Ellenberger: Shields Won’t Take Me Down
Jake
Ellenberger could position himself for a welterweight title
shot with a win Saturday over Jake Shields
at UFC Fight
Night 25.
Ahead of the bout, Ellenberger (Pictured) joined the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show to discuss how he matches up with Shields and he also offered his thoughts on the recent controversy surrounding Shields’ teammate Nick Diaz.
Ellenberger on Jake Shields: “What he’s done and
accomplished in this sport is self-explanatory.”
On the recent death of Shields’ father: “It is very unfortunate to hear that. I feel bad for him. It’s never easy going through something like that. I’ve had to do it a couple of times myself, but he’s a professional athlete. He’s a fighter and he’s shown that by staying in this fight. I know he’s ready to fight; otherwise, he wouldn’t still be taking the fight. I was very sad to hear that about his father, but Saturday night, it’s business. We’re going to go out there and do our job.”
On how his standup matches up against Shields’ standup: “I think it matches up great. It’s been more of a strong suit for me. I know he’s been improving quite a bit himself. I think if it does stay on the feet, it’s going to be a good battle. It’s something I’ve definitely prepared for. I don’t think it’s going to [stay standing]. I think he’s going to try to take me down and put it where he’s more comfortable at, but I’m ready wherever it goes.”
On how Shields’ standup looked against Georges St. Pierre: “I don’t think he did very well against Georges St. Pierre. I think Georges got -- I'm not really sure what happened. I think he got maybe hit in the eye and he wasn’t seeing very well, but [Shields] didn’t show a lot of power. Georges moves a lot. He’s definitely going to be someone who’s hard to hit, but [Shields] did put up a battle. It kind of went the way I expected, but I think Georges is a little timid on engaging as well, and that’s something -- I like to fight inside and I’m more of someone who’s going to engage and pressure [Shields]. He’s definitely shown he’s gotten better in his striking area.”
On whether he’ll be able to stop Shields’ takedown attempts: “He does have good grappling, good wrestling, but I’ve been training for this fight my whole life. Every year I’ve wrestled, every thing I’ve done, it’s basically for this fight right here. … No, I don’t think he’s going to take me down. He’s going to have to work really hard in order to, and I’ve been training with some of the best guys in the world.”
On Nick Diaz missing two news conferences and being pulled from his title fight St. Pierre: “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around it, why he wouldn’t show up to these small requirements. It’s not like he’s required to do anything tough. It’s just part of your job. … It shows him being unprofessional, and he got what he deserved.”
Listen to the full interview (beginning at 53:12).
Ahead of the bout, Ellenberger (Pictured) joined the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show to discuss how he matches up with Shields and he also offered his thoughts on the recent controversy surrounding Shields’ teammate Nick Diaz.
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On the recent death of Shields’ father: “It is very unfortunate to hear that. I feel bad for him. It’s never easy going through something like that. I’ve had to do it a couple of times myself, but he’s a professional athlete. He’s a fighter and he’s shown that by staying in this fight. I know he’s ready to fight; otherwise, he wouldn’t still be taking the fight. I was very sad to hear that about his father, but Saturday night, it’s business. We’re going to go out there and do our job.”
On whether he thought Shields might withdraw after his father’s
death: “I had thought it was a possibility. It was definitely a
possibility, but he didn’t. I would totally understand too. I would
definitely understand if he had to. That’s something very personal,
but he chose to stay in it and do his job and I respect that.”
On how his standup matches up against Shields’ standup: “I think it matches up great. It’s been more of a strong suit for me. I know he’s been improving quite a bit himself. I think if it does stay on the feet, it’s going to be a good battle. It’s something I’ve definitely prepared for. I don’t think it’s going to [stay standing]. I think he’s going to try to take me down and put it where he’s more comfortable at, but I’m ready wherever it goes.”
On how Shields’ standup looked against Georges St. Pierre: “I don’t think he did very well against Georges St. Pierre. I think Georges got -- I'm not really sure what happened. I think he got maybe hit in the eye and he wasn’t seeing very well, but [Shields] didn’t show a lot of power. Georges moves a lot. He’s definitely going to be someone who’s hard to hit, but [Shields] did put up a battle. It kind of went the way I expected, but I think Georges is a little timid on engaging as well, and that’s something -- I like to fight inside and I’m more of someone who’s going to engage and pressure [Shields]. He’s definitely shown he’s gotten better in his striking area.”
On whether he’ll be able to stop Shields’ takedown attempts: “He does have good grappling, good wrestling, but I’ve been training for this fight my whole life. Every year I’ve wrestled, every thing I’ve done, it’s basically for this fight right here. … No, I don’t think he’s going to take me down. He’s going to have to work really hard in order to, and I’ve been training with some of the best guys in the world.”
On Nick Diaz missing two news conferences and being pulled from his title fight St. Pierre: “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around it, why he wouldn’t show up to these small requirements. It’s not like he’s required to do anything tough. It’s just part of your job. … It shows him being unprofessional, and he got what he deserved.”
Listen to the full interview (beginning at 53:12).
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