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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Jake Shields picked up his first stoppage win in five years on Saturday night, submitting Ryan Ford in the first round to secure a shot at the WSOF Welterweight Championship.
The former Strikeforce Champ and one time UFC Welterweight Title contender had to survive an early scare, getting wobbled by a shot from Ford, but when his opponent failed to capitalize, Shields took over.
After getting things to the ground, Shields made quick work of Ford to secure the rear naked choke. It was his first stoppage win since submitting Robbie Lawler in their respective Strikeforce debuts back in June of 2009.
With the win, Shields will now get a fight against the winner of December's Rousimar Palhares vs. Jon Fitch fight, according to WSOF matchmaker Ali Abdelaziz.
@jakeshieldsajj is one of the best welter weights in the world. He's next up for the title.
Penick's Analysis: Shields has always been very fun to watch against guys who just aren't on his level. He's got a very slick ground game, and he remains an elite talent, which makes his release from the UFC all the more unnecessary. If you take out the loss to Jake Ellenberger in a fight he should have stepped out of shortly after the sudden death of his father, Shields has only lost by decision to Georges St-Pierre and Hector Lombard dating back to the start of 2005. He should still be considered a top ten guy, and he should probably be considered a favorite entering a title bout against either Shields or Palhares.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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