JAKE SHEILDS: "TRIGG IS OFF MY RADAR. I THINK I PASSED HIM UP!"
By Percy Crawford | September 26, 2007

Jake Shields talks about his win over Renato Verissimo at Elite XC: Uprising in Hawaii, his future plans and much more. You don't want to miss what he had to say as he gives us an update on the status of Nick Diaz and his staph infection and shares his thoughts on Nate Diaz's win at UFC Fight Night 11 and his own desire to face big names in the UFC like George St-Pierre and Matt Hughes. Check it out!

PC: Congratulations on your win at Elite XC.

JS: Thanks!

PC: I know one of your goals was to become a more exciting fighter. You definitely accomplished that. How do you feel about your performance?

JS: I feel good, you know. I wanted to do a little more stand-up, but the fight went good. I got a first round finish. I finished everyone in my last four fights and three of them in the first round. I'm trying to keep that streak going and go out there and fight as hard as I can.

PC: You definitely proved a point. What did you know about Verissimo coming into the fight?

JS: I knew a lot about him. I had seen most of his fights. He's a great fighter. I cornered against him when he fought Gil Castillo, one of my old training partners. That was the first time I saw him fight and I was really impressed there because Gil is a tough fighter and he really took it to Gil. It was my first time seeing him so I was like, wow, and then he went on and beat Carlos Newton and had a really close fight with Matt Hughes. I also watched him lose to Trigg, so I've seen a lot of his fights and knew a lot about him. I knew he was a tough opponent and I definitely trained hard for it. I didn't want to just go out there and beat him, but I wanted to show him another level. I want people to realize that I'm up there with the very best in the world. I want to get my shot.

PC: You finished him with some tough ground and pound. You hit him with several shots. Had the ref not stepped in and he survived that round, were you getting arm weary at all?

JS: I felt fine because I do a lot of cardio. I did a ton of cardio for this fight to be ready. Even when you're in great shape, you're going to get tired after a flurry like that, but when you're in good shape, you bounce back in 30 seconds or so.

PC: The fight ended quickly, but did he do anything that took you by surprise?

JS: He took me down and I wasn't expecting that obviously, but I try and be prepared for everything in a fight. You have to constantly be ready for things and not follow your gameplan. I think some fighters are too stuck on one gameplan and I'm out there always ready to fight from any position; no matter what happens.

PC: I've seen where a lot of fans would like to see you in the welterweight mix. I know last time we spoke, you were interested in a Frank Trigg fight. Who's on your radar as of now?

JS: Trigg is off my radar man. I think I passed him up. He doesn't want to fight me. He knows I'll beat him. I'm passed him now. He's falling out of the rankings and I'm moving up, so that fight's kind of over. You never know. It could happen some day. You never know, but I'm not worrying about that fight anymore. I'm looking higher. I want to fight George St. Pierre and Matt Hughes and those top guys. Unfortunately, I'm over at Elite XC, who's been treating me great and I like them a lot, but the guys I want to fight are in the UFC right now and that leaves me in a tough spot right now.

PC: Where does that place you as far as getting your shot at top guys like the ones you mentioned?

JS: I don't know. That's why I'm just trying to let my manager figure out what's best for me. I like Elite XC a lot. They've been treating me really good, but I also want to start fighting those guys over in the UFC. I have to figure out what I want to do. Those guys come fight me or do I have to go over there. I'm just trying to concentrate on the fighting and let my manager figure the rest of it out.

PC: How was it for you to fight in Hawaii?

JS: I love to fight in Hawaii. It was probably my fifth time fighting over there so I'm known over there. Hawaiian's are really loyal. They'll always go for the Hawaiian fighter over you, but they give me a lot of respect when I'm out in the streets and stuff. A lot of them were like, "I like you and I would root for you, but you're going against a Hawaiian." They're going against me, but they like me out there, so it works both ways. It wasn't that hostile. They give me lots of love and Hawaiian's are really into fighting; they're a little ahead of lots of the mainland. I fought there four or five years ago and I couldn't believe how big it was because back then, over here, no one watched it. I went out to Hawaii and the whole island is talking about it.

PC: Caesar Gracie camp has been on fire lately with you, Nate and Nick. How has the camp been doing in general?

JS: We're doing good man. We're training hard and like any camp, you go through your ups and downs, but right now, the whole camp is really solid. We've been hanging together a lot and looking sharp. You have me, Nick, Nate and Gil, but a lot of other guys are looking sharp too. They don't hold the big names right now, but they could make a mark in the next year. David Terrell is another guy that's been missing in action, but he's refocusing and I think he has a fight signed. He will make his comeback and hopefully in a big way because he certainly has the potential to.

PC: Nick has been hospitalized with a staph infection. How is he doing?

JS: He's actually been in the hospital since last Wednesday. I talked to him last night and he's still there. I think they're going to release him today, but he got that infection pretty bad. A lot of people are getting hospitalized with it and it's getting pretty scary. I tell all of my students to just try and stay as clean as possible. Soon as I finish training, I head right to the showers. You want to stay clean, especially if you have an open cut or something like that. I got one like four years ago and I didn't have any insurance or money back then and some guy gave me some antibiotics to take and it cleared up, but it took awhile. I was sick for at least a week.

PC: How is the Gracie gym in California going for you?

JS: It's going great. I'm running my MMA out of Fairtex out there which is going great too. I train a bunch of fighters and we're training hard.

PC: What did you think of Nate's performance at Ultimate Fight Night?

JS: I thought he did an awesome job. The guy he was fighting, I had never seen him fight, but I heard he was a really talented guy and he went through him pretty good. Nate's really coming into his own now. He's always been Nick's little brother, but he's going out there now and really killing it. He's his own man now. He's getting better man. I've known him since he was like 15 or 16 and he was like a little punk kid who was scrappy and now he's a hell of a fighter.

PC: You seem so much different than the Diaz brothers. How do you guys co-exist when you're around one another?

JS: We all get along great. We have different personalities, but we've been friends for a long time. Sometimes they may come across as punks, but they're actually really nice guys as long as you don't disrespect them. Especially Nick because he likes to get out there and get all crazy for his fights and that's the way he pumps himself up. A lot of guys get out there and smack talk for show and stuff, but Nick takes that stuff personal.

PC: I saw on the countdown that you have a young daughter. How do you balance teaching the school and training while having a young kid like that?

JS: It's tough. Especially fighting because it's so much traveling and I work a lot of guys' corners. It's tough trying to balance things out, especially if I have a fight coming up because I'm so tired on the weekends when I'm trying to take her out and I just don't have the energy to do it. It's tough, but I force myself out to do it and I pick her up and take her out and I just want to make sure I keep that relationship with her.

PC: Would you like to fight again this year or would you prefer to rest the second half of the year?

JS: I want to fight one more time this year before the holidays. I fought in January the last two years and that's a pain in the ass because no one wants to train with you during the holidays. I have nothing scheduled, but I'm hoping to get one in during November or early December. I'm looking into a couple of possibilities.

PC: It's always a pleasure to watch you and speak with you. Is there anything you want to say to your fans in closing?

JS: Thanks for their support and to keep watching. I plan on doing big things in the future.