With a win, Shields’ position is perfect
Shields’ contract with Strikeforce is near its end. Technically, he still has one fight left after Saturday, but Shields says…
Shields’ contract with Strikeforce is near its end. Technically, he still has one fight left after Saturday, but Shields says he has no championship clause like those in UFC deals, where the contract extends as long as you hold a championship. But he noted that the contract is running low on time, and that it’s doubtful he’ll get that last fight in before it runs out. At that point, he’ll be a free agent.
With UFC aggressively attempting to counter Strikeforce, and with a win over Henderson in a CBS main event on his resume, Shields couldn’t be in a better place at a more perfect time. Signing up a champion coming off a win over an established star on CBS would be lure enough, but with Shields, a win over Henderson would make him the most attractive potential opponent for UFC’s most popular fighter, Georges St. Pierre.
Should Shields win, Strikeforce won’t want to lose him. UFC won’t want Strikeforce to keep him. And even though he’s middleweight champion, he still considers himself more of a welterweight, where he has spent the bulk of his career. St. Pierre is running low on fresh opponents. And it’s a match Shields has wanted for years.
