EliteXC welterweight contender Jake Shields talks about the back injury he suffered that forced him to withdraw from his title fight with Drew Fickett. Check out what he had to say about the timetable for his return and his strong desire to still face Fickett for the title.
PC: Can you explain the injury you suffered that made you pull out of your title fight with Drew Fickett?
JS: I don't think it's anything too serious. I slipped out my back last week in training. It was pretty bad at first. I couldn't get out of bed for a couple of days and I've been rehabbing it and going to the doctor and chiropractor and everything and I was making great improvements. I just don't think it was quite fast enough. A part of me still definitely wanted to fight, but we discussed it with my manager and they pulled me out this morning.
PC: It was for the EliteXC welterweight title and I know you've wanted that shot for a long time. At what point did you know you just couldn't go?
JS: I still wasn't 100% sure (laughing). I was hoping to fight today, but I had my doubts. Me and my manager had been discussing what to do since this morning and he went and spoke with the promoters and they decided it was better just to pull me. It was probably the right decision because I'm definitely hurt and I'm not 100%, but it's a hard call because part of me wants to still go out there and fight and just try to work through it. It was such a big fight; title fight that I've been waiting so long for and I trained really hard. I was in the best shape of my life, but it would suck to go out there and my back go out and the injury gets worse long-term or just go out there and freeze up and make a fool of myself on TV (laughing).
PC: What's the timetable for your return looking like?
JS: I think it's going to be pretty soon. I think it's just a minor setback. I'm already getting in there and trying to swim to stay in shape and give it a couple of weeks and hopefully I'll be back training hard.
PC: Is Drew Fickett the guy you want to fight when you're healthy? Would you like this fight to be rescheduled?
JS: I'm pretty sure the fights going to be rescheduled, at least that's the impression I got. It's obviously up to EliteXC and Drew Fickett. I think me and Drew should fight. I feel really bad for Drew. I'm sure he trained really hard for this fight and I feel like I've screwed him at this point and it makes sense for us to fight. I'm not sure if he's fighting on this card or not, but if he fights and wins or if he doesn't fight at all, it makes sense for us to just reschedule it.
PC: You recently signed a long term contract with EliteXC and they recently signed a deal to be broadcast on CBS. How exciting is that for you to be able to compete in the future on network television?
JS: I was very excited about that. When they first signed me, they promised me they were going to do big things with me and had big things planned for their show. You never know what's going to happen, but as soon as I saw that, it made me really happy. It made me realize that I did make the right choice and I'm sure it will be some big things happening.
PC: I appreciate your time Jake. I know you're in an airport right now. I hope you have a speedy recovery. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
JS: I just want to apologize to EliteXC and Drew Fickett for pulling out and of course the fans. Of course, pulling out of this fight is not something I wanted to do, but I'll be back stronger. It's just a minor setback. I'll be taking that title soon.
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