One of the top fighters in both the welterweight and middleweight division, Jake Shields, has left Strikeforce and expects to sign with the UFC very soon. (Photo: Esther Lin)
Jake Shields First UFC Fight Official, Will Meet Martin Kampmann
- Jake Shields confirms his first UFC fight is set as he will be meeting Martin Kampmann.
As I said before, this is a great introductory fight for Shields. There is no reason he should lose to Kampmann but at the same time Martin has been fighting on big cards long enough that his name does have value. It will be a great chance to see how Shields does against sturdy UFC competition.
Read Article >Jake Shields Signs With UFC, Will Fight At Welterweight
Shields had moved up to 185 pounds during his time with Strikeforce after having captured (and then vacating) the welterweight title. Shields then captured the middleweight crown and ruined Strikeforce’s greater middleweight plans by not only beating Dan Henderson, but completely dominating him.
Read Article >Shields Cut By Strikeforce, Expects To Sign With UFC
What much of the MMA community considered inevitable has finally happened. Strikeforce has released their Middleweight champion after a long and frustrating bidding process to try to keep him signed to the promotion. Jake Shields and the organization finally severed ties officially yesterday after Scott Coker and his former champ couldn’t bridge the gap in terms of a salary. Shields was officially a free agent after his last title defense against Dan Henderson in April, but Strikeforce had the option to match offers made from other promotions. Seeing as getting into a bidding war with Zuffa would likely lead to somewhat a public humiliation, Strikeforce just saved themselves the trouble and cut him.
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