FIGHTER BIO: Jake Shields

jakeshields — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 0:54:34 PDT

FIGHTER’S NAME: JAKE SHIELDS

Height: 5'11''

Fighting Weight: 170 lbs.

Weight Cutting From: 180 lbs.

Birthdate: January 9, 1979

Age: 28

Born: Mt. Ranch, Calif.

Resides and fights out of: San Francisco, Calif.

MMA Record: 19-4-1

Wins: 10 decisions; 6 submissions; and 3 (T)KOs.

Losses: 3 decisions and 1 (T)KO.

Fight Team: Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy

Head Trainer: Cesar Gracie

Fighting Style: Wrestling/Jiu-Jitsu

Bio: Jake Shields started wrestling at the age of 9 and never looked back. An accomplished wrestler and submission grappler on nearly every level, Shields started his MMA training with Chuck Liddell at the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion’s SLO Kickboxing in San Luis Obispo, California before transitioning to the Cesar Gracie Fight team.

Dominating most of his victories with his wrestling abilities, Shields has been winning most of his bouts by decision. Shields has been working hard both on his submission game and adding solid striking skills by teaching and training at the fabled Fairtex Academy with the likes of the late Alex Gong and also spending some time at American Kickboxing Academy in addition to his training with Cesar Gracie.

Labeled by EliteXC live events president Gary Shaw as one of the best welterweight in the world, Shields once won two fights in one night – over Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami – to capture the Rumble On The Rock 175-pound welterweight belt in the early part of 2006.

Shields has been dominant in his previous two fights for the promotion, stopping Israeli fighter Ido Pariente with a rear naked choke at 2:06 of round one on June 2 at Dynamite USA!! and winning via TKO against Renato “Charuto” Verrisimo at 4:00 of round one during EliteXC “Uprising” on Sept. 15.

Storylines:

· Shields is starting to shake his reputation as not being a finisher with his last four wins all ending early. Is currently on an eight-fight win streak and his previous four victories were all decided by decision.

Fight History:

· Has held multiple titles in MMA including the Rumble On The Rock Welterweight Championship and the Shooto Middleweight World Championship.

· Ranked in the top ten welterweights in the world by both MMAWeekly.com and Full Contact Fighter

· Shields' amateur wrestling credentials include having competed in over 650 folk, freestyle, and submission wrestling matches. He was also a four year varsity wrestler and state qualifier at Calaveras High School; he finished 2nd at the Amateur Athletic Union National Freestyle Championships; qualified for the USA/Fila Nationals and World Team Trials in both the junior and university men's divisions; and was a two-time All-American competing for Cuesta College.

· His grappling/Jiu-Jitsu credentials include being a three-time Grapplers Quest Advance Champion; a 3rd place finish at the Abu-Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championship in 2005; a Pan Am Open Advance Submission Championship; and a Gracie Open Superfight Championship.

· Notable Wins: Last fight was a first round TKO (stoppage due to strikes) at the 4:00 mark against Renato “Charuto” Verissimo at EliteXC “Uprising on Sept. 15, 2007; on a unanimous decision over Hayato "Mach" Sakurai on December 14, 2002 on Shooto's year end card in Japan; won a unanimous decision over Akira Kikuchi on August 10, 2003 while fighting for the Shooto promotion; won a unanimous decision against former UFC welterweight champion Dave Menne at Rumble on the Rock 8 on January 20, 2006; won a majority decision against Yushin Okami during Rumble on the Rock 9 on April 21, 2006; won a unanimous decision over current WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit at Rumble on the Rock 9 on April 21, 2006; his first fight for EliteXC was on June 2 at Dynamite USA!! and he submitted Ido Pariente with a rear naked choke at 2:06 of round one.

· Notable Losses: Lost a unanimous decision to Phillip Miller (who stopped fighting in 2003 with a 16-0 record) at IFC Warriors Challenge 9 on July 18, 2000; lost a majority decision to Ray Cooper at Warriors Quest 6 on August 3, 2002 (Shields would later avenge the loss in 2004); lost in a rematch to Akira Kikuchi on December 14, 2004 during Shooto's year end show in Japan.

· Notable Draw: Against Kazuo Misaki on November 30, 2003 while fighting for the Pancrase promotion in Japan.

Scouting Report:

Strengths…

· Despite not competing at a top college for wrestling, he still rates as one of the best pure wrestlers in MMA. There aren't many fighters at 170 lbs. that can claim to be better wrestlers than Shields (Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, and Jon Fitch may be the lone exceptions).

· Not all good wrestlers possess strong submission skills. Shields does not fall into that category as his Jiu-Jitsu is excellent, as he's a brown belt under Cesar Gracie. A brown belt designation under Gracie in some cases is more respected than a black belt rank under other instructors. Working with the likes of Nick and Nate Diaz, David Terrell and Gilbert Melendez out of Cesar Gracie's camp has allowed Shields to train against elite grapplers on a daily basis.

· Shields' nutrition is excellent. And thanks to his background in wrestling, his attention to conditioning is exceptional. He will not lose a match because he got tired or gassed, because you're unlikely to see either from him during a bout.

· Possesses great intangibles. Is a highly competitive fighter who does not quit and would never allow himself to be intimidated. Very tenacious. He puts non-stop pressure on opponents.

· Sometimes gets stronger the longer a fight goes.

Weaknesses…

· Shields has worked hard on his striking at the Fairtex Academy and American Kickboxing Academy and while it's improved, it's still the missing link in his game right now. The percentages of Shields finishing an opponent off due to strikes is very low.

Personal/Factoid:

· Is a lifelong vegetarian.

· Had an unconventional childhood. His nearest friends growing up were a 45 minute hike down one side of a canyon and up another side of one. He was also home schooled up until junior high school.

· Has trained with AKA in San Jose in the past but decided to stop going there due to the prospect of there being a lot of guys in his weight class (Mike Swick, Jon Fitch, and Josh Koscheck) that he might have to fight in the future.

MMA Highlights

jakeshields — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 0:32:52 PST

jakeshields's ProElite.com Blog

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FIGHTER BIO: Jake Shields

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