Jake Shields facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jake Shields |
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Shields in 2010
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| Born | January 9, 1979 Mountain Ranch, California, U.S. |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Style | Submission wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | San Francisco, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Wrestling | NCAA Division II Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1999–present (MMA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 46 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 33 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| No contests | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | San Francisco State University | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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last updated on: May 1, 2011
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Jake Shields, born on January 9, 1979, is an American mixed martial artist. He is known for his strong wrestling and grappling skills. In his career, he has won several championships. These include being the last Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion and the only Elite XC Welterweight Champion. He was also a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.
Shields also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He even challenged Georges St. Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship. One of his biggest achievements was winning 15 fights in a row over six years. He calls his unique fighting style "American Jiu-Jitsu."
Contents
Early life and training
Jake Shields grew up in a rural area of Mountain Ranch, California. He was homeschooled for part of his childhood. He and his two older brothers lived in a quiet place. They spent their time mountain biking, exploring caves, snowboarding, and wrestling.
Shields started amateur wrestling when he was nine years old. He competed in many wrestling matches throughout his school years. He was a top wrestler at Calaveras High School. He also earned honors as an All-American wrestler at Cuesta College.
In 1999, Shields began training in mixed martial arts (MMA). He started at Chuck Liddell's SLO Kickboxing Academy. He fought his first few matches for fun and to learn self-defense. By 2001, he decided to make MMA his career. He then started fighting at his natural weight.
In the summer of 2001, Shields received a wrestling scholarship. He went to San Francisco State University. During this time, he joined the Cesar Gracie Fight Team. He became very skilled in grappling and BJJ. He won several grappling championships. He even won the Pan American Championships in Jiu Jitsu. This was impressive because he had little training in the traditional uniform (gi). In 2007, he earned his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Shields also improved his kickboxing skills. He trained with professional Muay Thai champions. He later developed his own fighting style. He calls it "American Jiu-Jitsu." This style combines Brazilian jiu-jitsu techniques with wrestling moves. It focuses on grappling without the traditional gi uniform.
Mixed martial arts career
Jake Shields is well-known for his impressive 15-fight winning streak. During this time, he defeated many opponents. This streak ended when he faced UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. It was a tough five-round fight at UFC 129.
Before joining the UFC, Shields won several major titles. He became the Shooto World Mixed Martial Arts Champion. He also won the Rumble on the Rock World Championship. He won the Elite XC Welterweight Championship by submitting Nick Thompson.
In 2009, Shields fought Robbie Lawler. This was at a special weight of 182 pounds. Shields won quickly by submission in the first round. Later that year, he fought Jason 'Mayhem' Miller. This was for the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Shields won by unanimous decision. He successfully defended this title against Dan Henderson in 2010.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Jake Shields joined the UFC in 2010. This was a big move for him. His first UFC fight was against Martin Kampmann at UFC 121. Shields won this fight by a split decision. This victory earned him a chance to fight for the UFC Welterweight Championship.
On April 30, 2011, Shields fought Georges St-Pierre for the title. The fight took place at UFC 129 in Toronto. Shields lost the fight by unanimous decision.
After the title fight, Shields continued to compete in the UFC. He faced Jake Ellenberger and lost by TKO. He then won against Yoshihiro Akiyama by unanimous decision. In 2012, he fought Ed Herman. Shields won the fight, but the result was later changed to "No Contest" due to a test issue.
Shields had two more wins in the UFC. He defeated Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia by split decisions. His last UFC fight was against Héctor Lombard in 2014, which he lost. After this, Shields was released from the UFC.
World Series of Fighting
In 2014, Jake Shields signed with the World Series of Fighting. He made his debut against Ryan Ford in Canada. Shields won this fight by submission in the first round. He also won his next fight against Brian Foster by submission.
In 2015, Shields fought Rousimar Palhares for the WSOF Welterweight Championship. Shields lost this fight by submission. There were some controversial actions during the fight from his opponent. Shields later faced Jon Fitch for the same title in 2016. He lost this fight by unanimous decision.
Professional Fighters League
Shields joined the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in 2017. He won his first PFL fight against Danny Davis Jr. by unanimous decision. In 2018, he competed in the PFL season. He lost to Ray Cooper III twice, once in the regular season and again in the playoffs.
Grappling events
Besides MMA, Jake Shields has also competed in many professional grappling matches. He fought Roberto Satoshi in 2014, which ended in a draw. In 2016, he had a controversial draw with AJ Agazarm. Shields has also won against notable fighters like Dillon Danis and Lyoto Machida in grappling events. In 2020, he defeated Diego Sanchez in a grappling match.
Television and film
Jake Shields has appeared in a documentary called Fight Life. This film is about the sport of MMA. He also appeared in three episodes of Bully Beatdown on MTV. Shields was a grappling coach for Chuck Liddell on The Ultimate Fighter 11. He also appeared on the Animal Planet channel in shows like Wild Recon.
Personal life
Jake Shields has a daughter, born in 2000. He is a single father. His father and manager, Jack Shields, passed away in 2011.
Shields has been a vegetarian his entire life. He has appeared in ads for PETA. In these ads, he talks about his vegetarian lifestyle.
Championships and accomplishments
Amateur wrestling
- USA Wrestling
- FILA Junior World Team Trials Qualifier
- FILA University World Team Trials Qualifier
- Amateur Athletic Union
- Freestyle Wrestling National Championship runner-up
- California Community College Athletic Association
- All-American (1997, 1998)
- All-State Selection (1997, 1998)
- Western State Conference All First Team Selection (1997, 1998)
- Collegiate career record: 56–14 (1997–1998)
- California Interscholastic Federation
- CIF State Championship Qualifier (1997)
- Mother Lode League Champion (1997)
- Calaveras High School Wrestling Wall of Fame (1996–1997)
- Calaveras High School Record for Most Near Falls in a Season (74)
- Scholastic career record: 108–45 (1993–1997)
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC.com Awards
- 2010: Ranked #2 Newcomer of the Year
- UFC.com Awards
- Strikeforce
- Strikeforce Middleweight Championship (One time)
- One successful title defense
- Elite Xtreme Combat
- EliteXC Welterweight Championship (One time; first; last)
- One successful title defense
- Professional Shooto Japan
- Shooto Welterweight Championship (One time)
- Rumble on the Rock
- Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Championship
- Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Tournament Winner
Submission grappling
- Abu Dhabi Combat Club
- 2005 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships - bronze medalist
- Fight 2 Win
- FTW Middleweight Championship (One time, current)
- International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation
- 2005 Pan American Championships - gold medalist
- International Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Federation
- 2007 Gracie Open Superfight champion
- Grapplers Quest
- Grapplers Quest Advance champion (three times)
Images for kids
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Jake Shields
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