Jake Shields will be looking to add another belt to his collection next Saturday night when he challenges WSOF welterweight champion Rousimar Palhares in the main event of WSOF 22 in Las Vegas.
Shields (31-7-1, 1NC) made his WSOF debut last year and has won both of his fights in the promotion by rear-naked choke submission in the first round. He is 5-1, 1NC in his last seven fights and will be looking to win his 5th MMA title when he meets Palhares.
Everyone knows that Palhares biggest strength is his leg lock submissions. However, what else makes Palhares dangerous?
“Leg locks is the obvious given and he has amazing leg locks,” Shields told The MMA Report during the WSOF 22 media conference call on Wednesday. “He is not known for his striking, but he is a big dude with a lot of power so he can hurt you with shots. He has good armbars. Good takedowns and good ground and pound. I think it’s easy to look past everything else because his leg locks are so dangerous, but he has other skills as well.”
Just like Shields, Palhares is a former UFC fighter as he went 8-4 in the UFC. Since his release from the UFC, Palhares has won back to back fights in the WSOF and is coming off a successful title defense against Jon Fitch in December. Since they were both in the UFC together, does Shields see the same fighter that he saw in the UFC.
“It’s hard to say. He has looked great in his past few fights,” Shields explained. “He has come out there so explosive and his game plan is so perfect. It’s hard to say how his cardio is in the second round and later.”
