Jake Shields Interview
by Bryan Teal (email)

BT: Hello Jake. I would like to start by saying thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview.
JS: No problem.

BT: Jake, how did you become a fan of MMA?
JS: I was a wrestler. I started watching the UFC with my dad. He was the kid freestyle coach and was wanting us to see that wrestling is a martial art and the foundation of fighting.

BT: Who are your favorite fighters to watch?
JS: Chuck Liddell, Gil Melendez, the Diaz bothers, Randy, Shogun, there's so many good fighters out there.

BT: How do you like training at Caesar Gracie's?
JS: Its a great camp, with Nick and Nate, and Dave Terrell will be back and I bring the guys from my team over, Gil Melendez and Alex, etc. Everyone works hard and pushes each other.

BT: Who are you working with the most for your upcoming fight against Pyle?
JS: I worked alot with Gil Melendez, Nick Diaz and Tareq.

BT: What styles/techniques are you focusing on for this fight?
JS: I train pretty much the same for all my fights. I tweak it just a little depending on the fight. For Pyle I did a little more boxing.

BT: What do you think are your opponent's weaknesses and how do you plan on exploiting them?
JS: I think Pyle is an underrated fighter. He's well rounded. He's head instructor at team Couture and has had some good fights.

BT: How do you see this fight playing out?
JS: Well the fight is over and I won with first round rear naked choke. It played out somewhat how I thought, except i thought it might go into the second round. Once I had Pyle on the ground I knew I wanted to finish it and not let him back up.

BT: Can you give us any more information on why this is not a title fight and how you feel about Pyle supposedly not being happy with this fight?
JS: I heard that Pyle said 6 weeks was too short notice for 5 rounds. But I'm not for sure. I'm hoping to get title shot on the next fight.

BT: Now I would now like to ask you a few questions that aren't about your upcoming fight. What do you do for fun when you aren't training?
JS: I take my daughter to the park or beach. I go clubbing with my friends, just hang out.

BT: Who would you love to fight someday?
JS: St. Pierre, Matt Hughes, whoever is on the rise. Elite is promising to bring in some top fighters and has said any fighter from any
organization can fight me without signing a contract with them. So we'll see what happens.

BT: How many more fights do you have on your EXC contract and where do you see yourself fighting after you complete those fights?
JS: I have 4 fights, then we'll see.

BT: Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
JS: I really appreciate the people that support me. Most of the time I'm in the gym and only see them at the fights. You can check out and join my friends list at myspace at www.myspace.com/jakeshieldsajj