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Shields: A Lot to Win and Lose Against GSP

Jake Shields feels that his standup is underrated. | Sherdog.com



Few expect Jake Shields to beat Georges St. Pierre on Saturday at UFC 129.

GSP is such a heavy favorite, you could say Shields has nothing to lose. Shields would disagree.

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“There’s always something to lose when you believe in yourself and the people around you believe in you. There’s a lot to lose,” Shields said recently during a “Savage Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “I lose this, I’d be devastated. In one sense, I’ve got nothing to lose because the world’s not picking me. But for me, it would be pretty bad.”

Shields has worked for years to earn the opportunity he’ll have Saturday. He’ll be fighting for St. Pierre’s UFC welterweight title but also for recognition as the best 170-pound fighter in MMA. Not many people will be rooting for him either -- at least not at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, where St. Pierre will enjoy the backing of roughly 55,000 fans.

“Of course it’s going to be a factor, but I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a factor,” Shields said of the support GSP will have. “It’s one of those small things. To say it doesn’t make a difference at all wouldn’t be true, but it’s not one of those things that should determine the fight.”

Skills should determine the fight, and Shields likes how he matches up.

“I think the wrestling’s pretty even,” he said. “I think in jiu-jitsu I hold an edge. I think his jiu-jitsu is good too. I think he has underrated jiu-jitsu, but I also think I have underrated standup. It plays out to quite an interesting fight in quite a few areas. I think it’s going to be one of those fights that could take place on the ground, on the feet, all over the place. Also conditioning will be a huge factor in this fight.”

In particular, Shields said he has to pressure the champion. He believes St. Pierre’s previous opponents let him dictate the pace. Those foes also ended up on their backs over and over after falling victim to GSP’s takedowns. However, Shields thinks he has some weapons on the ground that St. Pierre hasn’t had to deal with.

“He’s got great posture. He’s great on top, but I’ve been working lots of submissions off my back and lots of sweeps and being really aggressive with them, not just sitting there and waiting,” Shields said. “A lot of guys in the past, if they get taken down, they’ve gone for a couple of submissions, but they haven’t really hunted for them. I’m looking for more of an aggressive game. I feel I definitely hold the advantage anytime it hits the ground.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:40:35).

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