I'm not sure what to expect in this fight. Maia has been rag dolling strong wrestlers at 170, but Shields is good at winning ugly. I could see him trying to press Maia up against the cage for five rounds and making this a boring grinder. That being said, I'll still pick Maia to win. He's good at getting guys down from the clinch, and he's proven that at 170, someone being a better wrestler than him means nothing. What he did to Fitch and Story can't be overlooked. Fitch is a seasoned grinder who has imposed his wrestling on many great fighters at 170, and Story is a very strong wrestler himself and Maia made them both look otherwise.
I'm pulling for this fight to be a grappling match on the matt. I think Shields is being overlooked a little. I think Shields will make this a good fight. I hope Shields wins this, but I think its 60/40 for Maia to win
Shields might not always be an exciting fighter, but he is a great JJ guy and yes Maia is better, but Shields is good enough to hang with Maia on the ground in a MMA match.
It's hard for me to count Shields out, the guy finds ways to win, even though they may not always be exciting. Maia has been absolutely monstrous at 170 though, so I'm looking to him for a great finish in a great fight.
Maia wins easily. He's the better grappler by far and has been dominating grapplers at 170. Meanwhile Shields grappling has been completely underwhelming in the UFC and while he may be a good bjj guy he isn't ADCC champion caliber. Maia is one of the best in the world at what he does. Shields has not come close to proving that he is anywhere near that caliber.
Which one is pillowhands? Is it Maia? Because if that's the case this fight needs to be called the sleep over. Jake brought the blanket and Maia's got the pillows
Odd that they gave him Shields as sort of a display fight to maybe get him next in line. Hey Shields may be able to neutralize him. I mean hell, if Maia can easily grapple Fitch then he should be able to do it to SHields. But Shields probably can survive like Fitch. Totally controlling a guy with no sub finish isn't a great way to display Maia. He needs to take home a slick sub so people can get excited about his prospects for the belt.
Disagree. Who GSP finishes being the champion?
What Maia has been doing to strong grapplers at 170 is pretty impressive and if he ragdolls Shields he should be put to fight GSP right away (or JH, who knows?).
Shields hasn't been the same since his father passed. He looks lost without having him in his corner. Hopefully he's got a good team he can allow his head to trust in like his dad. Otherwise and most likely Maia will put him away in the first 3 rounds. I'd actually like to see Maia get the win chalk up another couple then get GSP. I'd be interested to see how GSP would deal with Maia's submission game.
Excited for this fight. I see Maia winning, he's on such a good run right now with a lot of momentum, and Shields really isn't that dangerous standing or on the ground (on the ground with Maia).
Maia is the guy I have in my mind beating GSP if anyone does with the current guys in the diviison. I know Hendricks has power but GSP has faced a lot of guys with power, he's really good at picking his shots and playing the safe/control/decision game. Where as I can visualize Maia grabbing a hold of GSP and dragging him to the ground like he did Fitch, just with raw technique and being such a big guy at MW.
Can't wait to see what happens here and where Maia goes after this (if he wins).
I really like Maia because he reminds me of myself. Good on the ground and crappy on the feet, although he improved his striking game. But skill wise, compared to me Maia is on a different level
I'm one of the few taking Jake Shields in this fight. I just see him out pointing Maia, I expect it to be a close fight but I think Shields will be more busy on the feet and the grappling should be a stalemate perhaps with Shields spending more time on top.
I think this fight will be competitive but believe Maia holds the edge on the ground. Not taking anything away from Shields, but I have a feeling he'll get tapped or lose a decision. But if Jake wins, he'll do it with superior control. Highly doubt he'll be able to submit Maia.
Jake Shields all the way here. He pulls off the upset and takes this one.
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