Photo via www.mmaweekly.com

MMA Weekly is reporting that Jake Shields and Nick "The Goat" Thompson will square off in the July Elite XC production for the Elite XC Welterweight Title.  The report has this to say about The Goat:

t will serve as the co-main event along with the previously announced title fight pitting a rematch between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith for the EliteXC middleweight title.

Thompson, who most recently competed in Japan for the Sengoku promotion, comes home to the United States for one of the biggest match-ups in his career.

Having just returned from defeating Chute Boxe fighter Michael Costa on June 8, Thompson was settling in to take some time off and prepare for the bar exam, but the chance to face a high profile opponent and do so on network television put his mind back on fighting.

“Those were the two biggest things. One was I wanted to fight (Jake) Shields, that’s been my number one choice for a fight for a long time. Jake and I are the No. 1 and No. 2 guys not in the UFC and I think we both wanted this fight,” said Thompson in an exclusive interview with MMAWeekly.com “And two, to fight on CBS for the title is a huge opportunity, exposure wise.”

The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy standout was the last Bodog Fight welterweight champion and now he will fight Shields for the new EliteXC 170-pound title as the first bout on his new six-fight deal with the promotion.

MMA Mania also has a report of this scheduled fight.  The report has this to say about Shields:

Shields is a name that is quickly becoming one of the more recognized in the business.

After defeating Dave Menne in January of 2006, he went out three months later to beat Yushin Okami and Carlos Condit in the same night to win a Rumble on the Rock eight-man grand prix tournament. Needless to say, Shields opened up a lot of eyes and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie is on everybody’s top 10 welterweight list.

He’s on a nine fight winning streak of his own, including three straight wins under the Elite XC banner. He is one of the brightest stars Elite XC has on its roster and he was a shoe in for their first welterweight title fight.

This should be a really fantastic fight.  Both guys are very technical and capable of putting on a heck of a fight.  Added to the rematch of Lawler/Smith (if it lives up to the first fight), and this card is starting to shape up for some really good potential fights.

EDIT:  More from Yahoo! (Meltzer) and Fight Ticker