(Video courtesy of YouTube/MMACanada)

Jake Shields was in Toronto recently for a photo shoot at Xtreme Couture for Jakt Apparel and he spoke briefly to MMACanada about his upcoming UFC 129 bout in the city with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre while he was there.

For those of you whose bosses don’t like you wasting your work day watching videos on YouTube, the transcription is below.

His thoughts on the fight with St-Pierre:
“I think it’s gonna be a great fight. I’m excited. GSP is a phenomenal fighter. I have a ton of respect for him. It’s gonna be an all out war, but I see myself winning. It’s a fight I’m going out there to win. I’m not going out there to get beat in the fight. I’m going out there to be the new UFC champ.”

How he thinks their skill sets match up:
“I think our wrestling is pretty even, but I think I have the edge in the submission game.”

Whether or not he’s been working on his stand-up for this fight (duh!):
“Yeah, of course. I’m doing a ton of stand-up. A good part of this fight might be on the feet. I know Georges has good stand-up, so I’m gonna be ready for whatever he has to bring.”

Whether or not he thinks GSP will try to grind out a decision:
“It’s what he’ll try to do. He’ll try to finish. He’s out there trying to put fights away. He needs to go out there and try to do whatever it takes to win. He’s a smart fighter. He’s obviously not a huge finisher, but he’s capable of finishing. I’m not letting it get into my head that Georges can’t finish because certainly he’s got a lot to prove right now and he’s gonna go out there and come out with a different pace.”

How he sees the fight finishing and whether or not he thinks St-Pierre will take him down:
“I think I’m going to submit him. He’s not easy to submit, but I’m gonna be hunting for submissions from every angle. I think he’ll take me down and I’ll be on my back this fight, but I can fight off my back, so…”