Sherdog’s Top 10: Fighters Without UFC Gold

No one can argue with the effectiveness of Jake Shields’ methods. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

6. Jake Shields

When it comes to exciting mixed martial artists, Shields is probably never going to make anyone’s must-watch list. That does not change the fact that the Cesar Gracie disciple’s methods have been highly effective during his 38-fight career.

Shields came into his own while going unbeaten during a 15-fight stretch from 2005 to 2010. During that time, the Californian bested the likes of Dave Menne, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Mike Pyle, Paul Daley, Jason Miller and Dan Henderson. He made his Octagon debut having already earned titles with Shooto, EliteXC and Strikeforce. After taking a split verdict against Martin Kampmann in his first Octagon foray, Shields was given the chance to add another belt to his trophy case. Like so many others, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt came up short against Georges St. Pierre, losing a unanimous decision to the promotion’s longtime welterweight king at UFC 129.

Since then, Shields has hovered on the outskirts of 170-pound contention. He remains a matchup nightmare for any number of welterweight title hopefuls, as evidenced by grind-it-out wins over Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley. The lack of a fan-friendly style coupled with a recent loss to Hector Lombard figure to make it difficult for Shields to return to the championship discussion anytime soon.

Number 5 » Gilbert Melendez