UFC 171: Shields vs. Lombard

Jake Shields (29-6-1) vs. Hector Lombard (33-4-1)

Jake Shields will look to get his fourth consecutive victory at Saturday's UFC 171, but it will not be easy as he is going up against a dangerous fighter in Hector Lombard.

Shields is an extremely talented fighter with the conditioning to go toe-to-toe with any fighter in the sport. Seven of his past eight matches have gone the distance, with the only exception being a knockout loss in 53 seconds to Jake Ellenberger on Sept. 17, 2011. But Shields hasn't lost since that quick defeat, going 3-0 with a no-contest. In his most recent match on Oct. 9, Shields won a grueling fight against Demian Maia by way of split decision. At UFC 161 five months earlier, he also won by way of split decision over Tyron Woodley. While Shields' cardio is terrific, allowing him to survive a long, grueling fight, he will have to be ready for a brawl against Lombard. In his last match against Nate Marquardt at UFC 166 on Oct. 19, Lombard won by knockout in just 1:48. He is a very strong fighter for his 170-pound frame, with elite knockout power. While Jake Shields has been on a nice run as of late, he is going up against a beast in this bout. In the end, LOMBARD's striking power will be the difference, as he will record his second consecutive victory by knockout.

Lombard has 33 victories in his career, with 19 of them coming by way of knockout. He also has seven wins by submission and seven others by decision. All four of his career losses have also come by way of decision. He has tremendous power in his strikes, and when he connects (40% accuracy, 38% for Shields) it can spell the end of the match for his opponent. Shields has shown the ability throughout his career to win a match by submitting his opponent, but the Cuban-born Lombard does a great job of not allowing his opponent to take him to the ground. In his career, he has a takedown defense rate of 75%. If the 36-year-old Lombard is able to control the fight and keep it on the ground, he should be in great shape because Shields cannot compete with Lombard’s punching power. However, if Shields is able to hang around and take the fight to the later rounds, the underdog could have a great chance to get the victory.

Of his 29 career victories, 16 of Shields’ wins (55%) have come by decision. With his cardio and his intelligence, he is able to stay in the fight the entire match, and does not get away from his game plan even when things start to go bad for him. The 35-year-old also has finishing ability with 10 wins by submission and three knockout victories. While Shields, who is 18-2 in his past 20 bouts, lands more significant strikes per minute than Lombard (2.59 to 2.35), he does not want to allow the match to turn into a brawl. Lombard does a great job defending against the takedown, but Shields, who has a three-inch height advantage in this fight, is very good at taking his opponent down. He averages 3.01 takedowns (1.15 for Lombard), and can do a great job of wearing his opponent out when he gets them to the mat. This is the type of matchup where both fighters have different strengths, and whichever man is able to effectively fight within his style should be able to get the victory.