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16/03/10 - Shields wants fights with Anderson, GSP
Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields says he wants to fight the likes of Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre to prove that he is the best fighter in the world. His ideal scenario is a Strikeforce vs. UFC event pitching the organisation’s champions against each other, with him fighting St. Pierre.
But that is never going to happen, so is Shields considering a move to the UFC when his Strikeforce contract expires soon? Speaking to Graciefighter today he stopped short of stating an outright intent to speak to the UFC, but he certainly seemed to hint at it.
“I’m a fighter who takes it one opponent at a time and my next fight is in StrikeForce against Henderson. When you talk about guys like Anderson Silva and St.-Pierre, the best in the world, obviously I fight want to fight them. I want to be the best in the world and to be the best you have to beat the best,” he said.
“In my opinion both the UFC and StrikeForce are high-level events. They are two first-rate MMA shows. They’re really great for fighters and fans. There’s no reason for there to only be one main MMA event worldwide. The UFC has been in the market longer and thus has more elite fighters, but StrikeForce has lots of talented fighters and some are top 10 in the world.”
Shields (24-4-1) is regarded as one of the top grapplers in mixed martial arts and is unbeaten since a 2004 decision loss in Japanese organisation Shooto. His twelve-fight winning run since then includes victories over Jason Miller, Paul Daley and Toby Imada of Bellator, who was the 2009 Submission of the Year winner in the Fighters Only World MMA Awards.
Shields will next compete on April 17th when he defends his Strikeforce middleweight belt for the first time. His opponent is former PRIDE FC light-heavyweight and middleweight champion Dan Henderson, who recently left the UFC on the expiry of his contract.
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