Welterweights Jake Shields and Jake Ellenberger headline tonight's UFC Fight Night 25: Shields vs. Ellenberger on Spike TV. This is a must-win bout for Shields, the former Strikeforce middleweight champion who is 1-1 in the UFC in two lackluster bouts. He narrowly squeaked by Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut and was then rushed into a title shot. That fight was a five round snoozer in which Shields' best move against Georges St. Pierre was an inadvertent eye poke.
Jake Shields Fights Through Loss Of His Father
Shields (26-5-1, 1-1 UFC) has long been one of the sport's top welterweights, but so far his long-awaited run in the big show has been a bit of a bust. He's known for his smooth blend of excellent wrestling and slick submissions.
Ellenberger (25-5, 4-1 UFC) is six years younger than Shields and had work hard to get his shot in the UFC. He fought for a variety of promotions, including Bellator and the IFL before getting the call. He announced himself by giving top contender Carlos Condit everything he could handle in a very close split decision loss. Since then he's been on a 4 fight win streak with 3 of those wins coming via TKO.
Shields And Ellenberger Representing Bay Area In UFC Fight Night Main Event
Shields lost his father, manager, life-long wrestling coach and mentor Jack only a few weeks ago. He bravely elected to go ahead and fight, but this will be a very emotional night for Shields.
Shields has the skills to beat Ellenberger, but if he's not at the top of his game, he could be in for a brutal night against the dangerous up-and-comer.
| Aspect | Shields | Points | Ellenberger | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range Fighting | ||||
| Boxing | Not Good | 1 | Packs Power | Ellenberger |
| Kickboxing | Ok | 1 | Good | Ellenberger |
| Wrestling | Excellent | 1 | Very Good | Shields |
| Clinch Fighting | ||||
| Dirty Boxing | Good | 1 | Damaging | Ellenberger |
| Thai Clinch | Strong | 1 | Hurtful | Tie |
| Throws/Trips | Very Good + | 1 | Very Good | Shields |
| Ground Fighting | ||||
| Positional Control | Smothering | 1 | Quite Good | Shields |
| Scrambling | Whirlwind of Glue | 1 | Elusive | Shields |
| Escapes | David Blaine | 1 | Kids Party Magician | Shields |
| Submissions | Blue Chip | 1 | Penny Stock | Shields |
| Intangibles | Grieving | 1 | Aggro | Ellenberger |
| Overall | Elite | 6/4 | Not Quite Elite | Shields |
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