Lawler, Jacare Emerge as Contenders If Shields Vacates
Loretta Hunt Jun 9, 2010
It appears that Strikeforce has a contingency plan in place if its
middleweight champion, Jake Shields,
doesn’t re-sign with the organization within the next few
weeks.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced Wednesday that Robbie Lawler and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza are the frontrunners for a 185-pound championship bout if Shields exits the promotion.
Shields, who successfully defended his title against former Pride
Fighting Championships champion and UFC middleweight Dan
Henderson on April 17 in Nashville, Tenn., opted not to
negotiate a renewal contract with Strikeforce prior to the bout.
The 31-year-old Cesar
Gracie black belt is currently in a final-phase “matching
period” of his existing deal, where other promotions, including the
UFC, can bid for his services and Strikeforce can meet those terms
to keep the fighter in its stable.
However, Coker’s announcement Wednesday, paired with the fact that both sides couldn’t agree upon a new contract in the standard renegotiation period, are signs that the promotion is willing to move on without its champion.
Coker also didn’t rule out the possibility of a four- or eight-man tournament to decide Shields’ successor, though that secondary plan seems to hinge on Lawler’s bout next week. The 30-year-old striker faces former light heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral in a 195-pound catch-weight bout at Strikeforce “Live” next Wednesday at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Souza, a decorated grappler, earned an impressive unanimous decision over seasoned striker Joey Villasenor at Strikeforce “Heavy Artillery” on May 17 in St. Louis.
Jack Shields, the fighter’s father and manager, was surprised to hear that alternative plans were already being discussed.
“I thought we were still in discussions, and as of today, we haven’t decided where Jake is going,” the elder Shields told Sherdog.com. “Jake’s already beaten the three biggest names at middleweight in their promotion, and for them to be throwing together those fighters for some kind of tourney or alternate plan seems a little premature.”
Shields said he believes there are still viable bouts for his son in Strikeforce and that the fighter is willing to compete in multiple divisions for the promotion if he re-signs.
The elder Shields also confirmed to Sherdog.com that he received a phone call from the UFC this week to schedule a follow-up conversation with the promotion’s president, Dana White.
“We did the numbers dance, but didn’t come up with (salary figures) that worked for both sides,” Coker said of the most recent renegotiations with Shields. “We’re handling this like we do with all of our situations. There’s a business component to every decision we make when we do or don’t make an offer to a fighter, and sometimes a fighter thinks he’s worth more than the promoter does.”
Without a deal on the table from Strikeforce, Shields enters into talks with other promotions with no figures for them to match other than what Shields had previously made -- rumored to be in the low six figures.
Fans have regularly debated how Shields, who is currently riding an impressive 14-fight win streak, would fare in the UFC’s welterweight division, especially against its formidable champion, Georges St. Pierre.
The UFC’s White has publicly chastised the rival promotion’s handling of Shields in recent months and vowed to out-bid Strikeforce for the fighter. White and Shields were even shown sitting next to each other during a recent WEC telecast with a taunting White mouthing the words “He’s mine.”
Coker has stated that he won’t lead his promotion into a bidding war with the UFC over the highly ranked Shields.
“We definitely aren’t making decisions based on the barking, posturing or other politics happening on the other side,” said Coker. “How the UFC is positioning themselves in this doesn’t affect the decisions we’re making with Jake. At the end of the day, Jake’s a great fighter and we had a great run with him, but one fighter does not make the league.”
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced Wednesday that Robbie Lawler and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza are the frontrunners for a 185-pound championship bout if Shields exits the promotion.
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However, Coker’s announcement Wednesday, paired with the fact that both sides couldn’t agree upon a new contract in the standard renegotiation period, are signs that the promotion is willing to move on without its champion.
“If things continue the way they’re going and we end up in a
situation where we’re looking for a 185-pound champion, I think
Jacare and Robbie, based on his (June 16) performance, would be the
No. 1 and 2 seeds in that slot,” Coker said during a teleconference
call Wednesday.
Coker also didn’t rule out the possibility of a four- or eight-man tournament to decide Shields’ successor, though that secondary plan seems to hinge on Lawler’s bout next week. The 30-year-old striker faces former light heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral in a 195-pound catch-weight bout at Strikeforce “Live” next Wednesday at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Souza, a decorated grappler, earned an impressive unanimous decision over seasoned striker Joey Villasenor at Strikeforce “Heavy Artillery” on May 17 in St. Louis.
Jack Shields, the fighter’s father and manager, was surprised to hear that alternative plans were already being discussed.
“I thought we were still in discussions, and as of today, we haven’t decided where Jake is going,” the elder Shields told Sherdog.com. “Jake’s already beaten the three biggest names at middleweight in their promotion, and for them to be throwing together those fighters for some kind of tourney or alternate plan seems a little premature.”
Shields said he believes there are still viable bouts for his son in Strikeforce and that the fighter is willing to compete in multiple divisions for the promotion if he re-signs.
The elder Shields also confirmed to Sherdog.com that he received a phone call from the UFC this week to schedule a follow-up conversation with the promotion’s president, Dana White.
“We did the numbers dance, but didn’t come up with (salary figures) that worked for both sides,” Coker said of the most recent renegotiations with Shields. “We’re handling this like we do with all of our situations. There’s a business component to every decision we make when we do or don’t make an offer to a fighter, and sometimes a fighter thinks he’s worth more than the promoter does.”
Without a deal on the table from Strikeforce, Shields enters into talks with other promotions with no figures for them to match other than what Shields had previously made -- rumored to be in the low six figures.
Fans have regularly debated how Shields, who is currently riding an impressive 14-fight win streak, would fare in the UFC’s welterweight division, especially against its formidable champion, Georges St. Pierre.
The UFC’s White has publicly chastised the rival promotion’s handling of Shields in recent months and vowed to out-bid Strikeforce for the fighter. White and Shields were even shown sitting next to each other during a recent WEC telecast with a taunting White mouthing the words “He’s mine.”
Coker has stated that he won’t lead his promotion into a bidding war with the UFC over the highly ranked Shields.
“We definitely aren’t making decisions based on the barking, posturing or other politics happening on the other side,” said Coker. “How the UFC is positioning themselves in this doesn’t affect the decisions we’re making with Jake. At the end of the day, Jake’s a great fighter and we had a great run with him, but one fighter does not make the league.”
