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Report: Jake Shields Signs With UFC; Debut Will Be at 170

Yes, there’s a very good chance that in your internet travels today, you will likely not come across a more predictable headline than above (save something similar to ‘What Lindsay Will Learn in Jail’). Okay, to be fair, while everyone and their clairvoyant dog expected Jake Shields to sign with the UFC (the chances rose […]

Jake_Shields

Yes, there’s a very good chance that in your internet travels today, you will likely not come across a more predictable headline than above (save something similar to ‘What Lindsay Will Learn in Jail’). Okay, to be fair, while everyone and their clairvoyant dog expected Jake Shields to sign with the UFC (the chances rose to what? 99% or so after he was released by Strikeforce?) there had been some talk that he might consider staying at middleweight.

Well, according to a report on Graciefighter.com (which is run by Cesar Gracie– the dude that taught Shield’s much of his ‘that’s a wrap’ ground game), Shields has indeed finally inked a deal with the UFC.

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

Cool beans. As far as debuting at welterweight, really, for the time being, that seems like the best choice for both Shields and the UFC (Dana White never seemed too thrilled about the idea of the former Strikeforce champ remaining at 185). Shields is a natural welterweight, and although he’s taken out bigger dudes like Robbie Lawler and Dan Henderson, there are some beasts in the UFC middleweight division. In other words, why put a huge free agent acquisition where he can’t be his very best? That can come later if need be.

So, it will be interesting to see which ‘top contender’ Shields faces first. If he wins- does he roll into a bout with the winner of GSP/ Koscheck II?

Vancouver MMA Scene Still Very Undecided.

It seemed like things were going great as far as sanctioning mixed martial arts in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, but it seems like the situation is still completely murky. Despite a very successful UFC fight card, the city still has provincial sanctioning issues, and a lack of support from the Vancouver Athletic Commision. Couple this with very high insurance, and it’s hard to imagine the UFC returning any time soon. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani spoke with The Score’s Paul Lazenby who had some very interesting thoughts on whether any backlash was occuring after UFC 115:

The only backlash following UFC 115 is that of the Vancouver fanbase against the municipal government. The event couldn’t have gone better. I spoke with members of the Vancouver Police Department and they told me that there were no problems inside the arena, and nothing on the streets afterward that they wouldn’t have encountered on a normal Saturday night. However, city council is grasping at straws, trying to find anything negative to justify blocking further events. Councilor Kerry Jang said of an incident of gay-bashing that happened in the general vicinity of the arena: ‘There was an issue of a beating — unrelated to UFC, but the perception was there.’ In my opinion, the local government is going to continue with its old, cowardly practice of making excuses to conduct further ‘evaluations’ and ‘risk assessments’ so that they can back-burner MMA forever without ever having to actually say ‘no.’

It seems almost archaic that sanctioning is an issue for mixed martial arts, especially when the business model makes the host cities so much revenue, but be that as it may it could be some time before we no longer have these situations occuring.

UFC 117 Promo Video Featuring Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.

Chael Sonnen hopes to bring his game to the highest level when he takes on current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117. Sonnen has hyped this fight constantly and has really perfected the art of trash talking, but will he be the first to take out Anderson Silva in the UFC? […]

Click here to view the embedded video.

Update: Jake Shields Signs With UFC, Will Fight As Welterweight.

UFC has gained a high level welterweight addition to the division as former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields has signed with the promotion and, according to GracieFighter.com, will face a top contender in his debut match:
“Jake Shields will be debuting at the 170lbs weight division in the UFC. After careful consideration and consulting with UFC representatives […]

“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. [His] opponent is one of the UFC’s top contenders and will be announced shortly.”

Shields has been on a run for some time, taking out Robbie Lawler in 2009, then Jason Miller and Dan Henderson and there had been considerable speculation concerning Shields defecting to UFC from Strikeforce. Shields has been vocal about facing current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre as well as middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

No word on who the “top contender” is, but Shields is a welcome addition to a somewhat stiffled welterweight field. Look for Shields to hit the Octagon some time this year and try to continue his winning ways.

Update:
Sports Illustrated Josh Gross say’s Shields isn’t signed yet but they’ll get the deal done next week.

Jake Shields isn’t officially signed with the UFC. The money is agreed to, but the contract isn’t finalized. Next week most likely.

Update II: UFC president Dana White sent a message to MMAFighting.com, saying the announcement that Jake Shields had signed with the UFC was “not true” and that negotiations between the two sides, “They take time.”

UFC On Versus 2 Event To Air In Japan On PPV.

Looks like UFC is positioning itself well in the Japan as both Yushin Okami and Takanori Gomi will be fighting on the upcoming UFC on Versus 2 event which will air on PPV in that country. Akiyama will commentate the fights, lending some serious sexyness to the preceedings which take place on August 1 from the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California. Wow does Okami look much bigger than Akiyama though the two fight in the same weight class. While it could be the camera angle, there’s no denying that Akiyama is by far the best dressed.

UFC on Versus 2 will feature a light heavyweight bout between Jon Jones and Vladimir Matyushenko and we will carry all the pre and post fight coverage you can handle.

Bellator Fighting Championships Set for San Antonio On September 2.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (July 15, 2010) — For the second time in three months, Bellator Fighting Championships will bring its action-packed, nationally televised brand of mixed martial arts to the historic Majestic Theater in downtown San Antonio on Thursday, Sept. 2nd.
Tickets for the event go on sale at 10 a.m. CDT Friday at all Ticketmaster […]

Tickets for the event go on sale at 10 a.m. CDT Friday at all Ticketmaster outlets and at ticketmaster.com.

Bellator 27 will be headlined by three opening-round fights in Bellator’s Season 3 Heavyweight and Bantamweight tournaments as well as five other fights featuring top local fighters from throughout South Texas.

Fighters will be announced in the coming weeks.

Bellator last visited the Majestic Theatre on May 27th for Bellator 20, which saw dramatic wins by Alexander “Storm” Shelemenko, Bryan “The Beast” Baker and Eddie Sanchez.

“San Antonio is a great fight town and we were embraced very enthusiastically by the city’s MMA fans during our first visit to the Majestic Theater back in May,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We can’t wait to return on Sept. 2nd with a full card of eight more exciting fights.”

The Sept. 2 event will once again be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

For more information, visit Bellator.com or follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company based in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.