SUG 4: Jake Shields Talks Dillon Danis, 'Dream Match' vs. Jon Jones
SUG 4: Jake Shields Talks Dillon Danis, 'Dream Match' vs. Jon Jones
Jake Shields discusses his SUG 4 matchup with Dillon Danis, says Jon Jones would be a dream opponent inside the SUG cage.
Jake Shields showed why he is considered one of the greatest grapplers on the planet Sunday evening at Submission Underground 4 (SUG 4) in Portland, defeating Dillon Danis in the submission-only event.
While Danis had his offensive moments in the matchup, it was Shields who keft with his hand raised, and the longtime welterweight mixed martial artist and world-class grappler took time after the show to offer his thoughts on the matchup and much more.
"It felt great. We [Danis and I] had a lot of bad blood," Shields told FloCombat. "We had some words. As much as we might not like each other, he's a very talented grappler, and I knew I was walking into a tough match. I wanted to get the submission, but at least I went out there and won.
"I can't be too bummed. When you win you can't be bummed. I would've liked to get a submission, I would've liked to have done better, but overall I think I did what I did. He had one or two good submission attempts, but I feel like I was on the offense trying to push the pace. He was kind of just waiting for me to do stuff."
Shields gave Danis props on one move in particular—his guillotine. While Shields eventually emerged unscathed, he admitted the submission was tighter than anticipated.
"Maybe the guillotine was a little tighter than I expected," Shields said. "I did have a lot of respect for the guy. As much as we had words, he's a guy I have a lot of respect for, and I knew he had a great guillotine, but it might've been a little better than I expected."
The win over Danis marks another chapter in the Skrap Pack vs. SBG Ireland feud stemming back to the historic Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor double feature in the UFC. Shields, a member of the Skrap Pack, notched another victory for his side in defeating Danis, shifting momentum back to his team in the series.
"This is a little extra," Shields said. "We've had some rivalries between all that. I don't hate these guys—him and Conor, I respect these guys, but we still have a little bad blood. So even though you might not actually hate people, you still have these rivalries, so it adds a little bit to it."
Despite competing just moments earlier, Shields also dished on his career moving forward. While many fighters remain mum following a fight, Shields already had some ideas in place.
"I want to do both [MMA and submission grappling]," Shields said. "I definitely feel like I have a least a couple more years doing this submission stuff. Fighting, I don't know. Fighting takes more toll on your body, so I take it one fight at a time from there. I think I at least want to do one more than re-evaluate. But this submission stuff I think I at least—probably a lot of years, but I at least want to do a couple more years competing against the very best.
"I like going against the best guys. For this show, obviously Jon Jones is the standout name if he does this again. He might be focusing back on his fighting career, but if he does [Submission Underground again], that'd be the dream match. As far as jiu-jitsu goes, I just like facing the best guys—[Lucas] Lepri, all these top dudes out there."
While Danis had his offensive moments in the matchup, it was Shields who keft with his hand raised, and the longtime welterweight mixed martial artist and world-class grappler took time after the show to offer his thoughts on the matchup and much more.
"It felt great. We [Danis and I] had a lot of bad blood," Shields told FloCombat. "We had some words. As much as we might not like each other, he's a very talented grappler, and I knew I was walking into a tough match. I wanted to get the submission, but at least I went out there and won.
"I can't be too bummed. When you win you can't be bummed. I would've liked to get a submission, I would've liked to have done better, but overall I think I did what I did. He had one or two good submission attempts, but I feel like I was on the offense trying to push the pace. He was kind of just waiting for me to do stuff."
Shields gave Danis props on one move in particular—his guillotine. While Shields eventually emerged unscathed, he admitted the submission was tighter than anticipated.
"Maybe the guillotine was a little tighter than I expected," Shields said. "I did have a lot of respect for the guy. As much as we had words, he's a guy I have a lot of respect for, and I knew he had a great guillotine, but it might've been a little better than I expected."
The win over Danis marks another chapter in the Skrap Pack vs. SBG Ireland feud stemming back to the historic Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor double feature in the UFC. Shields, a member of the Skrap Pack, notched another victory for his side in defeating Danis, shifting momentum back to his team in the series.
"This is a little extra," Shields said. "We've had some rivalries between all that. I don't hate these guys—him and Conor, I respect these guys, but we still have a little bad blood. So even though you might not actually hate people, you still have these rivalries, so it adds a little bit to it."
Despite competing just moments earlier, Shields also dished on his career moving forward. While many fighters remain mum following a fight, Shields already had some ideas in place.
"I want to do both [MMA and submission grappling]," Shields said. "I definitely feel like I have a least a couple more years doing this submission stuff. Fighting, I don't know. Fighting takes more toll on your body, so I take it one fight at a time from there. I think I at least want to do one more than re-evaluate. But this submission stuff I think I at least—probably a lot of years, but I at least want to do a couple more years competing against the very best.
"I like going against the best guys. For this show, obviously Jon Jones is the standout name if he does this again. He might be focusing back on his fighting career, but if he does [Submission Underground again], that'd be the dream match. As far as jiu-jitsu goes, I just like facing the best guys—[Lucas] Lepri, all these top dudes out there."