St. Pierre vs. Shields Free Pick
TORONTO, Ontario (TheSpread) – The main event of UFC 129 on Saturday night is a welterweight championship bout between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields.
St. Pierre, the champion enters the fight as the favorite to win this bout according to oddsmakers from online sportsbook Bodog.com as GSP has odds of -500 while Jake Shields has a money line of +300. UFC 129 takes place from the Rogers Centre and will air live on Pay-Per-View at 9PM ET.
WHY PICK ST. PIERRE
St. Pierre (21-2) has seemingly been unbeatable over recent years. He has defended his welterweight title five times since winning it for a second time while exhibiting dominant skills in both grappling and striking along the way. St. Pierre has the crowd behind him as he is perhaps Canada’s favorite athlete right now and he is used to being in the spotlight for his fights. His opponent, Jake Shields, is stepping into this type of fight for the first time. Shields has never competed on the biggest stage of them all and dealt with the pressures of that nature. Shields also struggled to make the 170-pound weight in his last UFC fight, so his cardio could be an issue.
WHY PICK SHIELDS
Shields (26-4-1), on paper, looks to be the toughest test for St. Pierre in his career. Shields may be the best jiu-jitsu grappler in all of MMA and his skills on the ground are something St. Pierre has yet to be tested by. Shields is also very difficult to stop, as he has only been stopped one time in his career. Shields is currently riding a winning streak that dates back to 2004 and he has also had success at middleweight against opponents like Dan Henderson.
WHO TO PICK?
I do think the odds should be closer than what they are, but I still see St. Pierre retaining his title. Shields may have skills that GSP has never dealt with, but Shields has never fought someone with the all-around talent of St. Pierre either. I look for St. Pierre to use his quickness to keep the fight standing early, where he has the clear edge. He will tire Shields with his jab, hook, and kicks, and then work for takedowns in the later rounds, where he will finish Shields by TKO.
UFC 129 FREE PICK: GEORGES ST. PIERRE -500
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