Why Jake Shields-Rousimar Palhares may be the most intriguing fight this weekend
Although many eyes will be on Ronda Rousey’s grudge match with Bethe Correia at UFC 190, the general consensus is that it will be a squash match of epic proportions when the two meet in Rio de Janiero – a match that will leave a lot to be desired from a competitive standpoint. But if you are looking for a spirited matchup that blends high-level grappling and a fair share of vitriol, then look no further than World Series of Fighting 22’s main event between current welterweight champion Rousimar Palhares (17-6) and former Strikeforce, Shooto and Elite XC champion Jake Shields (31-7-1).
It’s a main event that pits two former UFC fighters against each other for a world title in an intriguing battle of expert grapplers who have bad blood between them stemming from how they carry themselves in the cage. And for a company like WSOF that looks to continue carving out a space in the world of MMA, having two former top contenders from the UFC headlining your card with a real feud will certainly enhance visibility.
More importantly, rather than go head to head with UFC 190, WSOF has decided to air their main card at 8 p.m. PT on NBCSN in an effort to get the fallout from those that are watching the UFC PPV. WSOF believes that staggering the show off of UFC’s pay per view that begins at 7 p.m. PT will give viewers the luxury of watching both main events.
“Who doesn’t want to see this fight between two of the best fighters in the world at 170 pounds?” WSOF President Ray Sefo said of his main event. “Ronda Rousey is a great fighter but I think she’ll put this girl away early in the first round. So the MMA world can benefit from that because they can switch over to us right when the main event starts.”
For the uninitiated, the matchup between Palhares and Shields is intriguing on a number of levels. With Palhares exceling at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Shields utilizing a more wrestling based approach to his BJJ base, you have a pair of fighters who grapple at the highest level. And the truth is that they really don’t like each another and will have something to prove inside of the cage on August 1.
“Palhares is a guy I don’t really care for,” Shields – who has victories over the likes of Tyron Woodley, Dan Henderson, Carlos Condit and current UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler on his record – said on a recent conference call. “So he’s here, and he’s a dirty guy that likes hurting people because he doesn’t let go.”
To that, Palhares replied: “(The criticism) doesn’t really bother me. It used to, but not doesn’t anymore.”
That criticism stems from Palhares' rather liberal application of his signature submission move.
If there’s one thing that comes to mind when speaking about the Palhares, it’s the ferocity of his lethal leg locks. You know, the kind of submissions that get you kicked out of the biggest mixed martial arts organization in the world because you don’t know when to let go. Aside from Palhares’ unsportsmanlike conduct approach to submissions, there is no denying that what the Brazilian has accomplished inside of the cage.
Of his 17 victories, a remarkable eleven of them have come by some form of leg lock. Only Ronda Rousey finishes fights with a move more often (81 percent via armbar) than Palhares (65 percent via leg lock). The frightening thing is that even though his opponents know Palhares is fishing for it, his mastery of the finish and its multiple setups have made it extraordinarily challenging to defend against.
Since joining WSOF after being ousted from the UFC for failing to let go of a heel hook against Mike Pierce, both of his victories have been in the first round and have lasted a total of 2:39. His last fight, a 90-second kneebar submission of Jon Fitch, further secured the notion that he might be the most dangerous submission artist in MMA. Not necessarily because of the submission, but the lingering damage that it has left. Both Pierce and Fitch suffered significant knee injuries and neither of them have competed in another MMA fight since.
Nevertheless, Shields says he has nothing against Palhares as an individual; he’s simply not a fan of his opponent’s work.
“He plays a nice guy once he breaks someone’s leg and doesn’t let go,” Shields explained. “He’s a bad person so it makes me want to go out there and punch him. … I might not care for Palhares, but he is extremely good at leg locks.”
As good as Palhares is with leg locks, Shields may be just as good – if not better – with his submission defense.
In his decorated 16-year career mixed martial arts career, Shields has never been submitted. And considering that Palhares has never recorded a knockout in his MMA career, chances are that the two grapplers will play a dangerous game of cat and mouse where the loser may find himself with a severely damaged appendage.
Also of note is the former Strikeforce middleweight champion’s conversion from a grappling technician who never saw a decision that he didn’t like to a submission-minded jiu jitsu practitioner that would prefer to leave the judges out of fights.
After being unceremoniously cut by the UFC in 2014 despite going 3-1 (with one no contest), Shields has seemingly turned over a new leaf since joining WSOF last October. He’s uncharacteristically more aggressive and that has resulted in both of his WSOF being unable to get out of the first round and Shields getting his hand raised once his opponent taps out.
But Palhares couldn't care less about Shield’s advances in becoming a finisher.
“He’s good, but I’m better and he’ll find out,” Palhares said through a translator.
Neither fighter is a high-level striker, but because of their exceptional ground game, they could neutralize one another and look to keep the fight standing. Palhares’ last three losses were all by knockout so perhaps Shields could use that to his advantage.
Regardless, WSOF 22 appears to be worth watching if you are looking for competitive fights. Palhares-Shields is a good example of that and should be worth watching regardless of how Ronda Rousey’s fight with Bethe Correia turns out.
