Jake Ellenberger
“The Juggernaut” claims his place amongst the welterweight elite
It didn’t take Jake Ellenberger long to collect the biggest win of his career.
After shaking off two takedown attempts, Ellenberger buried a serious knee into the face of Jake Shields, dropping him face-first on the canvas. The Nebraska native quickly followed his opponent to the ground, unloaded a barrage of strikes, and earned the stoppage victory in just 53 seconds.
In the process, Ellenberger became the first man to stop Shields, and announced his presence in the stacked 170 pound division.
The win pushes Ellenberger’s winning streak to five, and cements him as a viable contender in the welterweight division. He’s scored emphatic first round knockout wins in each of his last two fights, and has won nine of his last ten fights overall, six by stoppage. Ellenberger’s only loss during that period came in his UFC debut, a hard fought, razor-thin split decision defeat against current title challenger Carlos Condit.
With a tremendous performance opposite Shields, Ellenberger has likely positioned himself for a meeting with another top 10 contender next time out. With heavy hands and very good wrestler, Ellenberger is a handful for anyone.
Shields has now lost two in a row after winning 15 straight.