Jake Shields Never Pressured by UFC to Drop Back to Welterweight

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Quotable:
“I was pretty undecided the whole time. I just wanted
big fights, and I know GSP is tied up with the Koscheck fight, so I was
thinking maybe going to 85 since my weight’s already up. [The UFC]
called and asked if I wanted (Martin Kampmann) at 70 and I said sure.
They didn’t give me any pressure; they gave me the option. Some people
were saying I was forced to go down, which certainly wasn’t the case.
They said I could fight at either weight, but they offered me a fight
at 70, and I was like I might as well jump and take it. I’m not really
sure if this is going to be a number one contender’s fight or not, it
hasn’t been mentioned to me, but there’s a good chance if I go out
there and look really good doing it, it’s definitely a possibility.”


Although it was his intention to remain as a middleweight going into
his new career in the UFC, the former StrikeForce champion tells MMAWeekly.com that
he took the fight with welterweight Martin Kampmann for UFC 121 without
hesitation and was never pressured by his new employer to make his drop
back to the 170 pound weight class and believes that a great
performance in his official Octagon debut will lead him to a potential
showdown with Georges St-Pierre should he get past Josh Koscheck.