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Shields gets the chance to jump to the head of the class
Jake Shields hasn’t stepped in the Octagon one single time, but he’s already being spoken of as the next contender to Georges St. Pierre‘s welterweight throne.
Shields, who faces Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 next week, signed with the UFC this summer after leaving Strikeforce. He was the Strikeforce middleweight champion at the time, fresh off a win over former UFC star Dan Henderson.
UFC President Dana White confirmed that a Shields victory over Kampmann will likely earn him a shot at the winner of the St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck fight that takes place in December.
“If Jake Shields wins against Martin Kampmann, it’ll probably be him next,” White said at today’s UFC 124 press conference in Montreal.
Shields is in the midst of a 14-fight win streak, with victories over notable names such as Yushin Okami, Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit and Henderson. He’s dropping to welterweight for his entrance into the UFC after ruling the Strikeforce middleweight class.
White originally promised a title shot to the winner of the Jon Fitch/Thiago Alves bout in August, but Fitch’s slow and plodding victory that night may have changed White’s mind. Shields will instead get the rare chance to jump right to the front of the competition and earn a UFC title shot in only his second bout for the promotion.