Jake Shields has signed his UFC contract and is dropping back to welterweight to face Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 in October.
Shields was the reigning Strikeforce middleweight champion and is currently riding a 14-fight win streak. He last fought in April, where he defeated Dan Henderson in Henderson's Strikeforce debut.
Shields was almost a lock to go to the UFC after winning that fight. The lion's share of the promotional materials for "Strikeforce: Nashville" centered on Henderson, despite Shields holding the title, and that angered Shields. Rightly so, I might add. He was the champion of the division and received almost zero promotional push for the fight. Strikeforce was right to shine a spotlight on Henderson, but Shields is a talented fighter who deserved to be promoted as well.
If Shields beats Kampmann, he'll immediately jump to the front of the line for a welterweight title shot against Georges St. Pierre in 2011. Kampmann is a tough opponent and a perennial top contender in the division, so it's an immediate test to see where Shields stands in his new company.
Source: Chron.com
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