Jake Shields set to do battle against Joe Riggs at upcoming Strikeforce event on April 11
by Jesse Holland on Feb 17, 2009 11:52 PM EST
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MMAmania.com has been able to confirm that former EliteXC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields (22-4–1) will take on UFC and Strikeforce veteran Joe Riggs (29-10) on the main card of the new-look Strikeforce debut show on April 11 in San Jose, California.
Shields -– widely regarded as the top welterweight in the world not fighting in the UFC -– recently finished Cage Rage Welterweight Champion Paul "Semtex" Daley at Elite XC: "Heat" on CBS "Saturday Night Fights" last October.
The Cesar Gracie-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout is on a blistering 11-fight win streak, racking up impressive wins against top-level talent such as Mike Pyle, Renato Verissimo, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit and others.
Perhaps most impressive is that he’s been able to improve fight after fight, finishing his last seven opponents –- something that was a knock on him midway through in his blossoming career.
For "Diesel" this will be his fifth fight for Strikeforce and his seventh since leaving the UFC following a knockout loss to Diego Sanchez in December of 2006. He's currently back in the win column after smashing fast rising jiu-jitsu stud Luke Stewart at Strikeforce "Destruction" last November.
Riggs has been plagued by injuries and other issues outside the cage throughout his career and after a stint at middleweight, has returned once and for all to the welterweight division.
The talented 25-year-old Arizona native has had an up-and-down career and there’s no doubt that a win over Shields would vault him back into contention.
The April 11 card will feature Nick Diaz and Frank Shamrock facing off in the evening's main event at a catchweight of 179 pounds. Gilbert Melendez, Scott Smith and Benji Radach are all expected to be in action as well.
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shields is gonna sub this guy in the 1st round easily.. nothing against riggs he’s a funny guy in most interviews and a talented fighter but shields is to good and on such a good roll right now it’s just not gonna happen for riggs
by randy murders on Feb 17, 2009 11:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I hope Riggs KO’s Shields! Sheilds stand-up sucks. And hopefully Riggs will be to big to be taken down.
by JV on Feb 18, 2009 12:25 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You know, that’s a definite possibility… lots of people say Joe’s washed up, but he’s only 25yrs old. Riggs seems like a good guy and I think the best of Diesel is in the near future.
by DAVE A on Feb 18, 2009 2:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
like i said wrong time for riggs he’s a great fighter but not ready for shields
by randy murders on Feb 18, 2009 2:57 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
WTF is wrong with Sheilds? I was certain that his next fight would be in the UFC. How many fight does he have left on his contract before he becomes a free agent?
I am a fan of Jake’s and he will beat Riggs…..But I dont ever want to hear Sheilds call out GSP ever again!
He needs to get his ass in the UFC ASAP!
by john on Feb 18, 2009 8:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Riggs is only 25??? It seems like he’s been around forever and he has a ton of fights under his belt. A little takedown defense will get him a huge win.
by PW on Feb 18, 2009 9:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree PW. Was he like, in the UFC when he was 22 or something? That young, and he could have potentially been the UFC Welterweight Champion.
My first thought was Jake is going to sub this guy easy, but then I saw a comment and remembered his shitty stand up, so if Diesel has semi-decent TDD, then look for Riggs to get a KO.
by Synyster [[2009 Year of Gegard Mousasi]] on Feb 18, 2009 10:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
U guys are missing the point here! Riggs is young, experienced and a very tough guy…Problem is that he is a Mental midget and his weak mental game is what has kept him from taking that next step.
I like Riggs, but lets be real…..He isnt going to beat Jake Sheilds. Jake has beaten fighters with better TD defense than riggs!
lIke Diego, Sheilds is a genius of acheiving the mount position. which is exactly how this fight will end. Jake will mount Riggs, then he will G n P away until the ref stops it, or Riggs gives up his back and gets choked out!
by john on Feb 18, 2009 10:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
His win over Semtex was far from convincing considering he had him on the ground for most of the 2 rounds before he finished him and Daley is known for his lack of sub-defense.
His GnP is not devastating either so if Riggs really wants it he could pull out the W.
Saying that I still got Shields by sub R2.
This card is shaping up really well. Keep it up Strikeforce. No complaints here.
by Ca$z on Feb 18, 2009 5:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Shields is one of my favorites, it will be interesting to see a few things! has his stand up improved? If not, it could be a long night. Where will he fight after this win? If he doesn’t sign with the UFC, I never want to hear him mention GSP again!!!
by kevin on Feb 18, 2009 5:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Kevin: I said the same thing in my post above! If he doesnt sign with the UFC than keep GSP’s name out of his mouth!
Anyone know how many fights left on his deal until he becomes a free agent?
I think Gilbert only has a fight or 2 left!
I know Alistar has 2 fights left with DREAM before he becomes a free agent!
Mania, a great idea for a thread, would be to research top fighters who could possibly sign with the UFC once they become free agents, and let us know how many fights they have left on their current contracts. I think it would make for a very interesting thread, and I would love to do it, but Mania doesnt show me any love!
by john on Feb 18, 2009 10:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think this will be sheilds last fight before he becomes a free agent and heads over to the UFC.
by john on Feb 18, 2009 11:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
damn! kj turned down the fight…lol randy i encountered ur posts in the brock thread..its delusional incoherent statements..
by gaara on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
how exactly is that? because i see the real deal in brock? and i believe a person can actually get that big and cut without juicing? i already said what i had to say with good reason why i said it, you’re a fedor nuthugger that is going to say anything you can to anyone that has a different opinion about him.. his 1 punch ko on arlovski was as lucky as mir catching brock in a kneebar, fedor has never fought a man like brock because theres no other specimen on this planet built that way and i think it will resemble the gsp beating of bj penn that happens if fedor does fight brock and dont give me a line of shit bj isnt as good on the ground as fedor and that brocks not the wrestler gsp is.. because we all know different and the size difference will be MUCH greater between fedor and brock fed0r will be 240 brock will be 290 do the math
by randy murders on Feb 18, 2009 1:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
hahah! ur so funny…just read my post there..did i hurt ur feelings? hmmmm! sory..ur intentions are busted..“lucky?” “nuthugger?” “never fought like brock?” wahaha! then who did? goldberg? and yeah brock fought someone like fedor on a daily basis with the name mankind..lol
by gaara on Feb 18, 2009 2:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
you’re an idiot dude, he fought randy couture,frank mir,and heath herring for his first fights other then min soo kim.. thats one hell of a resume for a career to start.. fedor would have to take the fight with brock much more serious and train like mir did when he fought nogueira to walk through brock like people think that man at damn near 300lbs moves like a 155 and has the power of a pickup truck
and since wreslting is so FAKE watch the movie “the wrestler” you’re idea of how fake it is might change as well not saying it’s not totally fake but it shows some real shit in there that would cause you to respect them dudes a little bit more it sure did me and i hate fake wrestling..
by randy murders on Feb 18, 2009 3:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
gaara: Why bother with this clown? He said that theres no other specimen out there like brock. Yea their are and their called prof bodybuilders!!! and what do prof bodybuilders take? Come on randy, what is it? You guessed it………..Juice & hgh!!!
by BOW on Feb 18, 2009 12:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
omg randy murders i agree with you, i tried posting something like that the other day. fedor is a very small heavyweight and brock is a very large heavyweight. im not saying brock would win but he has a very good chance. id give it 70/30 in fedors favour, but still my money would be on brock :D
by Jared on Feb 18, 2009 7:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
There’s a possibility that Fedor could get murdered by Monster Lesnar. I know that size doesn’t matter, but even Gegard Mousassi[did I spell that right?] himself said that when he stands next to Fedor, he seems bigger. SO sizewise, LEsnar is already at an advantage. Strengthwise, I’d go with Lesnar too.
Yeah, I know Fedor is cat-quick, but so is Lesnar. So gentlemen, and ladies, don’t ever count the monster out. He always has a chance, even against Mir. You’ll see. Mir’s so called “improved boxing” is all for naught.
by SYd[a.k.a."The Negation"] on Feb 18, 2009 2:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m a huge Lesnar fan and have been a supporter since he started in UFC. I don’t think at this point he would beat Fedor, but Lesnar wouldn’t get steamrolled either. Fedor is just too good, but he would definitely haveto work for that win and would probably take some punishment in the process.
by PW on Feb 18, 2009 9:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, Fedor would have to work for that win, but the win is inevitable! Brock is too green to fight a mistake free fight, and there isnt a fighter in the sport better at capitalizing on opponents mistakes than Fedor! 1 mistake against Fedor and its over!
syd: Lesnar is quick for a heavyweight….Fedor is midleweight-like quick! There is a big difference in speed between the 2. Also Fedor is so much more accurate, and believe it or not, The Brockness Monster wont be that much stronger than Fedor!
I also think that in the clinch, brock would try to take Fedor down, and Fedor could use his world class hips to counter and put Brock on his back, where he would be a fish out of water!
by john on Feb 18, 2009 10:38 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
the best thing about it would be watching fedor stalk the way bigger lessner, and lessner trying to be big intense Brock and fedor just looking at him like he needs a hug.
by Blazy J on Feb 18, 2009 11:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
JOE RIGGS WILL SMASH JAKE SHIELDS!!!
by robwhiskey on Feb 18, 2009 12:02 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll alert the media.
by RyanHobbs on Feb 18, 2009 12:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
shields will not stand with this guy he’s smarter then that
by randy murders on Feb 18, 2009 1:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It’s a shame Shields isn’t in the UFC. Would’ve liked to see him fight some real guys.
Not top tier to start. Just guys like Kos, Serra, Hughes. If he’s still alive, then Fitch and Alves.
But I don’t think he’d make it that far. He’s way too obvious. In his last fight you could almost hear him screaming “I’m going for the armbar now, get ready”.
by ftg314 on Feb 18, 2009 12:29 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
He is still pouting because Dana wont give him a title shot in his first fight.
by mike on Feb 18, 2009 2:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
or it might have something to do with contracts that were bought by strikeforce from the elite xc?
by randy murders on Feb 18, 2009 3:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
thats it exactly…the guys probably hurting for cash and just wants a fight to replenish his wallet
by McArthur on Feb 18, 2009 9:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If Shields wants to come over to the UFC, hahahah, Title shot???? Give him to Karo, or heck, even Burkman. Title shot my ass.
by GodDamnMike on Feb 18, 2009 11:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Heres the Deal with Jake!
He is starving for a shot at the UFC. HOwever he has a fight left on his contract. Instead of going to the courts, he decided to just take this fight which would end his contractual obligations and then become a free agent and sign with the UFC
by john on Feb 18, 2009 11:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nice one sided match up. Sheilds by choke or armbar 1st round.
by El Mexicutioner, formerly The Mexicutioner on Feb 18, 2009 12:31 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
lol Shields could not hang with the big dogs of the UFC. Maybe lower tier UFC fighters but doubt it.
by mmalover on Feb 18, 2009 12:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Riggs is done. He was done years ago.
Shields is a frigging poser calling out GSP and then taking fights against washed up bums like Riggs.
He knows he’s get his ass handed to him in the UFC and he’d lose his ranking as a top welterweight.
by Jeremyjackson on Feb 18, 2009 12:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I know riggs hasn’t had the best of luck in the cage but to say a 25 year old with as much skill as he has is a washed up bum then your just an idi*t!!
And sheilds at this point in his career is still one dimensional.. granted he is really good at what he does, but he cant keep beating tough guys and move up in rankings with the same attack..
Riggs by tko/ko
by mike22 on Feb 18, 2009 1:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Not real sure but I believe it will be on Showtime. Not positive though.
by BK on Feb 18, 2009 1:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Oh yeah, shield by submission in the 1st round.
by dave on Feb 18, 2009 1:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don’t care how old he is.
He’s a pill-popping punk who’s looked like crap fighting in dimly-lit fringe shows against crappy opposition for the last two years. I saw him in a show in Canada a year or two ago and he looked terrible. Strikefroce didn’t give him any decent oppponents either.
And this “skill” you speak of… is that the skill that got him KO’d by a one-dimensional and undersized Diego Sanchez or the skill that got him TKO’d by the ultra-feared Kazuo Misaki last year?
Riggs sucks and so do you. Calling me an idiot won’t change how cold it is in your mom’s basement.
by Jeremyjackson on Feb 18, 2009 1:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
The fight were he won in the fist round?? yea looked terrible.
If you watched the fight with misaki, riggs was winning that fight and got dropped and the ref stoped the fight early.
With diego i dont think that would happen again. He got caught.
If you dont like the guy that’s one thing, but to say he has no skill is just being ignorant.
And i live in sunny florida with my wife and kid. no basement dwelling mommas boy here.
by mike22 on Feb 18, 2009 2:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Let’s get this straight, Joe Riggs popped tons of painkillers due to a bulging disc in his back that was pinching his nerves. He underwent surgery,, but still has a re-occuring back injury, he’s not always able to train or fight at his best because of it. Now if people don’t like him because they think he’s A-hole, that’s another story. If he can get past his injuries, he’s definitely got enough experience and youth on his side to become a better fighter. I’m pulling for him.
by DAVE A on Feb 18, 2009 3:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Diego is one-dimensional? He is a top-3 fighter in whichever weight class he wants to be in.
by PW on Feb 18, 2009 9:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Top 3!??
at 170 he is beneath Fitch, GSP, KOS, Thiago, Shields, and i think Trigg and Gono would beat him too.
at 155 he can’t touch BJ, or Sherk and i definately see him losing to guys like Griffen, Aoki, Alvarez, and maybe even Edgar.
Diego’s next fight win or lose should be against Clay Guida!
by SoCalStunNa on Feb 18, 2009 1:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
if riggs comes prepared and fights smart he could win.shields has awful standup, and weak take downs. riggss def. could get upset.
by Bass on Feb 18, 2009 1:52 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Meh, dont want to see shields fight middleweights like lawler, and there really isnt any good challenges left for him at WW outside of the UFC, so this is a pretty major disappointment.
by Scott on Feb 18, 2009 1:57 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
First KJ pussies out again and now this… a promising looking new start for Strikeforce is quickly diminishing in radness. If they keep giving us weak matchups like this I may have to start calling them Strikefarce.
by Jeremyjackson on Feb 18, 2009 2:05 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
i think it will be a great fight for the time it lasts, as will diaz vs shamrock who cares about kj noons anyways the guy was a dumbass and ruined his own career
by randy murders on Feb 18, 2009 3:05 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
wow bud, this is a pretty good card, considering its not ufc. if you want big stars on yer fight cards than god bless, but maybe you could learn to appreciate a good card with some damn good fights like a true mma fan should
by Jared on Feb 18, 2009 7:31 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Shields should win this but it should be a good match.
by Khaos_warrior on Feb 18, 2009 2:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Does anyone know how many fights Jake has left on his current contract? Everyone wants him to finally fight some real WW’s.
by Steve on Feb 18, 2009 3:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Wow, in the picture, it looks like Riggs has seriously ‘roided or HGH’ed up lately. Don’t they test for drugs anymore?
by TJ on Feb 18, 2009 5:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
He has to, he loses every fight. This fight is a joke!
by Spyder on Feb 18, 2009 9:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The guy is a professional loser and probably thinks the only way he can win is to juice. Doesnt matter Jake will still turn him into a pretzel.
by the spyder on Feb 18, 2009 11:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Pretty good 1st fight for Shields in Strikeforce.
He’s supposed to fight a big name on the next card, probably on CBS.
by Joseph on Feb 18, 2009 5:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Not bad, Strikeforce’s next event is starting to take shape, and so far so good. The win against Daley was domination given Daley’s lack of a ground game, but he’s still a young fighter. As for Shields, didn’t Aoki call him out a couple months ago?
by Belisarius on Feb 18, 2009 8:28 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Joe Riggs is the biggest punching bag in the history of MMA. I cant believe that they would put Shields in the same ring with him, if I were Jake I would be insulted. Back in the day when Riggs lost all of his wieght he was supposed to be a badass in there, what a joke!!!!
by Spyder on Feb 18, 2009 9:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I have to agree with you guys…come to think of it, everytime I saw Riggs fight on TV he got beat.
by TJ on Feb 18, 2009 9:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’d laugh if riggs ko’d shields in the first, calling out gsp, sign up with the ufc there first chicken shit.
by nathan on Feb 18, 2009 7:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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