Former UFC welterweight title challenger Jake Shields (27-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is returning to the middleweight division to meet Ed Herman (20-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in the Mile High City.
UFC president Dana White today announced the fight via Twitter.
It'll be part of UFC 150, which takes place Aug. 11 at Denver's Pepsi Center.
UFC 150's main card, including an expected lightweight title fight between champion Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar, airs on pay-per-view. FX and Facebook are expected to carry the prelims. It's not clear where Shields vs. Herman will be placed on the card.
Shields, a former EliteXC and Strikeforce champion, won 15 consecutive fights over six years before back-to-back losses to Georges St-Pierre (in a UFC title fight) and Jake Ellenberger. However, the submission specialist recently rebounded at UFC 144 in Japan with a unanimous-decision victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama. It was his first victory since his UFC-debut win over Martin Kampmann.
Since a two-year layoff due to a knee surgery and recovery, Herman has been on a roll. "The Ultimate Fighter 3" runner-up was stuck in a 1-3 skid prior to the layoff. However, he's since scored a knockout victory over Tim Credeur and submission wins over Kyle Noke and Clifford Starks.
I like this fight. Herman is kind of a low profile guy in the MW division. Should be a really good fight. I got Shields by sub