Nick "The Goat" Thompson (36-9-1) has been named as the opponent to take on Jake Shields (20-4-1) for the first-ever Elite XC welterweight championship bout during the second installment of "Saturday Night Fights" on CBS to be held on July 26.
At this point, Shields has to be thrilled just to be finally fighting for this 170-pound belt regardless of the opponent. And "The Goat" just so happens to be a serious competitor.
Two previously scheduled fights between Shields and Drew Fickett were scrapped earlier this year because of injuries sustained to both fighters in training. It was believed Fickett would still get the opportunity to fight for the inaugural championship, but in a bizarre turn of events, he pulled a Houdini act with Elite XC officials after fighting without the promotion's knowledge on a small show in Arizona.
In steps Nick Thompson.
"The Goat" is no step down in competition for Shields. In fact, the former Bodog champion has an insane amount of fights to his credit and has only been competing for a little more than five years. It's fitting the announcement for the biggest fight to date for the young, talented and experienced fighter would come today on his 27th birthday.
He is currently riding a 12 fight win streak and remains the only man to defeat fast rising star Eddie Alvarez. it came with a second round knockout last April to earn the Bodog welterweight crown.
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.
"Unfinished Business" is on it's way to becoming a great night of fights with two title fights confirmed and two more rumored to be taking place on the CBS card. A venue for the event has not been confirmed as of yet, but the rumor mill has been spinning, naming Stockton, Calif., as the leading candidate