Jake Shields officially joins the UFC (not yet); Will fight as a Welterweight
Posted By Anton_Gurevich UFC News

After long months of speculation about his future, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields has officially signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. According to the official statement at Graciefighter.com (Cesar Gracie Team website), Shields will make his debut inside the Octagon as a Welterweight:

"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."

Shields is a strong addition to the UFC Welterweight division, especially after defeating the promotion's castaway Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: Nashville. One of the best Submission Artists in the game, Shields has a variety of opponents to choose from, including the veteran Dane Martin Kampmann and possibly the winner of Fitch-Alves UFC 117 bout.

Jake Shields' career achievements

Career record:

25-4-1 (3 KO's, 10 Submissions, 12 Decisions)
14-fight winning streak

Notable Victories:

Hayato Sakurai, Toby Imada, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Nick Thompson, Paul Daley
Robbie Lawler, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Dan Henderson

Titles and Championships:

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Cesar Gracie (from February 2007)
Strikeforce Middleweight Champion
Shooto Middleweight Champion
Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Tournament Winner
Elite XC Welterweight Champion

Updated

Sports Illustrated's Josh Gross tweets: "Jake Shields isn't officially signed with the UFC. The money is agreed to, but the contract isn't finalized. Next week most likely." Well, it looks like we'll have to wait at least a couple of days for the official announcement from the UFC.