Shields MMA’s Habitual Winner

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Inside the current pantheon of major mixed martial arts champions, few can hold a candle to Jake Shields in terms of consistency.

On a run as improbable as it is impressive, the Strikeforce middleweight titleholder has pieced together 14 consecutive victories since his December 2004 majority decision defeat to Akira Kikuchi in Tokyo. Carlos Condit, Paul Daley, Yushin Okami, Robbie Lawler and Nick Thompson all tried and failed to slow Shields’ momentum, and his streak now spans more than half a decade.

Shields turned in what may go down as a career-defining performance on Saturday, when he defeated former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Dan Henderson by unanimous decision in the Strikeforce “Nashville” headliner at the Bridgestone Arena. Scores were 49-46, 49-45 and 48-45, all in the champion’s favor.

“You get used to winning,” said Shields, whose last six opponents have combined for a staggering 144 victories between them. “It’s a habit. In my mind, I have no choice but to win.”

Henderson and his anvil of a right hand rattled his resolve in the first round, as he leveled Shields, swarmed him with punches on the ground and came close to ending it. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt later survived a crackling uppercut from Henderson, a two-time Olympian whose fists have left men like Brazilian icon Wanderlei Silva and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael Bisping unconscious at his feet.

“He hit me really hard,” Shields said. “It was the hardest I’ve ever been hit in my life. Henderson has one mean right hand, like everyone said. I was a little disoriented, but I didn’t want to lose and get embarrassed like that. I was thinking, ‘I can’t lose this fight like this.’”

An underdog entering the fight, Shields made his hunger work for him. From the second round forward, he dominated Henderson with takedowns, superior scrambling ability, textbook grappling and effective ground-and-pound. Rounds two, three, four and five all went the champion’s way. And the streak, which includes six first-round finishes, lived to see another day.

“I believed in myself,” Shields said. “I believed I could win this fight. It doesn’t matter if everyone picks against me. My team believes in me, and I believe in myself. That’s all that matters.”