned to action with a first round knockout victory over Bojan Kosednar at a Cage Warriors show in his hometown of Nottingham, England, in July.
Daley has a huge following in England and is expected to turn a lot of heads when he makes his return to the states. He’s on a six fight winning streak and has stopped his last five opponents with strikes. The British import clearly represents one of the biggest threats to Elite XC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields’ crown.
This is a fantastic booking and perhaps an even better fight when it all goes down live and for free on national television in less than two months.
To check out the latest “Saturday Night Fights” fight card click here.
58 Comments »
This can be a fight of the year nominee status.
THis is a fight that I have wanted to see for a while now. It should be a great fight and a good chance for sheilds to show the world how good he truly is because he is fighting a very tough kid, Semtex (who I am a huge fan of. This isnt a calkwalk for Jake at all! Semtex could win this fight, but to do so he would have to work his ass off on takedown defense. This past year we have seen many people vastly improve their takedown defense on short notice and stuff the supperior wrestlers takedown attempts. For example: Machida showed very improved Takedown defense against Tito. Alves has shown vast improvement. Even Luigi Fioravanti impressed me by keeping the fight with Diego standing.
My point is that Semtex could pull off the upset but his only real chance is to keep it standing if it hits the floor he will get Mounted or submitted. I like Jake’s stand up, but I really dont think he wants to stand with Daley. His game plan will make it into a classic Grappler vs. Striker match up. This is Sheilds fight to win, but IF Daley can keep it standing, I think he will pull off the upset.
“Upset Special Baby”!!!(In my Dick Vitale voice) I like Daley to win via TKO.
win or Loose, Daley will make it interesting and Force Sheilds to show what a Bad dude he really is! Great Fight, Very EXCITED!~
It will be a great fight for ELite XC’s last card.
I agree. If this card actually happens, this will give Shields and Semtex the opportunity to audition for the UFC for when EliteXC folds.
OHHHHH yeah baby! Semtex by Knock Out.
I see Daley taking a win on this one more than likely by split or unanimous decision. Jake is a great fighter and the favorite to win here but I’m think Daley comes out and lands a few good shots to put a scare into Jake. He’ll go for his takedown a couple times and get stuffed because he won’t want to commit to much in case Daley hits him good a couple more times. This is purely speculation and it is all dependant on if Daley can assert his striking game early on in the first round. There won’t be any time for warming up if Daley wants to win. I like Sheilds and all but I like Daley better and this is the way I see him winning. Sheilds should use the clinch to get in close and then work a single or double to get Daley to the ground and avoid to much damage in the opening round. I’m excited for this and I hope they make it the main bout over Kimbo or Gina. Also maybe they will put Gina and Cyborg up on this card while matching Kimbo with Ken or Gasson. That would make an explosive card for the new fans to watch and up EXC’s ratings hardcore. (hate all you want but Gasson did beat Kimbo so it’d be at least a decent test)
Gasson? Are you referring to Sean Gannon? If so, Elite already said that it will not be him. Gina’s oppenent has already been named. Kelly Klebold or somehting like that, not Cyborg like we all wanted.
Cyborg is fighting the Karate Barbie or whatever her name is on the same card. Some Japanese chick
*****************BREAKING NEWS****************************
KJ Noons was just issued a 24-hour deadline to accept the Nick Diaz fight by Elite XC
I read that, lol or what? They’ll strip the title? EXC is making themselves look like a joke right now. They don’t have the money to pay the fighters bigger wages than the UFC, they do not have a big roster, their fights seem fixed, and their VP is acting like Dana White does to his fighters. (which is someting commonly hated on by regular fans) Now that they’ve done this they can either back down and look foolish and weak because they can’t make their fighters fight or they can strip the title from him and still look like some back alley company. Dumb decision by EXC
this is beautiful… everyone keep ripping on dana for talking bad about fighters but now we see what’s up. EXC is doin the same thing now..about their own fighters. and Affliction has only had one show and Atencio came out taklin bad about Belfort if I’m not mistaken. love it
THey arent badmouthing there fighters. They are doing whats neccessary to not hold up the title any longer.
Noons is just a Bitch! Diaz must be high as a kitre right now laughing his ass off!
I respect all mma fighters except for KJ NOONS! What a disgrace
John this is bad mouthing the fighters, it may not seem all that bad but this is like the fighters going public with how much money they make. It’s is something that should be kept between the promotion and the fighter. Diaz calling out KJ is a different story, but this can “burn a bridge” as they say.
I agree that maybe they should have taken care of it in house, instead of in the public eye. I just think they are frustrated because they have been trying to make this fight happen (in private) for a while now and KJ keeps Ducking Diaz. Its almost September and they are probably under pressure from CBS to Finalize a fight card so they can start promoting it.
This is what Jared Shaw had to say:
“I’m sitting here and I’m drinking from a carton of milk right now,” Shaw said. “And the EliteXC lightweight champion KJ Noons’ face is on the back of this milk carton because he’s missing in action. I can’t seem to find him.”
“When [Noons' camp] wants to track us down and tell us how Nick Diaz isn’t the right fight for them — or they want more money, or they want this out of their contract, or this and that — they’re easy to get a hold of,” Shaw said. “But to actually make the fight? Impossible.
“And then when he’s 1-1, get him right back into a main event situation for the world championship against Nick Diaz, the legend who beat Gomi, how are you going to say that we’re not trying to help your kid? What more opportunity could we give the kid?”
“There’s a spot for KJ Noons to face Nick Diaz on the Oct 4. card,” Shaw said. “If this fight doesn’t go off then this a textbook case in business law of harbor. It would be called the KJ Noons case. It will be the biggest mismanagement of an athlete’s career you will ever see. This is a chance to maximize his exposure right now.”
I get why Shaw is doing this its just putting the company in a really bad position here. They are looking forceful and childish when really its been KJ ducking Diaz. If KJ says no then what happens? They’ll extend the deadline because they don’t know what happens next. EXC doesn’t come out of this looking good. At best they come out of this with a Diaz Noons fight to help their ratings but the downside out weighs the upside.
KJ is f**kin’up Elite XC’s chances, not that it looks good, maybe it shouldn’t be made public… but s**t or get off the pot KJ!
It certainly won’t, but man am I excited to see “Semtex” back in action!
i like semtex but hes gettin owned here
This Clay Guida look a like dude gets dropped after showing off:
http://www.jokeroo.com/funnyvideos/show_off_gets_knocked_out.html
phil the vid is a scene from the movie “never back down” lol …no offense intended man.
Thanks man.. I never seen it.. I was wondering why that fool was jumping around like that.. No offense taking.. if it wsn’t a movie.. that Ko would of been badass.
Not sure what is funnier, it being posted on here or someone aditting to watching it. Jury is out!!
*admitting
LOL. Is that really a clip from that movie? I’ve seen better movies shot on a digital camera. What was that all about? Did they hire a homeless guy to camp out in the rafters of an abandonned building holding a cell phone with video capabilities on it because that’s all the production money they were alotted??
VM I didn’t think it came from a movie..cuz of what you just pointed out.
no it came from the movie….this is just a behind the scenes clip from a movie review website like movieweb. just youtube never back down trailers an you should find that stupid superman punch scene…this the part where they are having the final tournament.
OH MY GOD! That was f’in brilliant. I love to see guys like that get whipped. And whipped is an UNDERSTATEMENT (cuz one punch, brutal or not, can’t be considered whipped. Destroyed might be a better term)! Guys you have to see this. Hilarious, thanks Phil. This short video is exactly why I tend to be a fan of the more humble fighters. I hate, hate, hate showboats and loudmouths!
And now after seeing santiago69us above post, I nominate myself idiot of the year for my reaction. I’m going to go nurse my pride a little. LOL, damnit Phil!
That is hilarious. If it makes you feel any better, my wife rented this movie from blockbuster… and I watched it. It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Kind of like a modern day Karate Kid, and the ending didn’t disappoint… just as cheesy as a handisnack.
MUst repost quickly, as I’m in moderation! I now nominate myself as id*ot douchebag of the year after seeing it was from a movie (but hey, on the bright side, it proves I never watched that film). Dear God, you guys have no idea exactly how ridiculous I feel at the moment. lol, curse you Phil! Your little “jokeroo” was on me!
I don’t have sound on my pc, so it’s still a funny clip to me lol .
Yo my bad!!!.. chef.. yo I thought it was a dingy type low bugdet video..from some type of underground fight club type ish.. and if it wasn’t a movie.. that clip would of been badass.
LOL!!!!!!! We both didn’t see it.
Man, LMFAO, do I feel the fool. You should have seen my reaction! I was bouncing in my chair, saying,” NO WAY!” But like you said, at least we didn’t see it. I had to retract my post quick as Stinky’s giraffe, cuz I was waiting to get HAMMERED by everyon on the site. hahahah, well, if you can’t laugh at yourself……..
lol, chef, it’s even funnier that while moderated, you reposted with the word douchebag in it but put an asterisk in the word idiot like that would get the post pushed thru, you def win, good nomination.
Lol, I have just received this clip at work on an email. All the guys are work with think this is a real underground fight. I think PhilNYQ should be forgiven but santiago69us should hang his head in shame!!
hehehehehehehe…I got a good laugh out of this situ..guys.. Ah man.. LOL!!!!
This 1’s an oldie but goody. Takewondo vs Wrestling-1min
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2y8b5QgXOk
Jake is stepping up now it’s KJ’s turn to step up.
Jake is stepping up? When hasn’t he? Jake is ALWAYS looking for the most difficult fight (outside of the UFC, which he should have signed with, but that’s another story). Jake does not duck fights. I don’t see your correlation between him and KJ.
Its good to see that they are immediatly giving Daley to Shields. I expected an American fighter to get him next, and for EliteXC to start the ol’ hype machine and match Daley up with an inferior opponent or two before giving him Shields. That just goes to show the state that ProElite is in right now. They don’t even know how many more shows they will have so they gotta let it all hang out now so they can try to renew that CBS deal, otherwise, they are in trouble.
PS – KJ is scared, homie!
Vm: U r DEAD right! EliteXC doesnt know how long it will last so it must put their best foot forward NOW!!!! No time to build these fighters up (like we both thought). Time to Match the best vs. the Best. THis may suck for EliteXC but it will be great for mma fans because we FINALLY get to see the best match ups that EliteXC has to offer.
Is it possible that they just feed Kimbo to BigFoot? Highly unlikely at this point but if they do, it will mean that they are in a ton of trouble as a company. HIghly unlikely Still, just thinking what If!
I think that Kimbo will need to try an go through Brett Rogers before getting Big Foot. Right now, oustide of that potential fight, I guess that Pee Wee / BlueBerry Muffin Herman is the HW #1 contender. That is why it would make complete sense to have Kimo fight Brett Rogers in October and officially call it the #1 contender fight.
Its a good move by both fighters (Sheilds/Daley). It gives them a chance to bring up their stock in chances of signing with the UFC, being that this may be one of the final Elite shows.
VM: Yeah, ur right. I forgot that After October 4th that CBS still owes them 1 more card. So they have to match up Kimbo/Grim now and probably give the winner of that fight to the winner of BigFoot/Muffin at the 4th CBS event.
Your scenario seems pretty accurate to me.
What kind of a chance do you give Semtex against Sheilds and what do u think the odds will open at?
Ummm, maybe opening at about:
Shields -220
Daley +175
All I am saying is Jake is champ and he just fought on the last card and he is stepping up to the plate and fighting right away, Jake is the man. Now all EliteXC has to do is have KJ step up and they could have a pretty good card come October.
All right! This is gonna be good!
I hope they go out with a bang on CBS!!!
Shields vs Daley
Kimbo vs Rogers
Diaz vs Noons
Gina vs Cyborg
That would be there best card to date.
to bad gina wont fight cyborg and rogers wont fight kimbo until they get REALLLLYYYY desperate for ratings
i think kimbo will get a can as usual and gina will get at least 1 more tuneup fight so she can make weight
and noons will continue ducking diaz til the day he dies
I think they need all the ratings they can get? If they even want to consider surviving, they need to just stack their cards!
It looks like Kimbo will be fighting Sean Gannon next…the only guy to beat him at a street fight. If you remember…Gannon fought in the UFC in one fight and got owned by Brandon Lee Hinkle and that was the end of Gannon. It’s a pretty lame opponent for Kimbo but it has a story to it which is why EliteXC is going to go with it.
Also…on another note…Maynard vs Clementi at UFC 90. I thought up this match up a couple of weeks ago. It would be a great match up against two up and comers and the winner might get a #1 contenders shot some time in 09. I can’t remember the last time Rich fought a really good wrestler (unless you count Guillard) so it should be a good one to watch.
I really hope he doesnt fight Gannon. I heard other unpleasant rumors about potential Kimbo fights against Ken Shamrock or Don Frye and I really didnt want tos ee those fights, but now that I think of it, I would rather see those fights then Kimbo vs. Gannon. That is a fight I really do not want to see. Best case scenario is Kimbo vs. Grim!
Clement vs. Maynard is a great fight. Looks like UFC 90 will feature some great lightweight fights and the event should really shake up the UFC lightweight rankings.
Kimbo IS NOT fighting Gannon.
Jared Shaw said he is NOT the fighter they are looking at.
I predict Shamrock, Frye, or Rodgers.
Im taking Semtex for the suprise win, he will be massive underdog and 7 out of 10 times Shields should beat him.
Awesome prediction. John just asked me what I think the odds would open at, and I put Jake as a 68.75% favorite to win (-220)
Sounds accurate to me. Mike you are really getting good at the Odds predictions
haven’t seen Daley fight before but it should be good since he’s a T/KO artist and Jake hasn’t faced that pedigree of fighter so successful in the standup game. i’m not waivering about Jake though. He’s going to dissect Daley to the point where he knows what Daley is going to do before Daley himself knows.