Jake Ellenberger still wants fight in the UFC with Jake Shields, believes he can "beat him right now"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger wants a fight with Jake Shields. Since the former Strikeforce and EliteXC Champion joined the UFC's roster last fall, Ellenberger has called him out, and believes he can take him out in the cage.

Now, after picking up his fourth straight win in the Octagon at UFC 129 with a first round knockout win over Sean Pierson and Shields losing to Georges St. Pierre on that same event, Ellenberger again wants that bout.

"If they do make that match and me and Jake get to fight, he's not a hard guy to figure out," Ellenberger said in comments made to Sherdog.com. "I feel like I can beat him right now."

Ellenberger is healing from a broken bone in his hand suffered in the Pierson fight, but he says the healing is coming along well after getting it operated on.

"I had an operation about two days after the fight," said Ellenberger. "It's healing great. I have full mobility. I just can't really lift or spar or nothing like that yet, but it's healing great."

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Penick's Analysis: If Josh Koscheck isn't available for a fight with Shields next, I'd throw Ellenberger right into that fight. He's one of the better fighters in the division, and with his only loss in the UFC being a split decision against Carlos Condit he'd make for an excellent option to face Shields next. It would be a very good fight in the division, and a big opportunity for Ellenberger to pick up his biggest win and prove that he's one of the best welterweights on the UFC's roster.

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