"If I could fight anyone, I would like to fight the winner out of the St. Pierre-Fitch fight
I wouldn't mind fighting Fickett because he's been running his mouth about me. I've wanted to fight Shinya Aoki for a while, he's a cool fighter, and I wouldn't mind going up in weight and fighting Robbie Lawler," stated newly crowned EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields as he talked about his future plans, including a possible move up in weight. Check out what else he had to say as he talks about Jon Fitch, Georges St. Pierre, his dominant win over Nick Thompson and much more.
PC: Congratulations on a dominant performance and capturing the EliteXC welterweight title.
JS: Thank you!
PC: You're on a 10-fight winning streak. How does it feel to be the first holder of that title?
JS: It feels really good. I've been fighting forever and that belt is something I've been hunting for a while and trying to get it. I did it in impressive fashion and I feel good.
PC: The layoff had me a little concerned if you could pull this win off. 8 months out of the cage. How did you feel in there?
JS: I felt great. I had a really good training camp. I was hurt for awhile. Like 2 months ago, I got 100% healthy and I was more motivated than ever. I pushed myself really hard in this training camp. I peaked myself out perfect in this training camp and I was ready to fight. The week before the fight, I felt pretty good and I knew I was going to take the title.
PC: What was your gameplan going into the fight with Thompson?
JS: I had seen a lot of Nick's fights and he is a good fighter. I wanted to take him down. I wanted to stand with him a little more initially, but a week before the fight, I took a bad knee to my face and ended up getting like 50 stitches. I had a good plastic surgeon though, but I didn't really want to stand and bang and take a chance of re-opening that cut. I know my ground game is top notch and I wanted to take it where I'm comfortable and try and end it there and get that title. I'm glad it worked out for me.
PC: Where you surprised you were able to mount him so quickly?
JS: No, not really. That's what I've been working on in my training; going straight from takedown to mount.
PC: I'm sure you're very interested in the outcome of GSP vs. Fitch. Who do you like in that fight?
JS: Yeah, I'm super excited about that fight. GSP vs. Fitch is going to be a great fight. I will definitely be watching that one. I definitely give Fitch a chance. I think he could pull off the upset. It's going to be a great fight, but I wouldn't count St. Pierre out either. He's a great fighter. I think Fitch is going to surprise a lot of people.
PC: You have victories over guys like Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami. Would you like to start mixing it up with some of those guys?
JS: If I could fight anyone, I would like to fight the winner out of the St. Pierre-Fitch fight. That would be for the #1 welterweight spot in the world right there so I would definitely like that fight. I wouldn't mind fighting Fickett because he's been running his mouth about me. I've wanted to fight Shinya Aoki for a while, he's a cool fighter, and I wouldn't mind going up in weight and fighting Robbie Lawler.
PC: So a possible move to 185 is not out of the question for you?
JS: Probably not in my next fight because I would like to defend my title, but that's definitely something I will think about doing.
PC: Was this a regular camp for you or did you put additional pressure on yourself being that the fight was on CBS and for the title?
JS: I always push my training as hard as I can and try and get ready. I trained as hard as I possibly could, but that's a regular camp for me.
PC: Could you explain the Drew Fickett situation?
JS: I got hurt, obviously, and then he claims he's hurt and then he takes a fight before our fight and apparently he was running his mouth saying that I was dodging him afterwards. I wouldn't mind getting a piece of him and kicking his ass. He says he wants to fight me; that don't matter. The problem is he's pissed EliteXC off and not honored his contract so they may not want to deal with him at this point.
PC: How do you co-exist with the Diaz brothers and Gilbert Melendez in camp? Are there any issues with ego or do you guys get along pretty good?
JS: There is no tension and that's what's so great about it. You go to some gyms and the egos start kicking in, but we don't have any problems at all. I think that's why we continue to be successful.
PC: Great fight Jake. Congratulations again and I'm sure you will be a great champion. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
JS: Thanks to all my fans and friends and keep watching. Hopefully I will be fighting again soon.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]