SIGNATURE WINS: Dan Henderson, Demian Maia, Carlos Condit, Tyron Woodley, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Martin Kampmann, Robbie Lawler, Paul Daley, Yushin Okami, Hayato Sakurai, Jason Miller
In the opinion of the author, Shields -- a Division II wrestler at San Francisco State University and bronze medalist at the 2005 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships -- is the single-most underrated fighter in the history of the sport. Take a gander at his list of major wins over the years: Shields beat Hayato Sakurai in his prime, ground Dan Henderson into paste, out-grappled Demian Maia, choked out Robbie Lawler, wore down Martin Kampmann, armbarred Paul Daley and took out Yushin Okami and Carlos Condit in a single night. That is an incredible career resume, and despite the fact that those wins were rarely aesthetically pleasing, Shields is one of MMA’s all-time greats.
What makes Shields all the more notable as a fighter is the fact that he accomplished all of that without anything resembling top-notch athleticism, power, explosive takedowns or really anything more than outstanding cardio, exceptional durability, incredibly suffocating top control that makes Jon Fitch’s look loose and underwhelming and a high-volume, low-power striking game. Few fighters have done more with less than Shields, and there is an argument to be made that nobody has historically been better at dragging opponents into the kind of fight that favors him.
Displeasure toward Shields runs deep in the fan community -- and understandably so. There is nothing exciting about his game, no “Oh, s---” moments that make you leap out of your chair and drop your jaw in awe; and his tendency toward winning close decisions has won him few devotees. Nevertheless, there is something admirable in the fact that Shields understands exactly what judges are looking for and exactly how to tailor himself toward that end.
That is the very definition of overachieving, and one hopes that the sheer magnitude of Shields’ accomplishments over the years will be recognized when he finally hangs up his gloves for good.
Number 3 » While few today would rank him among the sport’s all-time greats, he deserves recognition for his longevity, incredible durability -- only two knockout losses in 127 career fights -- and exceptional savvy and killer instinct on the mat. His 62 submission wins are an incredible achievement that will probably never be matched, and he has adapted to massive changes to rules and norms in 18 years as a professional fighter.