Jake Shields holds no ill will towards the UFC but isn't racing to return either
Jake Shields would be the first person to say he has a problem saying no to fights when a promoter comes calling. Even in the most-dire of circumstances, Shields has always been a fighter that says yes even when often times those around him have probably been saying don't do it.
Take for instance Shields' fight in 2011 against Jake Ellenberger just weeks after his father Jack passed away. Shields and his dad were as close as any father and son in the sport, and his loss had a tremendous effect on the veteran fighter, but with his name on the marquee in the main event he just couldn't pull out at the 11th hour.
Recently, Shields was able to take a much needed break but only after the UFC opted to cut the veteran welterweight after a single loss to Hector Lombard at UFC 171 in March. The defeat ended Shields' four fight undefeated streak where he picked up wins over notable names like Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia.
When the word arrived that he was getting his walking papers, Shields was definitely shocked.
"I was a little surprised, but I wasn't going to let it affect me too much. I was a little burned out anyways so it's one of those things you just move on from. I'm not going to hold grudges and be bitter about it," Shields told FOX Sports.
"I don't feel I should have been dropped after beating several top 10 fighters within the last year, but at the same time, I'm not going to hold any grudges. I just move on with my career."
Two key words that Shields used in that statement -- burned out -- was a general state of mind he was feeling over the last year or so of his career. Considering he's been fighting virtually non-stop since 1999 it's understandable that maybe he'd want a vacation somewhere along the line, but he learned quickly that turning down the UFC comes with consequences.
"I've been fighting 14 years and sometimes you can do several fights together and feel great and other times you feel like you just need a break. Those who don't fight don't really understand saying 'oh this guy's b--tching about fighting too much and other guys fight all the time' but everyone's different," Shields explained.
"Sometimes you feel like you need a break and there was a point where I felt like I needed some time off and the UFC, sometimes they'll kind of push you into fights and I understand from their perspective too. They have so many cards now they're trying to push fights. You've heard from other fighters, guys like (Renan) Barao who was b--tching about being pushed into fights. When they have fights every week, they need their guys to fight all the time."
Ultimately, Shields puts the onus back on himself for accepting the fights in the first place, but that's not to say he doesn't believe he could have faced ramifications if he declined to fight as well.
"I did, I felt like I wanted some time off, but again I did take fights. I have to take responsibility for that. I definitely was getting pushed from the UFC, but ultimately it is my decision, too. I could turn down a fight," Shields said.
"But then you feel like the pressure if you turn down a fight then you don't know how long you're stuck sidelined, you don't want to make the promotion unhappy, so it's one of those tricky issues."
Shields holds no ill will towards the UFC, but he's also not basing his entire life around getting back there either. It took him only a matter of days to sign with World Series of Fighting after his release and there's plenty of fights out there for him that don't necessarily involve the UFC.
"I'm not planning my career around getting back to the UFC, but I'm not ruling it out either," Shields said. "At this time, I'm just doing things one fight at a time and see where things lead me. Right now, I'm going to fight for World Series of Fighting and hopefully their show blows up and we'll take it from there."
