Dana: "Jake Shields is definitely coming to the UFC"

[Kassidy]

http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/news/viewarticle.php?id=4343

Strikeforce middlweight champion Jake Shields is “definitely coming to the UFC,” according to Dana White. The UFC president says Strikeforce have shown their champion a lack of respect recently and that this will prompt him to jump ship.

“Jake Shields is definitely going to leave Strikeforce, and he’s definitely coming to the UFC… They never respected Jake Shields, who is their champion. They didn’t even have him in their commercials for the fight. Then the fight happens and Jake Shields wins,” White told All Headline News.

White also accused Strikeforce of backing Henderson to win the fight and thus alienating Shields (although it must be borne in mind that Shields was openly talking about moving to the UFC prior to last week’s event).

“They were like, ’Oh my God. [Shields] won. What do we do?. I think they sent [Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller] in there to challenge him, so that if Jake leaves, it looks like he doesn’t want to fight Miller. That‘s not the way you do it. You let the winner speak, then you ask him at the end about whether he‘s willing to fight Miller.”

Shields beat Henderson by unanimous decision in their fight last weekend, surprising fans and pundits alike. Henderson went into the cage as the favourite and nearly put Shields away in the first round. But he was eventually outworked by his opponent and now Strikeforce is in the awkward situation of having a champion who is apparently keen to leave and join their rivals.

 

[phantomgerald]

I believe his contract still stipulates that as champion, he still has one more fight. Should he have lost, he would now be a free agent. But yes, Shields is definately coming to the UFC. After watching him ground and tap Henderson, I think he and Fitch will have vastly similar careers. He's definately a top 5 welterweight if he enters the UFC now.

 

[Kassidy]

I believe his contract still stipulates that as champion, he still has one more fight. Should he have lost, he would now be a free agent. But yes, Shields is definately coming to the UFC. After watching him ground and tap Henderson, I think he and Fitch will have vastly similar careers. He's definately a top 5 welterweight if he enters the UFC now.

no his contract is up, the title would be vacated when he leaves, he is not stuck in SF because he is champion.

 

[xtremebadass]

I am officially excited. I am a big Shields fan. CBS and Strikeforce alike, along with several other elements never gave Shields enough credit and really disrespected him. The fight after the Henderson fight would definitely make me want to leave. I get disrespected then dragged into some publicity stunt to attract more viewers for a possible rematch with Miller? FUCK THAT. I am going to the UFC.

I remember pre-Henderson fight, Dana said that if Shields pulled off the win he said Strikeforce would have a tough time keeping Shields because no one can match UFC's offers.

This is great though, he is going to be huge in UFC. Him and Nate Diaz are in UFC and then Melendez and Nick Diaz are still in Strikeforce. They got all the bases covered.

 

[Kassidy]

ugh i hate the diaz brothers lol, just can't stand either of them

 

[xtremebadass]

I don't mind them, they could piss me off from time to time. Nate Diaz never really looked like a fighter to me. He is just way too skinny and his lisp pisses me off. I am still mad at his TUF win against Manny. If Manny didn't get hurt Diaz wouldn't be where he is today.

 

[phantomgerald]

I hate the Diaz brothers too, but their 4th brother Melendez is way underrated. He's beaten Aoki in my eyes quite convincingly, even jumping into Aoki's guard and dealing out some punishement without getting caught. That's impressive. He's got to be #5 in rankings after Maynard, Edgar, Florian and Penn right now.