MMA Fighter Profile: Jake Shields

Jake Shields is regarded by many people to be one of the top ten welterweight mixed martial arts fighters in the world, although also one of the least tested. Having achieved a record of 22 wins, 4 losses and a single draw, Shields is rapidly rising in the rankings, and is often known as the best welterweight fighter not in the UFC

Primarily a Jiu Jitsu fighter, Shields has found most of his success in mixed martial arts from submissions, although has been taken to a decision many times also. Having been trained at the Cesar Gracie gym, Shields has had the chance to train with other up and coming fighters such as Nate Diaz, as well as a much heralded trainer in Cesar Gracie himself of course. Before competing in MMA Shields was also successful in grappling tournaments such as the ADCC submission wrestling tournament, in which he gained 3rd place in 2005.

Shields is currently signed to the now folded Elite XC organization, although has stated in the past that he intends to sign with the UFC at some point in the near future. In the UFC he will have the chance to test himself against the very best fighters in his weight class, in particular the man regarded universally as the best fighter at 170 lbs, Georges St. Pierre. Having been the Elite XC's first and only welterweight champion, Shields has won 11 fights in succession, and has fought many well known and highly regarded fighters.

Despite shields successes, the fact that he has yet to face many of the top ten fighters in the world at his weight class means that many still don't rate him perhaps as highly as he should be given credit for. The best of the welterweight fighters are mainly contracted to the UFC, meaning often Shields was forced to fight opponents who he was far superior to in terms of skill. The Elite XC organization was known to be having trouble in finding credible opponents for Shields, who has beaten the likes of Renato Verissimo and Paul Daley as his biggest wins.

Although largely successful against lesser opposition, it remains to b seen how well Shields would handle some of the better UFC fighters in his division. In the opinion of most experts Shields would be somewhere in the mixture of the very best, although might struggle against the very best. The fact that Shields has yet to face another top ten fighter means that this wont be confirmed until he does take a step up in competition.

The dissolution of the Elite XC promotion which Shields was signed with until recently seemingly places Shields, one of their top fighters in no mans land. As often happens when an MMA organization goes bankrupt, the fighters face an uncertain few months while takeover bids and new contracts are discussed. It may well be the case that a different organization, such as Pro Elite takes over the assets of Elite XC. If this happens as has been rumored, then the fighters contracts could well be transferable, and Shields might find himself honoring the rest of his Elite XC contract elsewhere.

If no buyers can be found for Elite XC, or the fighter contracts are ruled as being non transferable, (which is largely to do with the wording and specific terms of the contracts) then Shields will essentially be on the open market. Being a respected and top ranked fighter this could well mean that he will be able to receive several offers from other promotions, and should be able to negotiate a much more lucrative contracts a result. However if he is looking to cement his claim as being one the best welterweights in the world, then the only real option at the moment is to join the UFC.

Assuming Shields can enter the UFC and win his first few fights in an impressive fashion, then getting a title shot should be fairly easy. This is because the current champion Georges St. Pierre has already fought and beaten many of the current top contenders on his way to the title, and other than Thaigo Alves, has few other apparent challenges left.