One can’t help but wonder if because of all the ‘tisk tisk’ rhetoric firing around the internet the last few days, over Saturday’s post fight brawl, if the magnitude of Jake Shields’ UD win over Dan Henderson is getting a little overlooked. It may have not been the kind of performance that will win over thousands of mainstream ‘ultimate fighting’ fans, but for people that can appreciate the finer points of MMA (you know, like the importance of passing guard); Shields demonstrated again that he’s one of the world’s best.
Of course what also made last weekend’s bout so important is that Shields is entering free agency. In other words, the guy who felt like maybe Strikeforce wanted him to lose Saturday, just cruised through the organization’s second largest signing ever (next to Mr. Fedor Emelianenko of course). Not exactly the kind of way you want your middleweight champ to possibly exit…Well, speaking to All Headline News, UFC President Dana White once again wasn’t shy about expressing his interest in signing Shields (if you’re surprised by this, pick up a ball, perhaps you’d like to bounce it):
“Jake Shields is definitely going to leave Strikeforce,” said White, “and he’s definitely coming to the UFC.”…..”They never respected Jake Shields, who is their champion,” White continued. “They didn’t even have him in their commercials for the fight. Then the fight happens and Jake Shields wins.”
So…GSP vs. Shields sometime in 2010 er?