There are few things in combat sports better than a heated rivalry and the unfinished business between the Skrap Pack and SBG Ireland is as real as it gets.

UFC superstars Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor have split their series at one fight apiece, and while fight fans may never get to see a rubber match between the two, the blood feud between the two camps lives on.

And just like any good grudge, teammates are looking to put stamps where they can be put down.

Jake Shields and Dillon Danis are set to main event Submission Underground 4 on May 14 in Portland Ore., and there will be plenty of pride on the line. Shields has rolled with The Diaz Brothers and Gilbert Melendez strong for more than a decade, and he’s eyeing the submission only grappling match with McGregor’s friend and teammate as a chance to notch another win for the NorCal collective in the ongoing rivalry.

Much like the recent Bellator signee, the former Strikeforce champion and UFC title challenger is a veteran of the SUG cage, and is excited to get his hands on Danis under the lights of the Roseland Theater.

Shields recently spoke with Submission Radio, and while there was respect shown during the conversation, the grappling ace also gave credence to the very real beef between the two camps.

“[Danis] a great opponent,” Shields said. “He’s really skilled, he may be a little prick and mouthy and cocky, but I’m not going to knock his skills by any means. He’s legit. He’s one of the best in the world and it’s exciting to fight him.

“It’s kind of half-assed," he added in regard to their personal beef. "He’s kind of a little Conor boy, and having the rivalry with Conor, and now I’m training with Renzo [Gracie] and they have a little bit of a rivalry so of course there’s a bit of bad blood between the two of us. But overall I don’t think he’s that bad of a guy. I think he’s a little cocky, but he’s also out there selling himself and he’s talented and he’s young.

“He’s not someone I seriously hate, but I do want to go out there and kick his ass. You don’t want to lose to someone that cocky.”



While the fights between Diaz and McGregor were certainly memorable, the road to the rematch hit insanity levels when a near-brawl broke out at the press conference for UFC 202. True to form McGregor was late to show, and moments after the Irish star hit the stage, Diaz made his exit.

The two fighters began jawing back and forth, and Diaz’s camp launched a water bottle in McGregor’s direction. That toss set off what would become one of the more infamous moments in UFC press conference history as McGregor and the Skrap Pack exchange plastic missiles as security and UFC PR attempted to shut things down.

During the chaos Shields chucked a cup of coffee, which Danis recently posted on Instagram for the purpose of pointing out the form of the fighter’s throw. Shields was click to clear the air on the issue, and stated it was sour grapes and plenty of java that got unto, and under, Danis’ skin.

“He’s mad that I doused him with coffee,” Shields said. “I threw the cup lightly because Dillon was really close to me and I got my target. He’s butt-hurt about that.

“I would have thrown it hard if I was trying not to hit him, but Dillon was right there so I was aiming for him and got him and a couple of Conor’s guys. Their shirts got coffee all over them. I’ll see if I can find some pictures of him getting hit since he’s talking sh*t. He had coffee all over him.

“It was pretty fun. I think he’s just mad I got him good with the coffee. I saw him talking sh*t to Nate and was like, ‘Oh f*ck this.’”