While Jake Shields signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship was huge news, almost as big a story was the fact that after an extended run in Strikeforce as a Middleweight, Shields would be returning to the Welterweight division against Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut on October 23rd. There have been rumblings that Shields was pressured into signing on as a 170-pound fighter because the promotion had no interest in him fighting in the Middleweight division, but Shields spoke to MMA Weekly to refute those claims earlier this week;

“I was pretty undecided the whole time. I just wanted big fights, and I know GSP is tied up with the Koscheck fight, so I was thinking maybe going to 85 since my weight’s already up. [The UFC] called and asked if I wanted (Martin Kampmann) at 70 and I said sure. They didn’t give me any pressure; they gave me the option. Some people were saying I was forced to go down, which certainly wasn’t the case. They said I could fight at either weight, but they offered me a fight at 70, and I was like I might as well jump and take it. I’m not really sure if this is going to be a number one contender’s fight or not, it hasn’t been mentioned to me, but there’s a good chance if I go out there and look really good doing it, it’s definitely a possibility.”

Shields is no stranger to the Welterweight division, earning the EliteXC Welterweight Championship by beating UFC pariah Paul Daley in that promotion’s final event before moving to Strikeforce and announcing his intentions to fight the best fighters in their 185-pound division due to Strikeforce’s lack of depth at 170 pounds. Shields may still consider a move to 185 in the future as he has repeatedly expressed a desire to fight Anderson “The Spider” Silva, but for now it appears that he is content at 170 pounds and working towards a possible title shot against division champion

Nokaut