Jake Shields Signs With UFC, Will Debut as a Welterweight

[Boanerges]

Jake Shields will be debuting at the 170lbs weight division in the UFC. After careful consideration and consulting with UFC representatives it was determined Jake would be finally going back to his original fighting weight. Jake's opponent is one of the UFC's top contenders and will be announced shortly.

It's obviously the best way to go. If Shields can run through one or two prominent welterweights by the time Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck finish their little lover's spat on TUF 12 (and subsequent title fight), he'll be nicely set up for a shot at the belt. Any guesses as to who he'll draw first?

Currently on a 14-fight win streak, Shields has spent the majority of his career at welterweight, but hasn't competed at 170 since October 2008, when he defeated Paul Daley by second-round armbar in an EliteXC title defense. Since then, he's gone 3-0 as a middleweight in Strikeforce, scoring wins over Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller, and Dan Henderson.

(Random thought: I wonder if Jake's original desire to stay at 185 came from the fact that his only Cesar Gracie camp-mate in the UFC, Nate Diaz, is now competing at welterweight. Probably too early to start worrying about something like that, but you know how loyal these guys are...)
-Cage Potato

Jake Shields should definitely be a force to reckon with in the 170 lb class in the UFC

[snakey68]

I will be interested to see how Shields does and should be a welcome addition to the UFC. I thought he was a little bit fortunate against Henderson who is not half the fighter he was but had Shields on queer street but couldn't finish him.

I would like to see him in against a Fitch or Koschek to see how he does against these guys.