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Friday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Friday
3:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 1: UFC Reloaded
UFC 173: Renan Barao vs. T.J. Dillashaw
6:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Presents T.J. Dillashaw
Fearless The emergence of T.J. Dillashaw as a top-ranked fighter.
7:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Fight Night
Prelims: Maia vs. Shields - Garett Whiteley s. Alan Patrick; Chris Cariaso vs. Iliarde Santos; David Mitchell vs. Yan Cabral; Igor Araujo vs. Ildemar Alcantara. From Sao Paulo, Brazil.
9:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Fight Night
A Champion Will Be Crowned: Esparza vs. Namajunas - The Ultimate Fighter Finale main event in Las Vegas. The UFC's first strawweight champion will be crowned, plus featherweight contenders Jeremy Stephens and Charles Oliveira will square off.
12:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Tonight
UFC highlights, analysis and interviews.
1:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Weigh-In
UFC: Lyoto Machida vs. C.B. Dollaway
2:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Fight Night
Prelims: Maia vs. Shields - Garett Whiteley s. Alan Patrick; Chris Cariaso vs. Iliarde Santos; David Mitchell vs. Yan Cabral; Igor Araujo vs. Ildemar Alcantara. From Sao Paulo, Brazil.
4:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Weigh-In
UFC: Lyoto Machida vs. C.B. Dollaway
9:00 p.m. ET CBS Sports Network: Titan FC 32
Dave Herman vs. Walt Harris. From Augusta, Ga.
9:00 p.m. ET AXS TV: The Voice Versus Jason 'Mayhem' Miller
Michael 'The Voice' Schiavello takes on Jason Miller.
10:00 p.m. ET AXS TV: AXS TV Fights: Best of Legacy Fighting Championship
A look back at feral fights, nasty knockouts and sly submissions from the Texas-based promotion Legacy Fighting Championship.
12:00 a.m. ET AXS TV: The Voice Versus Jason 'Mayhem' Miller
Michael 'The Voice' Schiavello takes on Jason Miller. Read more -
How Chuck Liddell Helped Spark Jake Shields’ MMA Career
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Jake Shields, on “Beatdown,” discussing how he got into MMA:
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“I was just a young kid and I stumbled across it. I was wrestling in college and I stumbled across Chuck Liddell, seeing him with his funny haircut and karate tattoos. I thought he was some fake douchebag, so I went up and ran into him and talked to him a little bit, came by the gym and I got my ass kicked by Chuck. All of a sudden I fell in love with the sport. I started pretty much fighting right away. I think in three to four weeks I was in my first fight. I didn’t really have much planned. It was something that I loved. I fell in love with it instantly and then slowly turned it into a career.” -
Podcast: Jake Shields on UFC Release, WSOF Signing
By: Sherdog.com Staff
TJ De Santis and Jeff Sherwood returned to the Sherdog Radio Network on Wednesday for another edition of "Beatdown." Joining them on the broadcast was World Series of Fighting's Jake Shields.
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The former Strikeforce middlweight champion received his walking papers from the Ultimate Fighting Championship after dropping a unanimous decision to former Bellator champion Hector Lombard. Shields talks about his departure from the UFC, his decision to sign with WSOF, and what he feels he has left ahead of him in his mixed martial arts career.
De Santis and Sherwood also take a look at UFC 172 which takes place on Saturday. TJ and Jeff breakdown the main event which pits Glover Teixeira against light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
The Sherdog Radio Network is powered by GoDaddy.com. Click here to save 30% on new product orders. Use the promo code: dog30
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Click here to check out the podcast on iTunes.
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Top 5 Forum Threads of the Week
By: Jeff Sherwood
Will the UFC regret its decision to cut Jake Shields? | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Jake Shields is out of work.
Shields was released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 7, a little less than three years after he challenged Georges St. Pierre for the Las Vegas-based organization’s welterweight crown. The 35-year-old compiled a 4-3 record inside the Octagon, with victories over Martin Kampmann, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia. However, Shields was often derided for his methodical approach in the cage -- an approach that undoubtedly factored into his release.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie, Shields has won titles inside the Shooto, Strikeforce and EliteXC promotions. He once went more than six years between losses.
Items of interest on the Sherdog.net forums this week:
CHOPPING BLOCK
ANOTHER FACE IN THE CROWD
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE
LACKING DIRECTION
MONEY TALKS
Reader comments are active following the jump. Read more -
Mike Whitman Joins Press Row
By: Jordan Breen
Every Wednesday, Administrative Editor Jordan Breen welcomes a member of the mixed martial arts media into “Press Row” on the Sherdog.com blog. This week, Breen is joined by Sherdog news editor Mike Whitman.
With Jake Shields officially a free agent following his UFC release, Breen and Whitman discuss on Shields' surprisingly effective, accomplished runs in Shooto, Rumble on the Rock, EliteXC, Strikeforce and the UFC. The pair contemplate Shields' notoriously low-action style, his ubiquity on major MMA cards and in high-profile main events in spite of his reputation as a boring fighter and the other unique characteristics that make the standout grappler one of the most difficult-to-summarize fighters in the sport.
Breen and Whitman also look at what fights might be in Shields' future, the likelihood of a rematch with Yushin Okami in World Series of Fighting, how Shields stacks up as an top-five all-time welterweight, whether or not he's got a better career resume than his Cesar Gracie cohort Nick Diaz and more.
Grab your credential and get a seat in “Press Row.”
Follow the jump for reader comments. Read more -
Tuesday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Tuesday
4:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Fight Night
Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger
6:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Reloaded
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard and Jose Aldo vs Kenny Florian.
9:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Ultimate Insider
Ultimate Fighter Nations Preview
10:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC: Johnson vs. Moraga
Jessica Andrade vs. Liz Carmouche; Bobby Voelker vs. Robbie Lawler; Jake Ellenberger vs. Rory MacDonald; John Moraga vs. Demetrious Johnson. From Seattle.
12:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Fight Night
Condit vs. Kampmann II Bubba McDaniel vs. Brad Tavares; Takeya Mizugaki vs. Erik Perez; Court McGee vs. Robert Whittaker; Kelvin Gastelum vs. Brian Melancon; Donald Cerrone vs. Rafael dos Anjos; Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann. From Indianapolis.
3:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC: Johnson vs. Moraga
Jessica Andrade vs. Liz Carmouche; Bobby Voelker vs. Robbie Lawler; Jake Ellenberger vs. Rory MacDonald; John Moraga vs. Demetrious Johnson. From Seattle.
5:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet ONE: UFC Unleashed
The best fights from the UFC archives
7:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
9:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Reloaded
UFC 137: Nick Diaz returns to the UFC to face former Welterweight Champion B.J. Penn; Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Cro Cop.
10:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
12:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
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This Week’s MMA Birthdays: Jake Shields Turns 35
By: Brian Knapp
Jake Shields turns 35 this week. | Photo: Keith Mills/Sherdog.com
A former EliteXC, Shooto and Strikeforce champion who has been on the mixed martial arts scene for nearly 15 years, Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Jake Shields will celebrate his 35th birthday on Jan. 9.
Between Nov. 12, 2005 and Oct. 23, 2010, Shields rattled off 15 consecutive victories across two weight classes, emerging as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound competitors. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie, the Summertown, Tenn., native owns wins over onetime World Extreme Cagefighting champion Carlos Condit, former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Dan Henderson, American Top Team’s Robbie Lawler and recent World Series of Fighting signee Yushin Okami. Shields last appeared at UFC Fight Night 29 in October, when he recorded a split decision over 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Demian Maia at the Jose Correa Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
On a modest two-fight winning streak, Shields will return to the Octagon at UFC 171 on March 15, when he collides with Hector Lombard at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
Those in MMA celebrating a birthday during the week covering Jan. 5-Jan. 11:
JAN. 5
John Gunderson (35)
Takahiro Suzuki (27)
JAN. 6
Kalib Starnes (39)
Wilson Reis (29)
JAN. 8
Tara LaRosa (36)
Ertan Balaban (31)
JAN. 9
Pete Spratt (43)
Jake Shields (35)
JAN. 10
Mickey Hughes (35)
Matt Brown (33)
JAN. 11
Rafael Cavalcante (33)
Muhammed Lawal (33)
Peter Sobotta (27)
Reader comments are active following the jump. Read more -
Michael Carroll Joins Press Row
By: Jordan Breen
Every Wednesday, Administrative Editor Jordan Breen welcomes a member of the mixed martial arts media into “Press Row” on the Sherdog.com blog. This week, Breen is joined by FightMetric research analyst Michael Carroll.
With longtime welterweight ruler Georges St. Pierre stepping away from the sport and a year full of championship shake-up in MMA, there's new, dominant faces in the sport. Breen and Carroll discuss the statistical underpinnings of MMA's top champions and what they have in common as divisional rulers. The two investigate the likes of Cain Velasquez, Demetrious Johnson, Chris Weidman and others, detailing how particular metrics reveal the sources of their dominance, or at least brilliantly reflect it.
The duo also debate the importance of statistical efficiency for MMA fighters, the statistical anomalies of Jake Shields, which metrics might best predict championship success and which up-and-comers excel in those categories.
Grab your credential and get a seat in “Press Row.”
Follow the jump for reader comments and download link. Read more -
Saturday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Saturday
5:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 18 Episode 12: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate: One Punch Away
6:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Unleashed
Junior dos Santos defends his title for the first time against Frank Mir; Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner; Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard, and Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara.
7:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Tonight
UFC highlights, analysis and interviews.
8:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Fight Night
Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger
10:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Unleashed
Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva
11:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Tonight
UFC highlights, analysis and interviews.
12:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Fight Night
Bubba McDaniel vs. Brad Tavares; Takeya Mizugaki vs. Erik Perez; Court McGee vs. Robert Whittaker; Kelvin Gastelum vs. Brian Melancon; Donald Cerrone vs. Rafael dos Anjos; Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann. From Indianapolis.
5:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Reloaded
UFC 154: Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
8:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 18 Episode 12: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate: One Punch Away
9:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Presents Mark Hunt: the Art of Fighting
10:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Fight Night
Jeremy Stephens vs. Rony Jason; Ryan LaFlare vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio; Brandon Thatch vs. Paul Thiago; Igor Pokrajac vs. Rafael Feijao; Daniel Sarafian vs. Cezar Ferreira; Dan Henderson vs. Vitor Belfort. From Goiania, Brazil. Read more -
Saturday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Saturday
4:00 a.m. ET AXS: The Voice Versus
Tito Ortiz discusses being kicked off the reality show and his relationship with Jenna Jameson.
6:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Unleashed
The best fights from the UFC archives, featuring Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida, Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone, Bart Palaszewski vs. Tyson Griffin, and Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz.
7:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Primetime
UFC 167: Georges St. Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks
7:30 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Tonight
UFC highlights, analysis and interviews.
8:00 a.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Fight Night
Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger
12:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Reloaded
UFC 153: Wanderlei Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar
7:30 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Primetime
UFC 167: Georges St. Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks
8:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship
Heavyweights
9:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 18 Episode 9: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate: Sacrifice Final preliminary fights - one on the men's side and one on the women's.
10:00 p.m. ET Fox Sports 2: UFC Reloaded
UFC 140: Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones faces former champ Lyoto Machida; the Nogueira brothers, Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz. Read more