clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

UFC Ultimate Fight Night 25 Breakdown: Jake Shields Vs. Jake Ellenberger

New, 2 comments

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 Packs Power Ellenberger
Kickboxing Ok 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