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The Case of Jake Shields


I'm not privy to the inner workings of the Cesar Gracie camp or those responsible for signing top-tier talent, but would anyone care to explain why Jake Shields isn't fighting in the UFC?

Again, I'm not sure what's on Shields's mind.  Perhaps he's satisfied with the paydays from his K-1, ROTR, and BodogFight.  My guess is these upstart or new-to-North America organizations are keenly aware of the value Shields adds by being a part of their roster.  I'm sure he's collecting respectable checks.

But is he satisfied with the current level of exposure?  Or how about the quality of opponents?  One always hears from fighters the desire to be the best and in so doing, fighting the best.  Shields isn't fighting scrubs, but he's also not fighting top flight talent on a regular basis either.  Since 2005 his only wins of note are over Yushin Okami and Carlos Condit.  Both wins are excellent notches in his belt, but for a supposed top 10 welterweight it's not enough.

As much as it seems the UFC is giving up by not signing Shields, there might actually be a method to the madness.  The welterweight division is filled to the gills with talented fighters.  In fact, the UFC often appears to have more than it can handle.  Jon Fitch doesn't get the exposure or attention he deserves and he's gone undefeated in the UFC with 5 excellent victories.  Adding Shields to the mix would delight hardcore fans and create some exciting fights, but would it detract from the UFC 's ability to market stars and create household names?

The UFC appears to be bleeding PRIDE to death by taking their major stars.  And since they're doing it slowly, new fans of the UFC are constantly learning about new fighters they're never heard of who are apparently very good.  The newest is Dan Henderson, but Aureilo was also recently signed.  And you have to expect more top-tier fighters with marketable images and backgrounds - such as the Canadian/Korean middleweight Denis Kang - are going to be recruited.  I wonder if the UFC is simply too worried about saturating their budding business with too many unknowns for new fans to keep pace.

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My take...
Jake Shields doesn't exactly promise "exciting bout" (though he does come through with some excitement at times) but if you are going to claim to have the best talent in the world and then not have a guy like Shields even being considered for a spot in the UFC (I think he may have been talked to as a short notice replacement a year or two ago) then you are doing a disservice to the weight class.

And I'm quite excited about some Denis Kang in the UFC.

If they could work out a deal with HBO or even just a deal with Spike for a monthly live show they can bring in new fighters at a decent pace and let them fight for the first time on a non-PPV (unless it is a PPV worthy fight) and the newer fans will be able to see them and get to know them prior to having to drop money on them.

by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 4, 2007 12:05 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Re: The Case of Jake Shields
You can blame Cesar Gracie for Jake not being in the UFC. Cesar's also the guy who took Nick Diaz out of the UFC because they weren't willing to pay what Cesar felt Nick was worth. This might have worked out well, but at the time it was so Nick could fight in the original GFC show. Cesar was also the one that decided to pull Javier Vazquez from the Dynamite show because they wouldn't guarantee his fight would be televised. Long story short Cesar and the UFC don't get along and Cesar would rather have Jake make middle coin now than take starter cash in the UFC.

by fightlinker on Jun 4, 2007 12:52 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Bodog

Hasn't Nick Thompson said that he wants to defend his Bodog welterweight belt against Jake Shields?  That would be a decent match-up.

by Nate414 on Jun 4, 2007 8:17 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I think I remember hearing that too...
That's the kind of fight I would watch Bodogfight for....Something about the company just hasn't really captured me yet.

by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 4, 2007 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

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