It’s not getting much love from fans or from media, but the main event of World Series of Fighting 14 is a very intriguing fight.
Jake Shields, the former UFC title challenger and former Strikeforce middleweight champion, will fight for the first time since being cut by Zuffa earlier this year when he takes on Ryan Ford, the WSOF Canadian Welterweight Champion.
The pair will battle it out for three rounds or less with no belt on the line, and the winner of the fight is expected to face the winner of the WSOF 16 main event between Rousimar Palhares and Jon Fitch for the WSOF welterweight championship of the world.
Though Shields was cut by the UFC, which usually is indicative of a fighter on the decline, everyone knows the real reason Shields was cut wasn’t because he’s not a winner, it’s because he’s not very exciting to watch. If you take a look at the official UFC rankings, both Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia are amongst the top 10 fighters in the division. Remember, though, that Shields beat both men last year, even if Dana White wants you to forget about those fights.
He was smashed by Hector Lombard in his last outing at UFC 171, but don’t think for a second that means Shields sucks. Yes, he’s 35 now, but regardless of his age, the guy is still a very effective fighter and one of the toughest outs at 170 pounds in the world, and the fact his only losses in the last decade are to Lombard, Jake Ellenberger, and former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre proves this. All told, Shields is 18-3 with 1 NC in the 10 years – impressive numbers, for sure, especially considering his competition.
Some fighters lose motivation once they are cut from the UFC, but I don’t believe this is the case with Shields. If anything, it should have the opposite effect on the American jiu-jitsu ace, and help fuel him to come away with an impressive victory when he invades Ford’s hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to take on “The Real Deal,” who is one of the most underrated welterweights in the sport.
Ford has long been one of the best fighters at any weight class in Canada, and quite frankly would be in the UFC right now if not for past legal issues which make it almost impossible for him to fight outside of Canada. With no clear way to promote him in the United States without going through legal hurdles, Ford has little value to the UFC, and that’s why he was never signed by them. And it’s also the same reason why Bellator, who did have Ford under contract for a while, decided to sever ties with him despite his perfect record in that promotion.
All told, Ford is 22-4 in his MMA career, with his four losses coming to Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima, Pat Healy twice, and unknown David Hulett. As far as wins go, Ford hasn’t been fighting the cream of the crop, but he has defeated the likes of Karo Parisyan, Pete Spratt twice, and Luis Santos. Fighting on the Bellator prelims and in the MFC hasn’t exactly given Ford the opportunity to fight top guys, but I’d argue he’s made the most of his opportunities for the most part, although a win over Lima would look mighty good right now.
Regardless, Ford is 10-1 over his last 11 bouts, with all 10 of his wins coming by stoppage. In fact, of his career 22 victories, Ford has finished opponents 20 times. This is a very dangerous fighter who just needs a big opportunity on the big stage to show what he’s made of, and this fight against Shields is no doubt the opportunity of a lifetime for the 31-year-old Canadian.
As far as the matchup goes, it’s basically a striker vs. grappler matchup with Ford as the striker and Shields as the grappler. Normally the grappler should be favored in that situation – and the betting odds show that Shields is indeed a 6-to-1 favorite heading into the fight – but call me crazy, I feel like Ford has a chance to pull off the upset and show the world what he’s made of.
This is a very good main event, one of the best that WSOF could put together in its welterweight division, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out. It’s an intriguing fight between one of the best welterweights in the world in Shields and one of the best-kept secrets in the weight class in Ford, and it has the chance to be a very compelling fight when it goes down this weekend at WSOF 14.
• Ryan Ford vs. Jake Shields
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WSOF 14: Shields vs. Ford takes place on October 11, 2014 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre at Northlands in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think WSOF 14 will be.
