“Jake Shields in the UFC has now become a real possibility.”
GracieFighter.com posted this statement mere hours after Elite XC was pronounced dead. Shields is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie who runs the Web site, so even as vague as this comment is, it’s still coming from a very close and reliable source in regard to Jake.
Shields — the first and only Elite XC welterweight champion — was pretty vocal over the last few months about wanting to prove himself against the best in the sport. In fact, after defeating Nick “The Goat” Thompson in little more than a minute at “Unfinished Business” in July, he called out the winner of the George St. Pierre and Jon Fitch UFC title fight scheduled for a couple weeks later, saying he wanted a super fight against the UFC champion.
At the time it seemed like a pipe dream since the UFC obviously doesn’t believe in cross-promoting and Elite XC had Shields locked up under contract for another year or so. But, now that Elite XC is no more, it appears Jake is a free agent, and would like to be the first — and possibly the best — former Elite XC fighter to join the UFC ranks.
Of course, if Shields does end up in the Octagon, he’ll have to work his way up a very long ladder of title contenders that include Thiago Alves, Josh Koshcheck, Diego Sanchez, Karo Parysian, Jon Fitch and many more.
Elite XC was clearly having a hard time finding credible opponents for him at 170 pounds. He was even quoted as saying he would fight Robbie Lawler — the promotion’s middleweight champion — if that was the toughest match the organization could provide for him.
But he won’t have to worry about moving up in weight in the UFC because he’ll find plenty of credible opponents there. And that makes the UFC the perfect landing spot for a fighter trying to prove himself as the best in the world.
Obviously there are plenty of behind the scenes details that Jake and his management team have to work out with Zuffa before we see him in the Octagon, but as the statement says, “It’s a real possibility.”
Let’s hope it becomes a reality, not only for Jake, but for some of the other top fighters formerly under contract with Pro Elite. Hopefully this will start a trend.
106 Comments »
I would like to see Sheilds Vs. Sanchez.
I think Sanchez would tool him.
Sanchez would tool him, along w/ a handfull of other guys in the UFC. GSP would flat out destroy him.
Yup. Jake better defeat some credible opposition before crowing about fighting the “best”.
Yeah, the only guys that are decent to me that Sheilds has beaten are Okami and Condit, other then that, no one that good in the past 2 years.
you guys arent giving jake very much credit but youre underestimating him… he looked great against thompson who is a solid fighter and definitely ufc caliber
You really think he looked great in his last fight though? I thought he was okay, but certainly nowhere near the world-beater he was hyped out to be. That Jake Shields would get tooled by the Fitch’s and GSP’s of the world.
Um Jake beat Sanchez in Abu Dhabi, mind u Sanchez has stand up has improved…but still think Jake could give the top 5 a run for their money.
My prediction is Jake Shields would just be another tough 170 lbr, I don’t think he could make it through the top 5 in the UFC after watching his standup in the Semtex fight.
Truth.
His standup did look poor against Daley, but I think that’s because he just didn’t want to stand at all. In Jakes previous fights, his standup looked much better.
Jake will be top 5 in the UFC. Can he beat GSP? Sure, like one out of 10 times.
A lot of people here seem to think that Diego would tear right through Jake. On that one, I would HAVE to disagree. Jake doesn’t have the best standup, but neither does Diego. Diego’s game is a fast paced in your face and make you scramble style. That suits Jake Shields perfectly. Jake has a better submission game than Diego and has the better wrestling. Diego’s pace would be the only thing he has going for him against Shileds.
A lot of you are underestimating Shields based off of 1 performance, which he still WON. Maybe some of you need to hit up the internet and watch some of his other fights.
He has weak ground and pound? Watch him beat down Verisamo.
i know one thing for sure. if he doesnt end up signing with the ufc, id better not hear him even mention the letters gsp. i actually wouldnt mind seeing him go to the wec and figh condit in a rematch. condit does’nt have much competiton at 170 either in the wec (except for guys he’s already beaten). that would be a hell of a main event.
No one can argue that Shields is not UFC ready, however, a Conit/Shields rematch, this time in the WEC, where the winner advances to the UFC and the loser gets the WEC belt would be a VERY entertaining and interesting with that clause in there. However, I don’t think it’ll ever happen….
VM I have watched his other fights, Shields is a stud… but so r the top 5 guys in the UFC… yes he did have a bad performance against Semtex” but I think most of the top 5 guys have better standup and strong takedown defense… I see most of them beating Shields… however I wouldn’t be sll that surpised if Shields manages to beat 1 or 2 of them at best.
Fitch
GSP
Koscheck
Alves
Sanchez
I think Shields 1st fight should be against Karo (if healthy) or Marcus Davis… otherwise put him against Diego.
I would put Shields up there on the same level as Diego, I think that would be a VERY interesting fight and to tough for me to call, yeah I know Shields subbed Fitch in a grappling tourny once, but Diego’s MMA BJJ is awesome, took KOS’s back in like 2 seconds.
You’re right THORAZINE; Jake will be a middle of the road fighter in the UFC. When you think about IT all of the UFC title holders are living legends of the sport and future hall of famers. The guys underneath them aren’t cup cakes. There are definitely some interesting matchups for Shields there though.
I think Jake can beat alot of the welterweights in ufc.
Like who?
He would beat Hazelett, Goulet, Burns, Rumble, McCrory. Many others i cant think of off the top of my head.
And YES HE WOULD BEAT KARO!!!!
Look at his picture he looks like a 9-year old punching on a Fisher-Price punching bag. His GnP was so weak I bet my wife can punch harder than him.
wasn’t it a “real possibility” when he was negotiating with them and decided on elite? I don’t know, as you guys all know, I’m a huge Caesar Gracie trained guys fan, but shields is talking too much (after signing with elite) and looking worse. Yes he is a legit threat to ANYONE on the ground, but his stand up is weak. I hope he can back up all his recent talk!
I think this is considered the right topic so here you go:
************Tuesday Morning Conversation*************
It’s been a while maniacs, but with the closing of elite, I couldn’t
resist. I’m reading through the comments and see quite a few guys
actually saying that this closure is a bad thing. Can one of you guys
explain to me why? We’ve gone over this time and again, but one main
organization (doesn’t have to be UFC, just happens that it is) is
great for the sport. We can get all the best fighters under one
banner, and see all the best fights, using WEC as the minor leagues.
Were you guys upset that the mcmahons shut down the XFL too?
.
Realistically, there are a handful of fighters from elite that will
transition over to UFC
Shields, Diaz, Alvarez, Lawler (after Hughes makes a phone call), Big
foot (after suspension),possibly Grim and Kimbo. Yes guys, I said
Kimbo. Dana, after all the shit talk will sign Kimbo for a few
reasons. He sells tickets, will sell a few PPV and he as well as the
hardcore fans will love watching him get his ass kicked for 10k/10k
(win/show) or go home and beat up nobodies in his pimps back yard.
.
Is Shields regretting calling out GSP? He’s on an impressive win
streak…against nobodies and looking like crap on his feet. It’s really
easy to call out a fighter after signing a long term deal with another
organization! Two final thoughts, you guys that weren’t aware, cung le
is with strikeforce, so it has no affect on him, but as I’ve
exclusively reported before, Dana is willing to take him on loan for
one night to fight silva, negotiations are ongoing. And finally Tito,
the smartest business man in all of the world. I’m so surprised that
none of you maniacs jumped on this one. He’s going to sign a “ground
breaking contract.” He’s going to impact elite so much…guess not
douche bag. Have fun getting your ass kicked in affliction (with no
one watching), or becoming the new Fedor in Japan, crushing can after
can…or swallow the pride, realize your a douch and come back to where
the big boys are at!
i rarely agree with kevin, but right on on this one
VM, Dana will never sign Kimbo because his integrity would come into question. He’s not about to sign a guy he’s viciously trash talked about all year just for a few bucks. The UFC’s HW division isn’t that bad anyway, especially with that big mother Carwin turning heads.
Right on the money regarding Tito!
Sorry VM, that was for Kevin.
Many people will say the collapse of XC is bad for the sport, less free MMA, UFC monoply, less money for fighters, blah, blah, ect…
All of you have to admit this is one of the benefits and the reason why I don’t give a sh*t that XC is gone. Just another awesome fighter to a stacked division. If you argue otherwise you are probably just a troll, or your name is introvert.
Yeah, I rather see all the best fighters fighting eachother, instead of just dominating cans over and over agian.
so if anyone disagrees with BNF youre a troll… point taken
Brenda, you can agree with me, but you will still be a troll.
well i do live under a bridge…
I agree, but I also like to see a decent event every other weekend. That, the UFC can not provide on its own.
Fighters that fight in the UFC have to start out somewhere. Its not like every fighter came to the UFC with a 0-0 record. The WEC? Well, they no longer have a MW or up division.
So besides the local scene, where are young fighters supposed to fight if all of these organizations go under?
BNF brought up the benefits and VM pointed out the problems with Elite going under.
As for Jake, I want him in the UFC ASAP, proving himself against Jon Fitch (who lacks an opponent). He called out the winner of GSP/Fitch well lets see how he does against the looser 1st
I guess this is also affecting Show XC, which I enjoyed. Fighters can still go to Strikeforce, or the smaller guys can go to the WEC, and some can go to Japan to find success. I just don’t think it is the end of the world. There have been some good and bad to came out of XC. I think the bad heavily outweighed the good.
They started off with the extravaget shows with fire and dancers. They signed and made a star out of Kimbo and made a fiasco of MMA on CBS. Granted, the shows started to get better. But, overall I think they didn’t respect the sport and were strictly in it to make a buck and get out. In 2 years we will all have forgotten about XC and there will be another promotion we can discuss. And the real fighters will find a home somewhere because people will want to see them.
I’ll break it down very simply for you guy!
I’m reading through the comments and see quite a few guys
actually saying that this closure is a bad thing. Can one of you guys
explain to me why? We’ve gone over this time and again, but one main
organization (doesn’t have to be UFC, just happens that it is) is
great for the sport. We can get all the best fighters under one
banner, and see all the best fights, using WEC as the minor leagues.
Were you guys upset that the mcmahons shut down the XFL too?
.
Realistically, there are a handful of fighters from elite that will
transition over to UFC
Shields, Diaz, Alvarez, Lawler (after Hughes makes a phone call), Big
foot (after suspension),possibly Grim and Kimbo. Yes guys, I said
Kimbo. Dana, after all the shit talk will sign Kimbo for a few
reasons. He sells tickets, will sell a few PPV and he as well as the
hardcore fans will love watching him get his ass kicked for 10k/10k
(win/show) or go home and beat up nobodies in his pimps back yard.
.
Is Shields regretting calling out GSP? He’s on an impressive win
streak…against nobodies and looking like crap on his feet. It’s really
easy to call out a fighter after signing a long term deal with another
organization! Two final thoughts, you guys that weren’t aware, cung le
is with strikeforce, so it has no affect on him, but as I’ve
exclusively reported before, Dana is willing to take him on loan for
one night to fight silva, negotiations are ongoing. And finally Tito,
the smartest business man in all of the world. I’m so surprised that
none of you maniacs jumped on this one. He’s going to sign a “ground
breaking contract.” He’s going to impact elite so much…guess not
douche bag. Have fun getting your ass kicked in affliction (with no
one watching), or becoming the new Fedor in Japan, crushing can after
can…or swallow the pride, realize your a douch and come back to where
the big boys are at!
I guess I can cancel Showtime now…
vm: I just canceled it myself
my wife and I enjoy dexter, I like brotherhood, got to keep mine!
entourage owns dexter
agreed except I wish it were an hour!
Entourage is gettig old. Ari is the real star of the show. The other guys are lame and arent worthy of being in Vince’s “Entourage”. Sowtime has Californication and Dexter. I do love TrueBlood though.
Once the new season of Weeds begins I’ll get it again.
I agree. If everyone truly believes that the freemarket really helps MMA (which I also beleive) then you have to also respect the market when it rejects a poorly managed product.
The market didn’t entirely reject EliteXC, it was just poor management.
The “market” isnt just simply casual mma fans that are willing to tune in. It is also, and at first maybe even more so, the investors with cash. Those same investors failed to see this as an opportunity to make money. The point is, EliteXC’s poor management lead to that very outcome.
I was really looking forward to Corono and Cyborg.
affliction is going to jump all over that matchup no worries. with the fold of elite this is afflictions chance to at least try and level the playing field and with Trump on board they will have some nice offers to the new free agents.
now I’m looking forward to them doing a spread together..mmmm.
Yeah, Cyborg and her nine inch man meat mmmmmmmmm
I hope he doesnt sign with UFC go to affliction jake they can give you some pretty damn good matchups. that way the UFC isnt the only MMA show out there.
not only that his glaring weakness was totally exposed in his last fight he has no hands whatsoever GSP would destroy him he needs round out his game before he can even step into the cage with the top 3 WW in the UFC
Who does Affliction have to offer him?
matt lindland or maybee vitor belfort…….Jake was willing to go up to 185 to fight R lawler so any one of those guys would be a pretty good fight.
bottom line, I want to see affliction do well and they will because of fedor. I love to watch ufc with the octogon but i also like to see great mma in the ring as well I would like to see a great ufc card one weekend and then a good affliction card the next weekend
Why do people think you need to beat the top 3 of a division to fight in the UFC??? Look at the last PPV event on Spike. Who fought on that?
Keith Jardine is the ONLY fighter on that card that is capable of beating a top 3 fighter in his division, but he can never put two wins in a row together.
Paul Kelly, Paul Taylor, David Bielkheden, Dan Hardy, Sammy Schiavo, Neil Wain (should I continue) all deserve to be in the UFC but Shields doesn’t .
WOW. I stop visiting the site religously and suddenly ther are bunches of new dumb people making outrageous claims!
TRUTH
LOL!. jake is definetly a ufc caliber fighter, but i dont see him beating gsp, but then again i dont know of any other ww who can. i like JOHN’S idea of him fighting fitch (i know that they have trained together in the past, but they are professionals) or my idea of him fighting a rematch with condit. i will say after the daley fight, that i dont think jake is a top 3 ww, but he is definetly a top 10 fighter. i actually wouldnt mind seeing daley in the ufc or the wec either. if he learns some ground game, watch out!
i would add as well if shields does move up to mw, that strikeforce might be a good fit as well if cung le continues fighting, and lawler and villasenor follow along. that would make a strong mw division for strikeforce. even frank shamrock is still formidable.
im not saying jake shields should not come to the UFC because he cant hang with the top 3 in the WW division Im saying Jake shields is a great fighter and I would like to see him sign with affliction so they can build thier stable of quality fighters and be able to put on great cards resulting to an alternative to the UFC.
So you know more about MMA than me congradulations on your great accomplishment you should pat yourself self on the back
Dia Mette, sorry if it seemed my comment was directed to yours. Sometimes I just reply to any comment in order to not appear at the bottom of the page. You are by no means one of the people I was referrring to. You’ve been around for a while and I enjoyo your comments. Outta work in 3 mins. Peace out Guys.
no offence taken, like wise, your coming from work and im going to work see ya
Yeah, he should go to Affliction if he wants to go down with another MMA promotion. These guys can’t keep paying fighters more money than the UFC. There is no way that they will be able to get more people to watch.
What’s the point. He showed that he can’t hang with any top 10 guys in his last outing against Daley. They should send him to WEC.
Agreed! Let him and Condit fight eachother.
Watch Rumble on the Rock. Shields has been there / done that , after beating Yushin Okami in the same night!
how long ago was that event though? i dont see jake beating okami at this point in their careers.
i looked it up. it was 2 and 1/2 years ago. both condit and okami have improved since then, as well has jake im sure. shields vs condit 2 would still be an exciting match-up to me.
THey have been my two favorite WW’s outside of the UFC for a while now, and they are also the two best WW’s outside of the UFC.
I’d be down to watch them fight 10 more times!!!!
Jake puts Carlos on back. Here, Jake is usually very calm and collected. But Condit has slick BJJ and very long legs for a WW that provides for problems when he is on his back.
I can’t say i know everything about Shields but his hands looked terrible out there. Usually people that can’t get rhythm have trouble with their footwork. But He just looked as confused as Houston alexander on the ground.
Sweet fights:
Shields vs Karo (could be boring, but it would be a good first fight for him in the UFC)
Shields vs Sanchez
Shields vs Fitch
Hell, even let Matt Serra get a shot at him.
I would like to see all those fights.
Jake needs to ge this Mauy Thai up.. cuz if he bangs with any of hte 170’s.. Thiago would crush him standing.. my God.. I remembered seeing his stance.. I just shook my head.. he needs to work nothing but stand up for the next year.
He called out GSP.. granted Jake is a Cesar Gracie Black Belt and all.. but this is MMA. and he is not mixing it well at this high level of competition.
Has anyone seen any write ups on GSP getting his BJJ Black Belt?
Yes.
http://mmamania.com/2008/10/12/georges-st-pierre-earns-brazilian-jiu-jitsu-black-belt-under-bruno-fernandes/
Nice, thanks fellas!
Mania posted somthing on it a few days ago, he has the blackbelt now.
Yeah, he said that was the happiest day ever.
i would not say he is the best elite xc fighter the ufc could sign that honour would go to alverez cos he has fought and beat top ten fighters in dream
If he fights in the UFC, he will no longer be considered top ten because there are a handful of fighters in the WW division of the UFC that will eat him for lunch.
I don’t understand all the haters. Jake will immediately be the best 170lb fighter on the ground in the UFC. His stand-up does need work but the man is an amazing athlete. Not too mention he is a HUGE HUGE 170. Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, Paul Daley, Charuto, Nick Thompson and Mike Pyle are all UFC quality wins. The way he blends his wrestling and JJ is something to admire, he is a wizard on the ground. Not the slickest submissions but they are just as effective. Jake will run thru most of the division but guys like Alves, Kos, GSP, Sanchez and Fitch will all be very very tough test. Not totally relevant but Jake did choke out Fitch in a JJ tourney. I know MMA is not JJ but it has to count for something. Instead of hating just be happy we will have a new 170′er into the mix…better fighters = better fights and I don’t see how that can be a neagtive thing.
Couldn’t agree more, I’d love for his first fight to be against Fitch. I’m ancious to see how Fitch rebounds from 25 minutes of pain.
I cannot agree with him being the best on the ground,GSP is also black belt in BJJ,he is also a outstanding wrestler.GSP went out and out wrestled Kosheck,and he is suppose to be the best wresler in UFC.Yes,he is a good fighter,but I cannnot see him ever beating GSP,Fitch,or Thiago.Diego would be a good match ,Hughes would destroy Jake,and his career seems to be over.He would just be another fighter in a loaded division.
I think the UFC should get Kimbo for marketing purposes. DO NOT give him a contract. Let him compete on The Ultimate Fighter. That would be a win/win for both sides. The UFC would gain a ton of ratings off of him and it would be the perfect learning experience for Kimbo being as he is such a rooky in MMA.
I don’t think MMA or the UFC needs Kimbo or his youtube fans and I also think Dana knows this
WHAT?
And Dana doesn’t want the WWF fans either.
You are INSANE if you think that.
As long as you got money to pay for a PPV, you are a target audience of Dana and the UFC. Its all about the dollars and viewership (which leads to more dollars)
Exactly, Dana want’s ALL fans with money to buy PPV’s.
Arnold- Needs the fans? No. Wants the fans? Of course! Kimbo has a large following and even those who don’t necessarily like him would be curious as to how he would do on the show. I think it would be interesting to see how he acts at the house as well. Could make for some great TV.
I think Dana would take him stictly on the fact that it makes good business sense. Kimbo shouldn’t be paid very well though, because that would be a huge insult to existing fighters that have the skill to be in the UFC, and not just the fan following.
i think the black ghetto, (or wannabe ghetto and wiggers) represent a large potion of the public, who doesnt want that?
People who don’t want more money I suppose.
Sorry Mania, but Feijao is probably the best EXC fighter that’s moving over to the UFC. He’s a more complete fighter than Shields is.
i think feijao has the most upside of any elite fighter available for the future, but shields and alvarez are the 2 most complete fighters. i did learn recently that eddie alvarez IS NOT under contract with elite or dream. he is in FACT under contract with Adeneline mma along with sylvia and rothwell. so i can see him in dream, affliction, strikeforce or the ufc. i hope its the ufc.
i like dave “pee wee” hermann as well. he would make a nice young addition to the ufc’s hw division or Affliction.
I’m more interested to see where Nick Diaz lands.
i predict he will end up in dream if they last. especially since they paid him for his last fight there finally. the diaz/sakurai fight could happen now.
Beating Semtex is not anything to get overly excited about, Shields would be exposed for the fraud he is if he comes to the UFC
just because you guys think that shields can’t beat gsp doesn’t mean he sucks. i can’t see anyone beating gsp in his weight class right now. now, carlos condit is a tough dude. i see him beating alot of top guys in the ufc. he’s like a bigger miguel torres. and shields beat him. we can all trash talk all we want, but the only way to see how good he really is, is for him to come to the ufc, and fight and beat jon fitch first. and then you will shut up.
shields beating fitch? am i joking? nope, and he already did.
“just because you guys think that shields can’t beat gsp doesn’t mean he sucks”
most comments on web sites are written by people who have no clue what a logical fallacy is, dont care what the evidence is, and only want to feel good about their opinion, which usually entails getting on a hype train based on a short term memory and/or following the fanboy mob for whatever entity they overidentify with
shields is overrated. his last fight was horrible, even in victory. he may be “champ” in elitexc, but he’s just a run-of-the-mill fighter in the ufc.
elitexc s demise has strengthend the ufc and wec
Its pretty much a done deal shields ends up in the ufc. Now its a matter of how quick the elite xc fighters can start fighting other places…Shields vs. Fitch in his first fight
Guys its just like this…
Jake Couldnt hold GSPs Jock Strap
Hes got ground game -GNP.
GSP would keep it standing or surprise he would shoot and submit him.
Fitch would just out tough him.
Kos would sprawl and kick to head.
Kos is actually surprising me a bit.
Alves would smoke him like a cheap cigar.
Can you spell KTFO. (I can’t)
Karo would drag it out or he might even finish a fight 50% chance. Cause he aint getting submitted and sure as shooting not getting ko’d by Sheilds.
Serra would actually kill him for gods sake. Heavy hands and good jits. Not exactly a combo he would enjoy. Balls to the wall.
Hughs would end up dragging the fight out too. Unless we got to see a wicked slam while he was getting armbar’d.
Diego has way too much gas and intensity for Jake. Mix that with wild mitts and Jake would be lucky if he lasted 2 rounds.
The new Japaneese judo guy would mess him up. what ever his name is anyway.
Lytle would end it with a KO for sure. By the second round. Some things just dont mix.
Yes Jake would be an interesting addition but all he seems to be is clean cut version of nick diaz.
We are going to see pretty soon here because if I were a betting man I would bet on Shields in the ufc.
You obviously have not seen jake fight more than a few times. He will crush anyone outside of the top 5 in the division and will more than hang with anyone in the division. Go look at any ranking on the net and he is top 5. Do you think they do that for shits and giggles? Just wait and see.
Also if Nick Diaz fought with the same mentality as his brother he would be ranked top 5 at ww in the world. His problem is he thinks he can stand with anyone. It is a big ego thing. His jits are top of the found chain. If he would take guys down from the start he would be almost impossible to beat. I think Nate will go far in the UFC because he knows what his strengths are and he goes right after what he does best.
what about tito now
Tito who?
Shields is overrated, he will lose if he fights any of the top ten ww
I bet Jake was scared silly the minute he found out that his promotion was done, cause now he has to face the real top WW Fighters on the planet for a change!
look i would like to see the ufc have as many of the top 10 fighters in the world ass possible and jake definately is top 10 in the world and he deserves a shot at a top 5 right now,lets not pussy foot around hes been at it a while fighting and beating guys like condit , okami , his jiu jitsu and wrestling is top ufc level..
LMAO, Evere since he is a free agent, jake shields aint talking so loudly about wanting to face GSP, PENN, FITCH….ETC! lMAO!