Ellenberger stuns Shields in UFC’s “Battle on the Bayou”

UFC welterweight fighter Jake "The Juggernaut" Ellenberger's bite matched his bark at the recent Ultimate Fighting Championship's Fight Night 25, billed as the "Battle on the Bayou." Under the bright lights of New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the 26-year-old up-and-comer needed just 53 seconds to drop multi-league champion Jake Shields to the canvas with a brutal knee to the jaw.

Omaha, Neb., native Ellenberger didn't shy away from tough talk in the lead-up to the fight, boasting that his matchup with master grappler Jake Shields would be "the least intimidating" of his professional career.

While certainly confident, former Marine Ellenberger didn't take his opponent as lightly as his pre-fight bravado suggested. "Honestly, I assumed it was going to be a three-round war. I really did," said Ellenberger in a radio interview on Sunday night. "I knew that [Shields] always comes in in phenomenal shape. He's one of the best grapplers in the sport of mixed martial arts. I expected an absolute three-round hell, but fortunately, it was quicker than that."

Born in Mountain Ranch, Calif., and fighting out of San Francisco, 32-year-old Jake Shields had established a reputation as one of mixed martial arts' best ground fighters. His impressive resume included a 2005 Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championship gold medal, a championship in the prestigious Gracie Superfight Open in 2007, and an amateur wrestling career highlighted by accomplishments such as All-American selections, FILA world team trials qualifications and a runner-up performance in the Amateur Athletic Union's national championship. He'd backed it up in the world of mixed martial arts with 10 submission victories in a 33-fight MMA career stretching all the way back to 1999.

In a unanimous decision loss in his last outing, Shields had failed to dethrone the UFC's seemingly invincible Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, a living legend who has now defended his title in six consecutive challenges and hasn't lost a fight in more than four years. Despite this disappointment, Shields entered the Ellenberger fight as a 2-1 favorite on the strength of his 26-5-1 overall record and championships in the lesser-known Elite XC and Strikeforce leagues.

His opponent, Ellenberger, rode a four-fight UFC win streak into the bout, and could count on a strong wrestling foundation of his own. He wrestled at the University of Nebraska (Omaha), and is now an assistant coach for his former team. Although he lacked the experience of his opponent in international grappling competition, he benefited from training with Mark "The Phillippino Wrecking Machine" Muñoz, a UFC middleweight standout and former NCAA national wrestling champion.

Ellenberger could also be confident in his striking advantage over his one-dimensional opponent. With an impressive 16 of his 25 victories (64 percent) coming by way of knockout or technical knockout, Ellenberger had shown the heavy-handed power necessary to finish his opponent at any moment, while Shields had proved unable to outpoint a skilled striker like St. Pierre in a standup fight.

Ellenberger's diverse skills and frightening power were on display right from the opening bell, as he tossed an advancing Shields to the mat and stuffed an early takedown attempt with ease. He looked to be in fantastic condition and seemed able to impose his will on Shields through solid technique and brute strength, living up to his nickname.

When Shields closed the distance with a combination of punches, Ellenberger instinctively locked him in the clinch position. Unable to free himself from Ellenberger's gorilla grip, Shields took a vicious knee to the body, but it was Ellenberger's next strike that did the real damage. Ellenberger floored Shields with a knee that struck him cleanly in the face, and pounced on his defenseless opponent with a flurry of heavy left hands, prompting referee Kevin Mulhall to stop the fight. Ellenberger's blows were damaging enough to leave Shields dazed. As Mulhall dived in to protect him, Shields instinctively continued to fight, grabbing Mulhall's leg and attempting to wrestle him until he finally regained his awareness of the situation.

Ellenberger's quick victory was the result of a well-conceived and perfectly executed strategy. Relying on his training at the Reign Training Center in Lake Forest, Calif., the underdog exposed Shields' weakness as a striker and never gave him the chance to show off his vaunted ground game. "…we [trained] a lot of scenarios with takedowns and also for me on my back. Basically, my strategy was getting back to my feet and fighting where I felt more comfortable," he explained.

Ellenberger's highlight-reel knockout earned him the UFC's coveted knockout of the night honors, and the $55,000 bonus that came with it. With a victory over a top contender, Ellenberger has now elevated himself to the top tier of his division in his sport's most prestigious and competitive league, the UFC. He is perhaps one fight away from the matchup he really wants: a five-round championship challenge against Georges St. Pierre. He'll probably have to go through one more top contender to get it there, someone like John Fitch or Josh Koscheck. These two veterans have long served as the gatekeepers to the dominant French Canadian champion.

Whatever his route, Jake Ellenberger seems destined to face St. Pierre, who has essentially cleaned out his division, defeating every relevant contender other than Ellenberger. "GSP" is supremely well conditioned, freakishly athletic, experienced, and a more technical striker than Ellenberger. And, oh yeah, he's also the best wrestler in all of mixed martial arts. It seems highly unlikely that Ellenberger could take GSP's crown, but for now, he's pretty much the last man standing. Confident in his skills and his training, this young contender looks set to continue his upward struggle toward title contention.