Jake Shields Neck Crank Submits Brian Foster in WSOF 17 Welterweight Title Eliminator

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Jake Shields now has World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Rousimar Palhares in his crosshairs.

Shields (31-7-1, 2-0 WSOF) submitted Brian Foster with a first-round neck crank in the WSOF 17 headliner on Saturday at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Foster (22-7, 0-1 WSOF) bowed out of the title eliminator 2:51 into round one, his four-fight winning streak at an end.

A former Shooto, Strikeforce and EliteXC champion, Shields executed a takedown, slid into full mount and threatened with an arm-triangle choke. He then transitioned to Foster’s back, secured his hooks and cinched the neck crank for the tapout.

The 36-year-old Cesar Gracie protégé has won four of his last five fights.

Related » WSOF 17 Play-by-PLAY

Condon Guillotine Finishes Nunez

In the lightweight co-main event, King of the Cage veteran Joe Condon submitted the previously unbeaten Jonathan Nunez with a third-round guillotine choke. Nunez (5-1, 1-1 WSOF) conceded defeat 4:22 into round three, tapping out just before he passed into unconsciousness.

Condon (12-7, 1-0 WSOF), who replaced Brian Cobb on short notice, was a non-factor for most of the match. Nunez piled up points with takedowns and right hands, but the Syndicate MMA rep never pushed for the finish and seemed content with cruising to a decision.

Late in the third round, he dove on an ill-advised takedown and wandered into Condon’s clutches. The Joe Stevenson disciple sat down on the Hail Mary choke and elicited the tapout with less than 40 seconds remaining on the clock.

Grinding Mladenov Sinks Kornberger

Krasimir Mladenov stayed undefeated with a unanimous decision against Maximum Fighting Championship alum Brandon Kornberger in a featured middleweight duel. Mladenov (12-0, 3-0 WSOF) drew 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 nods from the judges.

A short-notice replacement for the injured Jesse Taylor, Kornberger (5-1, 0-1 WSOF) could not stay upright. Mladenov was relentless with his takedown attacks, as he grounded the Canadian with ease, chewed up time and methodically chipped away with punches and hammerfists. The 28-year-old Bulgarian has gone the distance in each of his past three outings.

Hansen Notches Bloody Decision

Repeated takedowns and slashing elbows from top position carried Bryson Hansen to a unanimous verdict over Syndicate MMA’s Rudy Morales in a bantamweight showcase. Hansen (8-2, 2-1 WSOF) swept the scorecards with 30-25, 30-26 and 30-27 marks.

Morales (3-2, 0-1 WSOF) did little more than survive. Hansen buckled his knee with his first leg kick and then went to work with his takedowns and ground-and-pound. A short elbow drew blood -- and lots of it -- in the opening round, and Morales never seemed to recover. He succumbed to one takedown after another, eating elbows on the bottom and spilling blood all over Hansen and the canvas.

The 28-year-old Hansen has rattled off three wins in four appearances.

Davis Streak Reaches Five

Xtreme Couture’s Danny Davis Jr. recorded his fifth consecutive victory, as he captured a unanimous decision from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 17 graduate Adam Cella in a featured welterweight affair. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-27 for Davis (11-8-1, 3-0 WSOF).

Outside of a second-round point deduction for an illegal soccer kick, Davis was in complete control. The 32-year-old sat down Cella (6-3, 0-1 WSOF) with a clean straight right inside the first minute and struck for takedowns in all three rounds, pairing a stifling top game with occasional elbow-laced ground-and-pound.

Davis established his superiority on the feet, as well, cracking the St. Louis native with stout punches throughout the 15-minute fight.

Prelims: Rinaldi Keylock Submits Abanokov

In preliminary action, Jordan Rinaldi (9-4, 1-0 WSOF) submitted Soslan Abanokov (4-4, 0-2 WSOF) with an inverted triangle keylock 3:02 into the third round of their encounter at 145 pounds; Donavon Frelow (4-0, 1-0 WSOF) kept his perfect professional record intact with a unanimous decision over Taylor McCorriston (8-7, 0-1 WSOF) in their flyweight scrap, earning 29-28 marks across the board; and Trey Williams (1-0, 1-0 WSOF) rendered Jamie Point (1-1, 0-1 WSOF) unconscious with an anaconda choke 3:52 into the first round of their clash at 185 pounds.