By Michael David Smith
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If you've seen
Jake Shields and
Dan Henderson fight, you'd probably say that Shields' solid jiu jitsu gives him a shot at beating Henderson, but that Henderson is the clear favorite because he has a size advantage, greater punching power, and much better wrestling.
But Shields and Henderson don't see it that way.
Henderson isn't willing to concede that Shields has any better jiu jitsu than he does, while Shields says he doesn't view Henderson being able to impose his will physically when they clash on Saturday night.
"I feel like over the years I've fought guys as good or better than Jake on the ground that are great at submissions," Henderson said. "I'm not too bad there myself, so I'm not really too concerned too much about it. But I am also aware that that's probably the biggest danger for me when fighting Jake Shields, but I'm going to be very comfortable there."
When Henderson refers to opponents he's fought who are better on the ground and great at submissions, he's likely thinking of the three guys who have submitted him during his 13-year MMA career: Anderson Silva, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Henderson is certainly right that Shields isn't quite at the level of those three.
And Shields isn't as big as those three, either -- or as big as Henderson or just about anyone Henderson has fought. The former EliteXC 170-pound champ, Shields moved up to 185 with Strikeforce because the promotion doesn't have many interesting fights for him at 170. Henderson, on the other hand, is a former Pride champion at both 185 and 205 pounds and is naturally a lot bigger than Shields. And yet Shields insists it won't matter.
"Weight is not going to be a factor," Shields said. "If Dan is a better fighter then that has nothing to do with weight. At this point, he's coming down and I'm coming up, so it's not going to be a big deal. There's probably going to be a five-pound weight difference, but it's not going to be a factor in the fight."
If weight won't be a factor in the fight, Henderson believes wrestling ability will be.
"I've said it many times that wrestling is the best base to have in MMA," Henderson said. "It's been instrumental in my MMA career and it doesn't hurt to be able to use that and still have the ability to knock guys down as well. I can't say enough about wrestling and what it's done for my MMA career."
Shields, however, says he's not so sure that wrestling is going to provide Henderson with much of an edge. And while Henderson is returning to the cage for the first time since he knocked Michael Bisping cold at UFC 100, Shieldssays he's not concerned about Henderson's punching power either.
"We'll have to see when we get out there, but I've been working on a ton of wrestling and trying to get stronger in those areas," Shields said. "As far as power goes, I know he has good power, but I'm not the easiest guy to hit and I certainly can take a punch. I'm ready for it, I've worked hard on it. I know on paper he's a better wrestler, but a lot of times it doesn't always stack up that way when you get in the cage."
Read More: news, Dan Henderson (MMA), Jake Shields (MMA)
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