Jake Shields
From FightWiki
 |
Name | Jake Shields |
| Nickname | N/A | |
| Association | Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu | |
| Weight Class | Middleweight (185 lbs.) / Welterweight (170 lbs.) | |
| Height | 5' 11" (181 cm) | |
| Style | Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai | |
| Birth Date | January 9, 1979 | |
| Fighting Out Of | San Francisco, California | |
| Country | USA | |
| Jake Shields Pictures | Shield's Official Site |
Jake Shields is an American mixed martial artist, currently fighting in the Welterweight (170 lbs.) division. He is the Rumble on the Rock 175 lbs. (79 kg) Champion, the first & last EliteXC Welterweight Champion, and the former Shooto World Champion. He has trained extensively with Cesar Gracie, Dave Terrell, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz and coaches a team of MMA fighters including top ranked Lightweight Gilbert Melendez.
When EliteXC went under, the promotions assets were acquired by Strikeforce, including Shields' contract.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 24 - 4 - 1 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 3 (T)KOs 10 Submissions 11 Decisions |
| Losses | 1 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 3 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Jason Miller | Decision (Unanimous) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers | 11/07/2009 | 5 | 5:00 | Won vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship |
| Win | Robbie Lawler | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields | 6/06/2009 | 1 | 2:02 | Strikeforce debut; Catchweight 182 lbs. |
| Win | Paul Daley | Submission (Armbar) | EliteXC: Heat | 10/04/2008 | 2 | 3:47 | Defended EliteXC Welterweight Championship |
| Win | Nick Thompson | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | EliteXC: Unfinished Business | 7/26/2008 | 1 | 1:03 | Became first-ever EliteXC Welterweight Champion |
| Win | Mike Pyle | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | EliteXC: Renegade | 11/10/2007 | 1 | 3:39 | |
| Win | Renato Verissimo | TKO (Punches and Elbows) | EliteXC: Uprising | 9/15/2007 | 1 | 4:00 | |
| Win | Ido Pariente | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | K-1 HERO's: Dynamite!! USA | 6/02/2007 | 1 | 2:06 | |
| Win | Ray Steinbeiss | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | Bodog Fight: Costa Rica Combat | 2/18/2007 | 1 | 1:29 | |
| Win | Steve Berger | TKO | FCP: Malice at Cow Palace | 9/09/2006 | 2 | 1:36 | |
| Win | Carlos Condit | Decision (Unanimous) | ROTR 9: Rumble on the Rock 9 | 4/21/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Rumble on the Rock Welterweight (175 lbs.) Tournament |
| Win | Yushin Okami | Decision (Majority) | ROTR 9: Rumble on the Rock 9 | 4/21/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Dave Menne | Decision (Unanimous) | ROTR 8: Rumble on the Rock 8 | 1/20/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Toby Imada | Decision | KK: Kage Kombat | 11/12/2005 | 3 | N/A | |
| Loss | Akira Kikuchi | Decision (Unanimous) | Shooto: Year End Show 2004 | 12/14/2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Lost Shooto Middleweight Championship |
| Win | Ray Cooper | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Shooto Hawaii: Soljah Fight Night | 7/09/2004 | 1 | 3:29 | Won vacant Shooto Middleweight Championship |
| Draw | Kazuo Misaki | Draw | Pancrase: Hybrid 10 | 11/30/2003 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Akira Kikuchi | Decision (Unanimous) | Shooto: 8/10 in Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium | 8/10/2003 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Milton Vieira | Decision (Unanimous) | Shooto: Midwest Fighting | 5/21/2003 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Hayato Sakurai | Decision (Unanimous) | Shooto: Year End Show 2002 | 12/14/2002 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Ray Cooper | Decision (Majority) | Warriors Quest 6: Best of the Best | 8/03/2002 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Robert Ferguson | Decision | GC 7: Casualties of War | 11/04/2001 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Jeremy Jackson | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | GC 6: Caged Beasts | 9/09/2001 | 1 | 2:03 | |
| Win | Tracy Hess | Decision | GC 3: Showdown at Soboba | 4/07/2001 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Randy Velarde | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | GC 2: Collision at Colusa | 2/18/2001 | 2 | 3:19 | |
| Loss | Phillip Miller | Decision (Unanimous) | IFC WC 9: Warriors Challenge 9 | 7/18/2000 | 2 | 8:00 | |
| Win | Shannon Ritch | Submission (Choke) | BOTB: Best of the Best | 5/04/2000 | 1 | N/A | |
| Loss | Marty Armendarez | TKO (Strikes) | IFC WC 6: Warriors Challenge 6 | 3/25/2000 | 1 | 7:34 | |
| Win | Brian Warren | Decision | CFF: The Cobra Challenge 1999 | 12/11/1999 | N/A | N/A | |
| Win | Paul Harrison | TKO (Strikes) | CFF: The Cobra Qualifier 1999 | 10/23/1999 | N/A | N/A | |
Biography
Jake Shields was born January 9, 1979. He was raised near Mountain Ranch, California in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Jake is a life-long vegetarian. He was home schooled up to junior high. He and his two older brothers grew up at the end of a dirt road on the rim of the Jesus Maria Canyon. Their nearest friends were a 45 minute hike down one side of the canyon and up the other. Their activities included mountain biking, wild caving, snowboarding, clearing brush, bucking firewood, climbing mountains, exploring the high country, and wrestling.
Jake began amateur wrestling at age nine. He has competed in over 600 folk, freestyle, and submission wrestling matches. Jake was a four year varsity wrestler and state qualifier at Calaveras High School, finished 2nd place at the Amateur Athletic Union National Freestyle Championships, qualified for U.S.A./ Fila Nationals & World Team Trials in both the junior & university men's divisions. He is also a two time All American wrestler from Cuesta College. In September 1999, Jake began his MMA training by joining Chuck Liddell's SLO Kickboxing Academy. Within a few weeks he fought his first fight, filling in for an injured teammate at 185 lbs. In 2001 Jake decided he wanted to make a career of mixed martial arts and began fighting at his natural weight of 170 lbs (77 kg).
In the summer of 2001 Jake received a wrestling scholarship to SF State. At that time he began training with the Cesar Gracie Fight Team, resulting in a dramatic improvement in his jiu jitsu. He is a three time Grapplers Quest Advance Champion, Pan American Games Jiu Jitsu Champion, Pan Am Open Advance Submission Champion, Gracie Open Superfight Champion, and finished 3rd place at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in 2005. He continued to improve on the Kickboxing skills he picked up with Chuck Liddell, by cross-training with the professional Muay Thai kickboxing team at the Fairtex combat Academy, training with Muay Thai Champions Jongsanan Fairtex and Alex Gong. He was awarded the rank of black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Cesar Gracie in February 2007.
Among his victories are wins over Hayato Sakurai, Akira Kikuchi, Dave Menne, Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, and Jeremy Jackson. Shields has captured the Shooto World Mixed Martial Arts Championship, the Rumble on the Rock World Championship, and the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. He beat Nick Thompson for the EliteXC Welterweight World Championship in the first round via Guillotine Choke.
Jake had been the head instructor of BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and MMA at the Fairtex-Gracie affiliate in San Francisco from March 2002 until April 2008. Jake is now in partnership and teaches at Freestyle Submission Academy.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Shields began competing in professional mixed martial arts in 1999, earning victories over opponents such as Jeremy Jackson, Hyato Sakurai, and Akira Kikuchi, before getting a shot at the vacant Shooto Middleweight Championship.
On July 9, 2004 Shields faced off against Ray Cooper for the vacant title. Cooper was submitted by a Rear Naked Choke in the first round to win his first title. He would lose the belt in his first title defense in a rematch with Akira Kikuchi. Kikuchi won a unanimous decision.
After going 2-0 with wins over Toby Imada, and former UFC Middleweight Champion Dave Menne, both by decision, Shields took part in the Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Tournament. He earned his second major accomplishment, defeating Yushin Okami and future WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit to win the Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Tournament. Both fights took place in the same night.
Shields improved his win streak to seven straight victories with wins over Steve Berger, Ray Steinbeiss, and Ido Pariente before signing a contract to compete with the up-start EliteXC promotion. In his debut he faced off against UFC veteran Renato Verissimo, ending the fight at 4:00 of the first round by TKO (Punches and Elbows). He next submitted former WEC Welterweight Champion Mike Pyle with a Rear Naked Choke in the first round.
The win over Pyle made Shields a clear-cut contender for the vacant EliteXC Welterweight title. On July 26, 2008 at EliteXC: Unfinished Business, Shields faced off against Bodog Fight Welterweight Champion Nick Thompson for the first-ever EliteXC Welterweight Championship, submitting him with a Guillotine Choke at only 1:03 of the first round. Shields went on to defend his title at EliteXC: Heat against then-current Cage Rage World Welterweight Champion Paul Daley, submitting Daley with an Armbar. Shields used his superior ground skills to take the fight to the mat, where Daley seemed quite uncomfortable, ending the fight in the second round.
EliteXC: Heat was the last event held by EliteXC, as the promotion soon went under, making Shields the last-EliteXC Welterweight Champion. Strikeforce, a San Jose-based promotion went on to acquire much of EliteXC's contracts, one of which being Shields.
Strikeforce Career
With Strikeforce acquiring his contract from the defunct EliteXC promotion, Shields made his debut with the promotion, headlining Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields on June 6, 2009. Though Shields was the last reigning EliteXC Welterweight Champion, he took on the last reigning EliteXC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler in a Catchweight (182 lbs.) bout. It was an interesting match-up, as Lawler is known for his stand-up prowess, while Shields is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace. Shields shocked those in attendance by defeated Lawler in the first round with a Guillotine Choke.
It was announced in early August of 2009 that Shields would compete for the Interim Strikeforce Middleweight Championship against Jason Miller. The winner of the bout would fight then-current champion Cung Le by the end of the year, but when Le stepped down on September 17, 2009, due to securing another motion picture deal, the bout between Shields and Miller became for the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Shields used his superior wrestling to control Miller for most of the fight, thought he almost was submitted by a Rear Naked Choke in the final seconds of the third round. He earned a unanimous decision over Miller to earn himself the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship.
After winning the title, Miller and Shields had a playful, yet serious feud (see section below for more details).
It was announced that Shields would be participating on The Ultimate Fighter 11, not as a fighter, but as an assistant coach for Chuck Liddell.
Feud with Miller
After the Jason Miller fight, there was a war of words between the two fighters that took place on Twitter.
Miller started the internet exchange by posting on his Twitter account:
- "Jake, the worst damage you did was give me staph, zit covered leg humper"
Shields countered with a picture of himself next to his belt collection, tweeting:
- "You seem upset"
Never one to be outdone, Miller struck back in obvious reference to the near fight ending rear-naked choke that was cut short by the bell in the pair’s match-up:
- "hugged your way to all those? Let’s do it again, I’ll hold on after the bell this time"
This prompted Shields to tweet:
- "I’m on to bigger & better fights like always. I mean ur last real win was when you beat up your girlfriend and got arrested"
Finally, Miller went all-out and posted a picture of, what he claimed was, “The lone damage from his fight- Staph Infection.”
Personal Life
Shields is a single father to a daughter.
Championships and Accomplishments
- Shooto Middleweight Champion (Former)
- Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion (Current)
- Last EliteXC Welterweight Champion
- Strikeforce Middleweight Championship (2009)
