Jake Shields' 5 Keys to Victory at UFC 121

UFC 121 will feature the UFC debut of one of the most electrifying and best pound-for-pound fighters in the world when Jake Shields takes on Martin Kampmann.

Shields comes into the fight with a lot on the line: A 14-fight win streak, his chance to showcase his talents to the UFC and a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship with a win.

Here are the five biggest keys to victory for Jake Shields at UFC 121.

5. Adrenaline

Jake Shields left Strikeforce because he didn't feel that there was anyone there that could compete with him. Dana White wanted Jake Shields. Jake Shields wanted to fight against the best competition in the world. It was a match made in MMA Heaven.

Now, with a proposed match for the Welterweight Championship on the line against Georges St. Pierre if GSP is able to beat Josh Koscheck at UFC 124, there is no doubt that Shields wants to make a name for himself in UFC.

If he can carry that emotion into this fight, it can help him since he is going up against a fighter who is a better striker.

4. The Underrated Strength of Jake Shields

Jake Shields isn't going to WOW anyone with power striking or anything like that, but what he can do is take a punch as well as anyone.

In his fight with Dan Henderson, he took a pretty good beating in the first two rounds but he kept getting back up (though to be fair, Henderson was pretty dumb and let him get back up after leveling him with a couple punches).

But that shouldn't take away from the strength and toughness of Jake Shields as a fighter. He keeps coming at you until you can't fight anymore. It will be interesting to see if Shields can withstand Kampmann's striking ability and wear him down.

3. Speed Vs. Power

This fight is quite the contrast in styles, power and speed. Martin Kampmann supplies the power, Jake Shields has the speed and quickness. In order for Shields to be successful he will need to use the speed advantage to his advantage. He needs to stick and move so that he doesn't get caught by one of Kampmann's knockout shots.

If Shields can take away that power advantage that Kampmann has he can take the fight. If he is unable to move around then Kampmann can make very quick work of Shields. Look for the matchup of power against speed.

2. The Stamina Factor

One of the things that makes Jake Shields such a great fighter is his stamina and his ability to make the opponent beat themselves. He can take the best that an opponent has to offer and get back up.

In his previous two fights against Jason Miller and Dan Henderson, Shields was able to win because he was able to outlast both men. Miller tried to fight like Shields and ended up getting tired and lost in the end. Henderson wanted to knock Shields out early but was unable to do so and he ended up getting tired. 

If Shields can take the initial onslaught, it will help him in the latter parts of the fight. He can make his opponents' overaggressive nature work against them. The whole fight could boil down to whether or not Kampmann has the stamina to keep up with Shields for a potential three rounds.

1. Get the Fight to the Ground

Jake Shields does not want to get into a slugfest with anyone. He can strike, but it is in no way his strong suit. He wants his opponent to come out swinging and exhaust all his energy in the early going. This will allow him to set his opponent up for a takedown, which is what Shields does as well as anyone.

He is not going to win a fight standing up. In fact only three of his 25 MMA wins have come via knockout and none in over three years.

So the difference in the fight will be seeing which fighter is able to dictate the way things go.

If the fight stays upright, that is an advantage to Kampmann, who is the far better striker.

If the fight goes to the ground then Shields has a huge advantage because of his ability on the ground and his terrific submission tactics.