“It came as kind of a surprise. I hadn’t really been talking to Strikeforce and pretty much everyone knows that I want to go to the UFC. We got our negotiations going with the UFC and they (Strikeforce) dropped me without any warning and it came out of nowhere. It is what it is and I’m moving ahead with the UFC contract and hopefully that will be worked out soon.”
On how Strikeforce treated him:
“They certainly didn’t treat me like a champion. I went up there thinking that I was the champion, didn’t have any tickets and wasn’t able to get in. Finally one of the Showtime guys was able to get me in and then Scott Coker had some tickets for me but they were way way way up in the stands where I barely could see and I was really surprised because I didn’t realize that is how Strikeforce treats their champs. At that point I didn’t realize that we weren’t negotiating anymore and first off they didn’t give me any tickets and when they did they were in the nosebleed seats. Finally one of the Showtime guys was able to get me down in the front row. They obviously wanted Henderson to win from the beginning and they were a little upset about that but I guess they just got mad at me for winning.”
On his negoiations:
“I’m just talking to UFC at this point and I’m sure we will work something out. I’ve really wanted to fight for the UFC for about a year or so and it just wouldn’t make sense for me to fight anywhere else. Especially if Dana White and the Fertitta brothers and everyone at the UFC is being really fair and it just wouldn’t make sense for me to go elsewhere.”
On the UFC:
“That is why I didn’t resign. Strikeforce is a great show and overall I have nothing bad to say about them even though we have seen some things differently at this point. But right now they are clearly the number two organization and the UFC is clearly the show to be in right now. I think I’m in my prime and I’ve had a great first part of my career and I feel it’s time to go to the big show.”
On Potential matchups:
“Nothing is 100% at this point and right now I’m just training and worrying about that. Right now I’ve been lifting a lot trying to get big and stay big. If it needed to be and they really needed me down I would drop back down to 70. I wouldn’t mind having my first fight up there but I am comfortable at 175 and really do want to drop down to 170.”
On when he'll sign with the UFC
“It’s hard to put exact times on it because it’s one of those things. The numbers have to go back and forth, my dad’s lawyers will look over them and the UFC’s lawyers will look over them but I don’t think it’ll take that long. I think this point we are done with Strikeforce and I think we are pretty close to coming to an agreement. Because at this point I want to fight in the UFC and they say that they want me and there is no reason why we can’t get this done soon. I’m training my * right now and I’m ready to go. I just want to get this contract done and I hope that they have a fight ready for me. Like I said I’ve always been a person who will step anytime…whenever and I’m just hoping that they will give me a big name right off the bat. I wanna go out there and show that I belong with the top dogs.”
On Dana, the Fertitta's and Joe Silva
“The UFC has been absolutely great to me throughout the negotiations. Dana White, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta and Joe Silva have all called to congratulate me. They always answer my calls right away. If I need tickets they get me the tickets right away. I’m brand new to the UFC but they have treated me absolutely wonderful much better than Strikeforce to this point. They return my phone calls and I get seats unlike Strikeforce but so far things have been absolutely perfect.”
On his teammate's following him to the octagon
|||Told you Strikeforce was a B level show|||I don't buy it... I call B.S.|||^^Its legit, it came from BJPENN.COM interview.
“I don’t want to knock Strikeforce because that’s not my style even though they did treat me like * which was unnecessary because I never talked bad about them. Honestly I would love to see Gilbert and Nick in the UFC. Even though Strikeforce is a good show, everyone knows it’s the number two show. They have a handful of good fighters but all the top competition is in the UFC and I feel that Nick and Gilbert are good enough to fight at the highest level. I would love to see them come over and once I get signed I’ll have to put that in Dana’s ear. I think they are two of the best of the best. I know the UFC likes having the best of the best and it just makes sense for them to be there. I know Nick and the UFC had a few issues before and I’m pretty sure it isn’t anything that couldn’t be pushed aside. I mean…who doesn’t like to watch Nick Diaz fight? I think all the fighters pretty much say that Nick is their favorite fighter. I’m Nick’s friend but he’s still my favorite fighter to watch. Even though I train with him I still have no idea what he is going to do when he fights. He is so much fun to watch fight, the interviews he does, his don’t care attitude and he could be a complete fan favorite if he had the marketing strength behind him. I just don’t see Strikeforce putting the marketing strength behind him as they didn’t for me. I feel like they (Strikeforce) want to go after the places that have already been built like Shamrock or Cung Le. They don’t seem really interested in building top young fighters in their prime. They had a great batch of young fighters like me, Nick, Gil and King Mo but they weren’t interested in great young fighters and instead all the push went to “has beens” like Shamrock and Cung Le. It seemed like they wanted to push people who were no where near their prime.”
''It came as kind of a surprise''
then
''I hadn’t really been talking to Strikeforce and pretty much everyone knows that I want to go to the UFC.''
then
''We got our negotiations going with the UFC and they (Strikeforce) dropped me without any warning and it came out of nowhere''
Is Jake on crack? He expected Strikforce to help him make more money by staying in the biding war when he knows hes going to the UFC.
Talking about loyalty & being treated like a Champ of the promotion. Hes posing at the competing promotion with Dana White at every recent UFC/WEC Event. He can't be serious.|||i like shields style (more cesar gracie) and think both sides have a legit argument, but good for coker to not let SF be used in negotiations. It’s been obvious for sometime that shields was looking to leave & sitting on DWs lap with the infamous 'hes mine' jab was prob the last straw...
i think if he would have acted like the SF champ up until the (obvious) end, they would have treated him a little more like one (but seriously doubt it changes anything). its nothing more than they both knew this was coming and were acting accordingly.
the minute he was seen on the UFC broadcast, he was with the UFC in cokers eyes im sure. dont necessarily agree with it, but i do understand not wanting to give him more facetime on SF broadcasts as the champ when it would only add to the embarassment of him leaving for a rival org.
same as how, while he was still w/SF, he was very rarely seen on TUF though he was one of chucks main coaches. it was an obvious effort to keep him off camera. they are not in to promoting fighters from other promotions...if he was with UFC then, im sure we would have seen alot more shields...just as if negotiations were honest and there was a geniune interest in both parties to return, he would have had a seat @ the SF event.|||Well Strikeforce did send Mayhem Miller into the cage at the end of Shields last match to upstage him so....|||
i like shields style (more cesar gracie) and think both sides have a legit argument, but good for coker to not let SF be used in negotiations. It’s been obvious for sometime that shields was looking to leave & sitting on DWs lap with the infamous 'hes mine' jab was prob the last straw...
i think if he would have acted like the SF champ up until the (obvious) end, they would have treated him a little more like one (but seriously doubt it changes anything). its nothing more than they both knew this was coming and were acting accordingly.
the minute he was seen on the UFC broadcast, he was with the UFC in cokers eyes im sure. dont necessarily agree with it, but i do understand not wanting to give him more facetime on SF broadcasts as the champ when it would only add to the embarassment of him leaving for a rival org.
same as how, while he was still w/SF, he was very rarely seen on TUF though he was one of chucks main coaches. it was an obvious effort to keep him off camera. they are not in to promoting fighters from other promotions...if he was with UFC then, im sure we would have seen alot more shields...just as if negotiations were honest and there was a geniune interest in both parties to return, he would have had a seat @ the SF event.
You made some good points. I like shields in everything but he cant expect a red carpet treatment when hes acting the way is in the public eye.
ALSO NO ONE REPLY TO THE EMO GUY, HE IS JUST TROLLING. IGNORE HIM FROM NOW ON & HE WILL GO AWAY. I SEE PEOPLE CONSTANTLY REPLYING TO THE GUY....PLEASE DONT TAKE HIS COMMENTS SERIOUSLY.|||so everyone knew you wanted to go to UFC and you're surprised when Strikeforce released you.
um numbnuts what did you expect strikeforce to beg and plead with you to stay with them, or them to make you more money by getting into a bidding war with the UFC, a war everyone knew they wouldn't win.
|||
ALSO NO ONE REPLY TO THE EMO GUY, HE IS JUST TROLLING. IGNORE HIM FROM NOW ON & HE WILL GO AWAY. I SEE PEOPLE CONSTANTLY REPLYING TO THE GUY....PLEASE DONT TAKE HIS COMMENTS SERIOUSLY.
we all know he is a troll, but the better question is how incompetent are the mods on this forum that a known troll is still here posting.|||I don't know guys lol, I can dig up that Dan Hendrson signs to SF thread which would make a few of you in here look a bit hypocritical lol.
Shields being treated like crap before leaving is stupid on SF's part imo (IF its true). Even if they knew he was going to leave, he gave that org ALOT while he was there, and did what he could. You can't blame Jake for wanting to leave, SF has had MASSIVE amounts of problems siging strong competition at 170 and 185, and Jake has ran through many of the top guys they have signed allready.
SF should have just been classy and given him the time of day till the end even though they knew he was leaving. I mean, after all boys, this is the type of crap many of you call the UFC out for doing.|||He shouldn't have been negotiating with Dana while he was still in Strikeforce. I'm glad he's gone, his fights were boring IMO and now we get a Middleweight Tournament!|||
He shouldn't have been negotiating with Dana while he was still in Strikeforce. I'm glad he's gone, his fights were boring IMO and now we get a Middleweight Tournament!
Dan Henderson agrees with you.
And while we can speculate all we want to, officialy the UFC DID not negotiate with Jake until his cntract ran out recently. In fact, ythe UFC hasn't even signed Shields yet. I'm sure if the UFC really was negotiating with Jake for that long, a deal would be done allready...ala Dan Henderson getting a deal done pretty quick with SF when he became a free agent.|||I dont see how Jake says SF doesnt support new talent? King Mo is everywhere! Miller is everywhere! Mousari (sp) is everywhere! I have to agree with everyone else on this one. Jake created this problem now is trying to point the finger in the opposite direction. I also find it funny how he jumps the bandwagon of the "top show" but doesnt realize that UFC can end up like Pride then and SF could be like the UFC now. He seems not to be too loyal. Im waiting to see how Dana treats him wants sign and then throw him away like he does everyone else that doesnt meet his standards. One thing the UFC is good at is letting go fighters prematurely.|||
I dont see how Jake says SF doesnt support new talent? King Mo is everywhere! Miller is everywhere! Mousari (sp) is everywhere! I have to agree with everyone else on this one. Jake created this problem now is trying to point the finger in the opposite direction. I also find it funny how he jumps the bandwagon of the "top show" but doesnt realize that UFC can end up like Pride then and SF could be like the UFC now. He seems not to be too loyal. Im waiting to see how Dana treats him wants sign and then throw him away like he does everyone else that doesnt meet his standards. One thing the UFC is good at is letting go fighters prematurely.
Haha. No way, not even close to happening right now.
The way M-1 Global is strong arming SF over this Fedor loss alone is proof that SF can't get thier own sh*t together. The UFC is the most stable MMA org in the world by faaaaaaar right now.
And I will also point out that Dan Henderson had similar issues on the flip side of this and I don't remember anyone on this site giving the UFC the benefit of the doubt. But now, in this case, its the fighter who is wrong and the org that is right lol?
People on this site are just dying inside to see anything the UFC does fail lol. Let it go, Jake isn't even saying anything horrible, he is just calling them out on small crap that is juvenile for them to pull in the first place (thats why I beleive what he's saying BTW, its stupid stuff).|||I agree it is a small thing, but i see why both sides are doing what they are doing. I see SF in the same shoes the UFC was in during the Pride area. They didnt no what to do, things were rocky, contracts were crazy, and the company seemd to be failing. At that time who would have thought Pride would go belly up? Like today who would think the UFC could go belly up? I dont wish any bad to any MMA org. I have a problem with Dana White not the UFC or its fighters. I see Strikeforce being a main attraction with five years from now and see them really being a threat to a lot of people. I think the M1 issue is not as bad as it seems and that although Fedor is a key. It is a key that is only good for 2 more years if that. I wish Jake best of luck and am glad he is going to a place where "he thinks" he will be happy. Im a huge SF fan because in tired of the UFC and what they stand for (not saying it is bad). Im looking for new fighters and a new perception of MMA for me Strikeforce is that remedy.
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