After much needed win, Jake Shields ready to move back into UFC Title contention

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

From November of 2005 to October of 2010, Jake Shields proved himself as one of the top competitors in the sport by winning 15 straight fights through two different weight classes. That streak brought him to a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship last April, where he suffered his first loss in five years to Georges St-Pierre.

After the death of his father late last summer, he opted to go through with a planned bout against Jake Ellenberger, where he suffered another loss, the first time in his career he had dropped consecutive fights.

At UFC 144 in Japan last month, Shields returned from some much needed time off, and defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama in what turned out to be mostly a striking battle. That fact in and of itself was unexpected, but it was a win Shields needed to get himself back upright following a very difficult 2011.

"For this fight with Akiyama, I was hungry again,? Shields said in an interview with HeavyMMA. ?I hate losing, and the win over Akiyama felt great. I got me back into the win column and back on track. I'm hungry to get back to the top. Now I'm waiting to get my next fight. I really want to get back on track and earn another title shot."

"I'm already back in the gym trying to get better. I'm pushing my standup and every element of my game to become the best fighter I can possibly be. I'm hungry and I want to go out there and take somebody out."

Shields believes he can't be too far out from a return to the top, especially considering some of the wins he's already got on his record. Still, he's simply waiting for his next opportunity to prove he belongs in the upper tier of the UFC's welterweight division, and hopes to get a big fight his next time out.

"My striking still has holes, but it has gotten a lot better," Shields said. "I am going to continue to work and develop my skills and I believe in the next year I'll be able to stand with the best strikers out there. I still have a little ways to go, but we have definitely made big improvements."

"I came so close to the title and fell short. Now I feel like I'm close again. I've beaten the current [Interim] Champion, Carlos Condit, and Martin Kampmann, who is a top contender right now. I know I can beat these guys, and it all depends on me working my way back up and getting my shot. I'm not sure what's next, but hopefully the UFC will give me a contender so I can get back up where I want to be."

Penick's Analysis: Shields remains a very good fighter, elite in some aspects, more than serviceable in others, and the fact that he lost to two very good fighters last year doesn't in any way change that. He's very capable of competing with anyone in the welterweight division, and anyone the UFC matches him up against is going to have a tough time dealing with his grappling game. He absolutely needs to continue improving his striking game, because many of the guys at the top will not let him off the hook as much as Akiyama did, but if he tightens up some of that aspect, and finds a way to implement his will more often than not in his fights, he's going to find himself back in consideration for a title fight eventually.

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