To the casual MMA fan, the name Jake Ellenburger (26-5) was about as common of a name as the new guy that sits across from you at work. It took only: 58 seconds in the first round of the main event of UFC’s Fight Night: Battle on the Bayou last Saturday night in New Orleans to change all that.
Going in as the underdog against former welterweight champion contender, Jake Shields (26-6-1), “The Juggernaut” landed a big knee in the first minute that dropped Shields and followed it up by a barrage of hammer fists forcing Shields to curl up as the ref stepped in to stop the fight. “I’m surprised at how quick it went, but I’ve been training very hard for the fight the past few weeks,” said Ellenburger. “It’s hard to believe. My coaches are always there for me and they tell me all the time that the sky is the limit. I’m going to continue to work hard.”
A key factor for the loss could come from Shields still grieving over the loss of his father and manager just three weeks ago. “I’m just frustrated,” said Shields. “I got hit with a good shot. I wish I could have fought a little more. I don’t want to take anything from Jake Ellenberger but I thought I had a little bit of fight left.” This win from Ellenburger skyrockets him up the rankings in the welterweight division and already has people talking about him as a future threat to St. Pierre.
As for the other three fights on the main card, The Ultimate Fighter season 11 winner Court Mcgee (13-1-0) made his return to the octagon after being out from knee surgery and squeaked out a unanimous decision win over South Koreas’ Dongi Yang (10-2-0). Such was not the case for TUF season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins (13-4-0). Facing Roufus camp rising star Erik Koch (13-1-0), Brookins took a page from Randy Couture trying to keep Koch against the cage but couldn’t take him down. Koch took home the unanimous decision but made few new fans as was apparent by the boos from the crowd. Alan Belcher (16-5-0) also made his return to the octagon after 16 months defeating Jason MacDonald (26-15-0) in the first round.
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