Lincoln, NB — There was a time when UFC Lincoln’s Jake Ellenberger was considered a real threat in the welterweight division. A potential title challenger, in the days when Georges St. Pierre lorded over the division, seemingly infallible. A six fight win streak from 2010 to 2012 saw ‘The Juggernaut’ talked about as a possible foil for GSP. Yet he was never quite able to make the step up to the next level.

A brief setback came in a loss to Martin Kampmann. Ellenberger bounced back, stringing together a pair of wins over Jay Hieron and Nate Marquardt. Then, against the division’s elite, he dropped fights to Rory MacDonald, Robbie Lawler, Kelvin Gastelum, Stephen Thompson, and others. GSP left the division, and the sport, for years.

Despite being just thirty-three years old heading into UFC Fight Night 135 in Lincoln, NB, Ellenberger had plenty pf mileage on him. So it was no surprise that after suffering a tough TKO stoppage against Bryan Barberena on Saturday that Jake Ellenberger announced his retirement. The Nebraska native was at home, more or less. The timing seemed right.

He spoke about the decision after the fight with the media, saying that the call was an emotional one. That said, time with his kids “encouraged that decision. It’s the toughest sport in the world, things don’t always go your way. It came a little shorter than I would have liked it to have. But that’s what it is right now. I’m just in the process of moving forward, and grateful for all the opportunities.”

Ellenberger admitted that he likely would not have retired had he won against Barberena. There’d been no plan to retire either way. “Not really, to be honest,” he said of the possibility. “I had a lot of progress and progression in the last six or eight months. So not really, to be honest, I really didn’t.”

“He caught me. It’s one of those things, you’ve just got to keep moving forward,” he summed up the fight.

Looking back, Ellenberger picked a handful of top memories from his time in the sport. “When I fought Marquardt in Montreal was one of my favorites. [Jake] Shields, that was the main event down in New Orleans, that was another,” he recalled. “There’s a few. The Omaha main event, 2012, against Diego Sanchez, that will forever be one of my favorite moments.”

“There’s a lot, but I feel like, just the relationships with people I’ve made along the way, it’s really what I’m proud of,” Ellenberger said. “The UFC’s always been great to me, everyone on the staff, like I said, it’s been a privilege and an honor.”

On the possibility of him returning somewhere down the line, “I don’t know. There’s a lot going on right now. For now, no.”

Moving forward, however, he would like to stay involved with MMA. He alluded to opportunities that might allow for that. “Potentially, potentially yeah. I can’t really talk about it yet, but I would love to stay in this sport, stay involved. There is the potential for that.”

Ellenberger finishes his career at 31-15, with wins over Diego Sanchez, Matt Brown, Nate Marquardt, Jake Shields, John Howard, and many others.

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UFC vetran Jake Ellenberger stepped into the cage against Bryan Barberena for a scheduled three rounds in the third fight of the main card at UFC Lincoln (UFC fight Night 135). The event went down live Saturday night from Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. Ellenberger entered looking for a win after dropping his last three fights, with his most recent loss being against Ben Saunders at UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes. Barberena also entered the night off a loss, after losing a unanimous decision to Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve. Barberena was also coming back from injury.

To open the action, Ellenberger pushed forward and Barberena slipped away.  Ellenberger secured the clinch and fired a shot off the break. Barberena then pushed forward and just missed a one-two combo. Ellenberger jumped in, and the two exchanged briefly then separated. Barberena landed a right that hurt Ellenberger and dropped him to the mat. Barberena followed and continued to drop shots until Ellenberger got to his feet, but Barberena dropped him again to bring an end to the fight.

A great showing by Barberena, and for Ellenberger, a scene that had repeated itself of late. Saying there was “no better place” to lay down the gloves, Ellenberger, who turned pro in 2005 and who was fighting at home, retired following the bout.

Bryan Barberena def. Jake Ellenberger by TKO, Round 1, 2:26

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Lincoln, NB — MMA Lab welterweight Bryan Barberena gets a second chance to face Jake Ellenberger at UFC Lincoln. It’s a fight that was booked once before, only to fall through when ‘Bam Bam’ was injured. He figured the bout had slipped through his fingers for good, until word came that Ellenberger was in need of an opponent at UFC Fight Night 135 in Lincoln.

Barberena jumped at the second chance. He spoke about that during Thursday’s UFC Lincoln media day with reporters. There, he told the media that he’s “focused. Really focused. I’ve been out for a little bit, healing up from some injuries. So I’m just really focused, really excited to get back in there and show people why I belong at the top.”

To get there, he must go through ‘The Juggernaut’ — and Barberena certainly worked to get the opportunity back.

“I’ve been actually looking for this fight for a long time. It’s one that I’ve wanted just as far as match-up wise, I love the fight,” he said of the booking. “Then it came together, and just things didn’t work out, I wasn’t able to get cleared by the doctor and everything.”

Truth be told, Barberena figured the fight was lost. “I wasn’t counting on it coming back together, honestly, I thought that was it, I missed my chance to fight him and I won’t get another shot,” he recalled. “And then the opportunity came, a close friend of mine, coach of mine, told me that the opportunity was there, and to reach out for it. I definitely put my name in the mix, kind of pushed for it, to make it happen, and luckily it came together.”

While ‘Bam Bam’ respects his opponent at UFC Lincoln, he also sees it as a favorable booking. “I really like the match-up. He’s tough, he has some tools. I think it’s a good fight for me,” the Montclair, CA native said. “He’s got a name, he’s been in the sport a long time, he’s done a lot for the sport, but I’m excited to take it all. It’s my time, and it’s time for him to pursue something else.”

As for how he’s approaching the bout, “I want to come out, I want to get a knockout, and that’s how this fight’s going to end.” Never mind that he’ll be in enemy territory.

As for his most recent fight camp, “it was great. I had a great camp. I made sure I was fully healed, ready to go, one hundred percent.”

“My foot was good, I haven’t had any problems,” Barberena said. “It’s been awesome, and I’m looking forward to just going out there and putting on a show.”

Catch the full UFC Lincoln media scrum with Bryan Barberena above. The card airs Saturday live on Fox Sports 1 (TSN 5 in Canada).

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Lincoln, NB — Jake Ellenberger is fighting in his own backyard at UFC Lincoln. Close enough, anyway. The Omaha, NB native is in his own state, and will have plenty of friends and family supporting him. While that can be a distraction for younger fighters, the veteran of over twenty UFC fighters isn’t expecting any issues fight week. “No one even calls me anymore the week of the fight,” he joked. “It’s good, the family gets tickets. They’re excited, I’m excited.”

It’s a quick turnaround after a loss to Ben Saunders at UFC Utica in June. In Lincoln, Ellenberger will be taking on MMA Labs product Bryan Barberena — who just happens to hold a win over Ellenberger’s brother Joe. Jake was in his brother’s corner that night, so he knows first hand the caliber of opponent he’s facing.

As for the quick turnaround, part of it was the chance to fight at home. Part of it was getting back on the horse. “Certainly [there was] a lot of frustration after that last fight,” Ellenberger admitted. “Again, accountability is completely on me.”

MMA, he pointed out, is “one of those sports where there’s no room for error. You make a single mistake and it could cost you the night, cost you the fight, could cost you a world title. That’s just the reality of the sport.” Having started his career back in 2005, “[it’s] nothing new.”

The key is “making adjustments. Pivoting, moving forward. That’s the thing, you have to continue moving forward.”

Ellenberger admitted that he got “a little complacent” in a position in his last bout, the TKO loss to Ben Saunders back in Utica. “I got a little relaxed, made a mistake, and paid for it.”

Calling talk of future plans a trap, ‘The Juggernaut’ explained that “I never think past more than one fight. A lot of people do, and it gets you in trouble, I’ve done it before. You go on a seven fight win streak in a row, you start looking too far down the road, and you get caught in that trap.” Instead, “for me it’s always one fight, one fight at a time. How you feeling, how’s the body working.”

As for any adjustments he’s made with his back to the wall, Ellenberger told Cageside Press they came in terms of strategy. “Strategy, yeah a little bit. There’s definitely, I changed some small stuff strategy-wise. As far as training, nah, not really.”

“I did a lot of training with Rafael dos Anjos this fight, him being a phenomenal southpaw,” he continued, “and one of the best natural southpaws in the game. And he’s a pressure guy. He helped me out a lot, I got a great look from him. As far as making adjustments, not a whole lot.”

Catch the full UFC Lincoln media day scrum with Jake Ellenberger above. UFC Fight Night 135/UFC Lincoln takes place Saturday, August 25 at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NB.

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The octagon touches down in Lincoln Nebraska this week as the “Cornhusker State” plays host to UFC Fight Night 135. There, Justin Gaethje and James Vick will close the show at the event better known as UFC Lincoln. However, there is a featured welterweight bout on the main card that fans have been anticipating ever since it was announced. In it, Nebraska’s own Jake Ellenberger will take on Bryan Barberena (who is returning from an injury) in a fight that is sure to be none stop action from bell to bell.

Barberena was originally scheduled to compete at Fight Night 131, but suffered an injury in training that forced him out of the fight. But just two short months later and ‘Bam Bam’ is ready to go.

“It just feels so good to be back finally,” Barberena told Cageside Press ahead of the bout. “I’m so happy that that’s [injury] behind me now and I had a good camp and it’s time. I’m back, ‘Bam Bam’s’ back,” he stated.

Indeed, Barberena is back, and dare we say with a more assertive swag?

“I’m hoping to go in there and prove my worth and put on an exciting show for the fans. I believe I can compete with anyone on any given day in this division,” Barberena continued, “I’m not out here trying to be like Conor McGregor like everybody else is. I just want to fight, so that exactly what I’m going to do.”

As for the social media naysayers, well, Barberena was clear. “I’m not so much worried about doing all this talking or this stupid shenanigan’s to make some media or whatever. I’m going to go there [Lincoln], and fight and people are going to remember that because I put on a show every time I fight.”

For ‘Bam Bam’ this fight will mark the first time in his career that he is coming off both an injury and a loss. According to Barberena, it doesn’t matter. It’s just another day in the octagon office.

“It sounds cliche or whatever, but it really doesn’t matter that I am coming off a loss and an injury,’ he said. “In this sport there really is never a time when you’re not banged up to some degree, so maybe just the severity of the injury. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter because I’m going to get in there and fight. It doesn’t matter who it is.

That attitude is the primary reason why Brian Barberena is one of the most fan-friendly fighters currently on the UFC’s roster.

Don’t miss UFC Fight Night 135. also known as UFC Lincoln Saturday, August 25, 2018, live on Fox Sports 1. Jake Ellenberger will take on Bryan Barberena in a featured main card bout.

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Once upon a time, Jake Ellenberger was looked upon as a potential title challenger in the UFC welterweight division. When exactly that went wrong is difficult to pinpoint, but consecutive losses to Rory MacDonald, Robbie Lawler, and Kelvin Gastelum in 2013/2014 were the beginning of a considerable downfall for ‘The Juggernaut.’ Since that time, Ellenberger had gone 2-4, and entered into his fight at UFC Utica against Ben Saunders on a two-fight losing streak.

Saunders, for his part, had also lost two straight. Meaning one of these veterans would at least get back in the win column, and earn a bit of breathing room.

The real action in Ellenberger vs. Saunders started when Ellenberger caught a kick early in the second round. About ninety seconds in, he used that to drive Saunders into the fence, where he clinched and began peppering his opponent with uppercuts to the body. Yet just when it seemed like Jake Ellenberger might have the early finish, it was Ben Saunders landing a big knee to the body. That dropped ‘The Juggernaut’ instantly, as he covered up in pain. Saunders added a few punches to his downed foe, but the ref was already waving it off.

SHARP knee to the body! @bensaundersmma stops Ellenberger at #UFCUtica! pic.twitter.com/UC8NyB4ArF

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) June 2, 2018

Incredibly, it was just the first fight of the evening to be over within a round. A huge win for Saunders, and perhaps time to reflect on his career for Jake Ellenberger.

Ben Saunders def. Jake Ellenberger by TKO, Round 1, 1:56

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After another injury set back for Bryan Barberena, veteran Ben Saunders has agreed to step in to take his place. Saunders will clash with fellow vet Jake Ellenberger this June at UFC Utica, otherwise known as UFC Fight Night 131. UFC officials announced the change Thursday. Barberena’s injury was originally reported last week.

For ‘Killa B’ it’s an dangerous assignment. Saunders (21–9–2) is on his second tour of duty in the UFC. And while he’s 5-3 this time around, he has lost two straight. Both of his recent losses saw him finished via KO/TKO, at the hands of Peter Sobotta and Alan Jouban. A third straight loss could once again see him on the outs with the promotion, though his popularity could earn him another shot.

Saunders previously fought in the UFC from 2007 to 2010, going 4-3 in that span. A two-fight skid saw him cut in 2010, after which he landed with Bellator MMA, where he twice made it to the final round of their welterweight tournament (seasons 5 and 8) — only to lose to Douglas Lima each time.

Jake Ellenberger, meanwhile, loses a chance to avenge brother Joe’s loss to Bryan Barberena. However, he’ll get a shot to snap a two-fight losing streak of his own against Saunders. Ellenberger (31–13) has lost four of his last five, and found himself finished by Stephen Thompson, Jorge Masvidal, and Mike Perry. His lone win in that span came against Matt Brown at UFC 201. Ellenberger has remained with the UFC nearly a decade, making his promotional debut in 2009.

UFC Utica takes place June 1 at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York.

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‘Bam Bam’ is about to take on ‘The Juggernaut.’ UFC officials announced Tuesday that the promotion has booked a welterweight fight between Bryan Barberena and Jake Ellenberger for UFC Utica in June. It will mark Barberena’s first fight since a September loss to Leon Edwards, since which time he has been rehabbing a foot injury. For Ellenberger, it will be his first bout in over a year.

Prior to the Edwards fight, Barberena (13–5) had picked up a win over Joe Proctor at UFC Fight Night 108. Since returning to the welterweight division in January 2016, he has gone 3-2, with notable wins over Sage Northcutt and Warlley Alves, as well as a decision loss to Colby Covington.

For Jake Ellenberger (31–13), meanwhile, UFC Utica will be his first fight back since an April 2017 loss to Mike Pyle. Ellenberger is 1-4 in his last five, with the lone win coming against Matt Brown at UFC 201. Once a title hopeful, Ellenberger’s name still carries some weight, and this promises to be a fun scrap.

UFC Utica, numerically UFC Fight Night 131, takes place June 1 at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. The main event features featherweights Jimmie Rivera and Marlon Moraes squaring off.

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