It was only a matter of time before former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields signed with the UFC.
Shields has officially signed his UFC contract and will be making his debut early in the fall. He’ll be returning to the welterweight division after a stint at middleweight that saw him capture the Strikeforce middleweight belt, then leave as champion after defeating Dan Henderson.
The announcement was made via GracieFighter.com on Thursday night.
“Jake Shields will be debuting at the 170-pound weight division in the UFC,” the announcement stated. “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.”
Shields has won 14 straight fights dating back to 2005. It is believed that a win in his UFC debut will earn him an automatic shot at the winner of the Georges St. Pierre/Josh Koscheck title fight.