It’s interesting to think about the way history will remember sports figures. As time clicks by, athletes and their performances are often viewed in a less than favorable way. Mixed martial arts suffers from the same issue, as athletes from the past are forgotten by the fans of today. Jake Shields may find himself in a similar position as the multiple-time champion continues to compete outside of the UFC. In all likelihood, Shields will not be remembered the way he deserves to be.
Saturday night at World Series of Fighting 17, Jake Shields will face Brian Foster. Even though Foster boasts a 22-6 record, which includes a successful run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, mainstream fans may overlook him as true competition for Shields. This is a problem that plagues the Team Cesar Gracie fighter at this stage in his career. Unfortunately for him, circumstances that are beyond his control hinder his ability to affect his place in the sport’s history.
Shields will go into this fight at 30-7-1 with 1 No Contest, an impressive record for any competitor. With a professional record that dates back to 1999, Shields has wins over many stalwarts within the sport. Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Mike Pyle, Robbie Lawler, Dan Henderson, Tyron Woodley, and Demian Maia are some of the names of opponents that have fallen during his career. With all of these wins on his resume, Shields should be considered among the all-time best welterweights in the sport. However, because of his performances in the UFC, Shields will likely not receive the acclaim that he deserves.
His controversial victory over Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut, the multiple eye pokes against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129, a failed drug test at UFC 150, and questionable decisions against Yoshihiro Akiyama, Woodley, and Maia are what Shields’ run in the UFC will be known for. Coupled with his one-sided defeats to Jake Ellenberger and Hector Lombard, it may be difficult for many to recognize the accomplishments of Shields during the course of his mixed martial arts career.
Shields compiled a 4-3 record with 1 No Contest in the UFC, and coupled with a fighting style that didn’t excite the fan base, that gave the UFC all the ammunition it needed to jettison him from the roster. UFC President Dana White had some scathing words for Shields on his way out of the organization.
“Mixed martial arts is a young man’s game,” White said in a report by Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. “I like Jake Shields a lot. But let’s be honest here: Where was he going in this [welterweight] division of animals we have? He’s on the downswing, and he’s never going to be the guy. His stand-up never improved. He hasn’t really shown anything in his last couple of fights to make you go, ‘Holy [expletive].’ Right now, at this point, he’s just another guy.”
Despite White’s criticism, it didn’t take him long to sign with the World Series of Fighting promotion. WSOF has slowly built its stable of fighters, yet none of them have reached the point that they can be truly considered among the best in the sport. Even assuming Shields can get past Foster, a potential fight against WSOF Welterweight Champion Rousimar Palhares would elicit attention, but there isn’t much that the organization’s welterweight roster would be able to offer beyond that bout.
So what does that mean for Shields?
At 36 years of age, he is clearly in the later stages of his career. A run as the WSOF welterweight champion could be added to a list that includes EliteXC and Strikeforce title reigns, but he fact that he was unable to add a UFC title belt to his mantle will hurt his overall credibility in the grand “best ever” conversations. However, it shouldn’t. His resume is full of quality wins over opponents in their prime. The number of victories alone during that era is enough to earn Shields a spot on the list of top ten of welterweights of all-time.
Jake Shields is a victim of timing. He grew to prominence right before MMA caught fire in the sports world, and he did so outside of the UFC. As his career comes to a close, it will be interesting to see the way fight fans remember him. Media members tend to give him the respect that he’s earned, but the people that pay the money to support the sport seem to view him in a different light. And regardless of the outcome at WSOF 17 on Saturday night, his standing in their eyes isn’t likely to change.
• Jake Shields vs. Brian Foster
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
**********
WSOF 17: Shields vs. Foster takes place on January 17, 2015 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think WSOF 17 will be.
