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This weekend at UFC 150, former Welterweight contender Jake Shields made his return to the Middleweight division with a unanimous decision win over Ed Herman. Although Shields clearly won the contest with his top control grappling, many were rather unimpressed with his overall performance. UFC president Dana White spoke up after the event saying that the fight did not meet his expectation.
Shields addressed his performance at the post-fight press conference Saturday night:
Fighting at Middleweight I like, but the altitude definitely slowed my pace down. I felt good, I need to put on a little more weight. I got about halfway to where I want to be. Herman's really tough and an underrated guy. The altitude, I had to pace myself more. I just need to go and keep working on things. When I first fought Middleweight in Strikeforce, every fight I got a little stronger. If I can put on another five or six pounds, I can fight someone who's a top contender and get back into the mix. It was a little embarrassing, but props to Ed Herman. Hopefully next time it won't be at altitude, and I can come here and give a lot more and show the kind of fighter I was when I fought Dan Henderson.
Shields made the decision to return to 185 lbs. after a mostly unsuccessful run in the Welterweight division. Shields squeaked by Martin Kampmann in his promotional debut and lost his following two fights to Georges St. Pierre and Jake Ellenberger. Now, Shields will look to make a better impression at Middleweight.
SBN coverage of UFC 150: Henderson vs Edgar II
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