(Look at you with your exciting style and appropriately fitting nickname. You make me sick.)
Jake Shields confirmed via his Twitter account today that he has officially signed with the UFC and said that he will indeed face Martin Kampmann in his Octagon debut at UFC 121, October 23 in his home state of California.
"UFC contract officially signed. Fighting Kampmann in CA in a few months. Thanks to @danawhite and everyone for their support," the former Strikeforce middleweight champion tweeted this afternoon.
It looks like his coveted shot at Anderson Silva will have to wait until he ploughs through the UFC’s welterweight division, leaving a pile of fighters he decisioned in his wake. That is of course, unless guys like Kampmann, Alves or even BJ Penn if he moves up as planned, can utilize their stand-up to expose Shields’ still-developing kickboxing skills.
Undefeated since 2004, Shields will be riding a 14-fight winning streak into his UFC debut against "The Hitman." Kampmann has won four of his last five fights since dropping to welterweight. His only loss in that stretch came via TKO at the hands of recent UFC cast-off Paul Daley, who Shields defeated in 2008.
The event will be anchored by a main card heavyweight championship bout between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Cain Velasquez.
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UFC 121
October 23, 2010
Honda Center
Anaheim, California
Heavyweight Championship
Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez
Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann
*Forrest Griffin vs. TBA
*Tito Ortiz vs. TBA
Paul Taylor vs. Sam Stout
Court McGee vs. Ryan Jensen
*not confirmed.
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In all fairness, Paulo Thiago was a good win for him, quite possibly the best on his record but he does have a tendency to fight pretty one dimensional fighters, Volkmann, McFreidies and Condit (another guy who thinks himself something of a striker, who isn't.)
Either way, Shields is going to smother him and I'll take a 15 minute snooze and Dana White will be worried that he'll have fought hard to pick up a blanket from the competition.