UFC 150: August 11, 2012 Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado UFC Middleweight Contender Jake Shields (-205) Profile: Jake Shields (27-6) has seen and done almost everything you can in MMA. He was a Shooto champion, won a Rumble on the Rock tournament and earned Elite XC welterweight and Strikeforce middleweight titles, defending the latter against current UFC light heavyweight contender Dan Henderson. The 33-year-old MMA veteran’s UFC tenure has been less impressive than his resume would suggest, however. Despite winning his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann, it was marred by talk of Shields not being an exciting or dominant fighter in the big leagues. He edged Kampann via split decision before losing his welterweight title shot against champ Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129. Shields followed up his loss to GSP – his first in six years following 15 straight wins – with a horrible knockout loss to Jake Ellenberger in September of 2011 but bounced back with an unconvincing unanimous decision win over Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144. UFC Middleweight Contender Ed Herman (+165) Profile: Ed “Short Fuse” Herman (20-7) is currently riding an impressive three-fight winning streak in dominant fashion, bowling over Tim Credeur, Clifford Starks and Kyle Noke between 2011 and early 2012. Before that, Herman had not fought in nearly two years after severely injuring his knee against Aaron Simpson at UFC 102. However, now he is back and will look to return to his early UFC form when he won Submission of the Night (twice) and Knockout of the Night within his first five fights inside the Octagon. The 31-year-old BJJ specialist will now take on one of his biggest challenges yet against former multi-weight class champion and current middlweight contender Shields, who moved back up to 185 to meet him. Opening UFC 150 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas has made Shields a solid -205 favorite (bet $205 to win $100) against Herman, who opened as a +165 underdog (bet $100 to win $165) according to the MMA odds. Shields has clearly accomplished more during his illustrious career, but what exactly is his motivation in this spot against a much lesser-known opponent in Herman? Is he looking to return to middleweight for good following a failed attempt at welterweight, where he went 2-2 and was dominated by GSP in his only UFC title fight appearance? Herman will not be an easy opponent for him, especially after finishing each of the last three fighters he has faced, including two in the first round. This is a much bigger opportunity for Herman to prove he can beat a legitimate foe who has already peaked and might underestimate him.
