Jake Shields is going to control Yoshihiro Akiyama for the duration of the bout and grind out another boring decision at UFC 144 tonight.
In fact, I'm guaranteeing that Shields vs. Akiyama will not be an exciting fight. It's hard to believe that an Akiyama fight will not be a crowd-pleaser, but after all, he is fighting Shields and his less-than-satisfying style.
When it comes to fighting, these two are the complete opposite. Shields wins fights on points, takedowns and controlling his opponents on the ground, while Akiyama, most of the time, loses heart-pounding fights that showcase an exciting style. His fights in the UFC against Alan Belcher, Chris Leben and Michael Bisping prove that.
However, one thing that both fighters do have in common is their recent struggles in the Octagon. Akiyama has lost his last three fights in the UFC, while Shields is coming off his first losing streak in his career. So fans can expect to see Shields a little more desperate than they've seen him before.
When Shields and Akiyama take the center of the cage tonight, both fighters will have two completely different strategies. Shields will, of course, do anything he can to take this fight to the ground and pull off a submission victory against Akiyama.
It's not like that's a stretch either because Akiyama has shown that he's vulnerable to submissions in his loss against Leben, when Leben pulled off a triangle choke in the third round.
The problem for Shields will come when he tries to take this fight to the ground, because getting Akiyama to the ground will be no easy task. As most fans know, Akiyama has some incredible judo skills that he has showcased by winning gold medals in the 2001 Asian Games and 2002 Asian Championships.
And while Shields is looking to take this fight to the ground, Akiyama will try to keep it standing and turn it into a striking match. Akiyama knows that Shields' strengths are on the ground, and his striking is less than impressive.
Akiyama will press forward and try to make this a dog fight, and that will ultimately cost him. While Akiyama relentlessly pushes forward, Shields will lock him up in the clinch and eventually get a takedown.
Once this fight hits the ground, Shields will control the ground game, and it will be just like all of those other fights that he's bored fans to death with. I hate to say it, but this fight will be one of those fights that when you look back at this event on your DVR, you fast forward through it.
Don't expect much from these two on pay-per view tonight, as Shields will do what he always does—bore you.
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