According to Yahoo! Sports Steve Cofield on this weeks edition of MMA Live, former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields signed a deal that will see him earn $80,000 to show and $80,000 for a win.

It’s decent money, but not spectacular given that he’s on a fourteen fight unbeaten run including a recent win over Dan Henderson.  It seems a smart move on the UFC’s part though since Shields is not considered a major draw in the sport.

Meanwhile MiddleEasy.com suggest that boxer James Toney will receive $50,000 to fight, and $100,000 if he wins.  Toney’s contract is believed to be for three fights, though he has the option to leave after just one.

It’s rare that the UFC pays out more for a win like this, but if it’s true then again this seems like good business from the promotion.  There’s been a suspicion that Toney has come over to MMA purely as a way to earn money despite his constant bragging that he will defeat any UFC fighter that’s put in front of him.

This deal is structured so that he has to back up his words in the cage if he wants to earn a significant pay packet.

Of course the show will be headlined by the UFC’s No.1 PPV draw, Brock Lesnar who will defend his title against Cain Velasquez, but it appears the promotion are supporting it with a number of other quality fights.

While the line-up has been officially confirmed as yet it’s understood that former light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz will return against Matt Hamill.  It’s since been reported that rising heavyweight star Brendan Schaub is to take a step up to face Gabriel Gonzaga at the event. Another rumored heavyweight match-up sees Todd Duffee take on TUF 10’s Jon Madsen.

Elsewhere it’s already been established that recent defector from Strikeforce, Jake Shields will make his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann.

Finally Diego Sanchez has confirmed that despite losing to John Hathway in his return to the 170lb weight-class, he will stick at the weight, and takes on a tough opponent in Paulo Thiago who was until recently considered to be a top contender at welterweight.

Overall this is shaping up to be a very well rounded card for the UFC.  It’s a contrast to Lesnar’s last fight earlier this month at UFC 116 where the promotion relied heavily on their No.1 star’s blockbuster showdown with Shane Carwin to sell the show.  That proved to be a successful strategy with an estimated PPV buy-rate of between 1  – 1.28 million.

On this occasion though it looks as if they are bringing in more star power into the equation, though the reason for that isn’t immediately clear.  It may be that they are looking to test just how many PPV’s they can sell with Lesnar fronting a strong card, or it could be that they feel that his fight with Cain Velasquez isn’t by itself going to generate the same kind of heat that his return from illness against Carwin was able to.

Either way it’s the fans who win with a quality night of fights to look forward to in late October.

The site also reveals that Shields, who is currently on a fourteen fight win-streak will indeed be heading back to what most people consider his ideal weight: 170lbs.

“After careful consideration and consulting with UFC representatives it was determined Jake would be finally going back to his original fighting weight.”

Shields hasn’t fought since April when he defeated former UFC star Dan Henderson at strikeforce: Nashville.  Despite his impressive winning record Shields won’t get an immediate title shot against current champion Georges St.Pierre, but it does appear that he will face a challenging opponent in his octagon debut.

“Jake’s opponent is one of the UFC’s top contenders and will be announced shortly,” Graciefighter reveals.

The current rumor is that he could be set to take on Martin Kampmann who looked impressive in his last outing against Paulo Thiago and would certainly be a tough test for Shields.

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Jake Shields Released From His Strikeforce Contract

As expected Jake Shields will not be sticking around to defend his Strikeforce middleweight title with the news that he has been officially released from his contract.

“We haven’t decided fully, but we might just release our rights and just let him go in the next couple of days,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker had revealed to Mauro Ranallo just a day earlier on The Fight Show. “That way Jake can move on and move forward with his career and it’s fair to him, and it’s basically something that we’re doing because we like Jake. He’s always been good to me and we’ve had a good relationship, but obviously the numbers that they think the value of the fighter is and where I feel the value of the fighter is much different. So to me, hey let’s just be friends and move on, we’ll wish you luck and we’ll be rooting for you.”

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King Mo Makes His First Title Defense Against Rafael ‘Feijao’ Cavalcante

Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal will make the first defense of his Strikeforce light-heavyweight title against Rafael ‘Feijao’ Cavalcante on August 21st according to the fiveozofpain website.

Strikeforce had originally planned for Renato “Babalu’ Sobral to challenge for the belt, but since he and King Mo are training partners and friends, that idea has been nixed.  Instead the 9-2 Feijao, who knocked out Antwain Britt in his last outing will take his place.

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Sergei Kharitonov Likely To Face Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva

Newly signed Strikeforce heavyweight contender former PRIDE veteran Sergei Kharitonov’s debut in the promotion looks like being against Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva according to Scott Coker.

Kharitonov has been fairly quiet in the last few years apart from a couple of fights in DREAM, but he does hold wins over both Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.

“If the guy wants to leave, let him leave.  I mean he sucks as a fighter, he’s terribly boring.  We’re in the business of sports entertainment.  If your not going to be [an] entertaining fighter you should move on, that’s my personal opinion.”

Watch Shamrock’s full interview courtesy of fighthubtv.com below.

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Diaz team-mate Jake Shields has revealed a different side to the stockton native’s character though in a new interview with the FiveKnuckles website.

“People always see Nick acting crazy, you know, flipping people off. But, that’s his way of psyching himself up to fight. People don’t understand. It’s not easy to get in there and go fight someone in a cage, and that’s kind of his way of dealing with it. But he’s got this reputation, and it’s really not deserved. Everyone always meets Nick and they’re surprised at how nice he is outside the cage.

He’ll spend more time with white belts than anyone I know. He’ll be there for hours after training helping white belts out with their technique. And he doesn’t get anything out of it, it’s just he’s a helpful guy and he wants to help people get better. It’s not very often that you’ll see a professional athlete spending hours and hours of his personal time just to help people get better. And not for any gain, just to help people succeed. When was the last time you saw a professional basketball player or football player spending hours and hours of their personal time just to help other regular guys get better?”

Is Shield’s right? We decided to gather up evidence of his good side and his bad side, and let you be the judge.

Let’s start off by reminding ourselves how Diaz earnt his bad boy reputation. First off we’ve got to mention his legendary mean-mugging. Check out the pictures below to see what we’re dealing with.

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It’s not easy looking this mean though, it takes hours of work in the gym to get it looking just right. Here he is with his trainer perfecting the pose…

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The truth though is that even as a kid growing up both Nick and his brother Nate were well on their way to mastering the mean mug…

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In case you were thinking that was just a bad photo and they can’t possibly have been like that back then, how about this photo from elementary school. Yep, that’s Nick in the back row clenching his fist.

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It goes further back than that though. Here’s the Diaz brothers sending out a message to all the haters whilst they were still in diapers.

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…ok, so maybe those two baby photos aren’t really them…although I’m not completely willing to dismiss the possibility. Let’s face it, it does fit their M.O.

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Moving beyond mere mean-muggery there’s also Diaz drug use to consider.

Despite Marijuana being a banned substance in MMA, Diaz has never hid the fact that he likes to gets high on his own supply. In fact he once tested positive for weed after a fight with Takanori Gomi in PRIDE back in 2007, causing his win to be amended to a no-contest.

Undeterred Diaz has continued to get his smoke on, and in fact was actually heard taking hits from a bong during a Strikeforce conference call.  During an interview with the L.A Times before his fight with Frank Shamrock he described how he would beat the California State Athletic Commissions tests prior to the bout.

“I’m more consistent about everything being a cannabis user. I’m happy to get loaded, hear some good music . . . I remain consistent. And I have an easy way to deal with [the drug tests].

“I can pass a drug test in eight days with herbal cleansers. I drink 10 pounds of water and sweat out 10 pounds of water every day. I’ll be fine.”

With that comment Diaz was in essence sticking his finger up at the commission…how appropriate!

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What really gives Nick his bad boy persona however is that essentially trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes.

Take the brawl that erupted with KJ Noons at an Elite XC event in 2007 for instance. It’s hard to make out in the clip below but it’s worth noting two things about it:

1. Diaz flips the bird to Noons just moments before the commotion occurs.
2. He starts fighting with Noons 67 year-old father.

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And of course there’s the recent brawl at Strikeforce: Nashville in which Diaz took exception to Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller interrupting Jake Shields post-fight interview, and quickly found himself igniting another riot in the cage.

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If you were in any doubt about who threw the first punch then this picture should clear it up for you.

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His ability to spontaneously create fights doesn’t end in the cage though. He’ll basically get into it anywhere – even if it’s during a visit to the hospital. After a fight with Joe Riggs in the UFC back in 2006 the story goes that the two men both required treatment, and ended up bumping into each other in the ER room and immediately started talking smack.

Here’s Rigg’s description of what happened next.

“He starts coming up to me. I just never in a million years thought he’d throw a punch. He threw a right hook and hit me right in the chin. I mean it hit me right on the button. I seriously can’t say that I was knocked out, but I kind of went down to a knee.”

Riggs adds that, “I had an IV going. My blood was spraying everywhere. It was like a horror movie,” and finishes by saying, “Nick Diaz is legitimately nuts. He’s crazy.”

That’s an assessment that even Nick’s brother Nate Diaz doesn’t entirely disagree with. In an interview with Fight! Magazine he noted, ” “He’s serious about everything. I guess he’s crazy. With Nick, it ain’t no act. That’s who he is. And he don’t take shit from anybody.

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So it’s fair to say that Diaz reputation is well earned. What about this nicer side of Diaz that Jake Shields is talking about though? Is there any evidence that it exists?

After doing some digging around I believe it might. For instance, check out this rare picture below of Diaz turning that frown upside down.

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Is it a coincidence that Gina Carano happens to be standing next to him at the time? – I think not.

It’s not just a one off either. Here’s our man looking like a cool dude in a loose mood with UFC President Dana White.

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If that wasn’t enough, check out this video of Diaz actually engaging in normal civil conversation with members of the public without causing a public disorder. Will wonders never cease?

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And we’ve even tracked down footage of Diaz doing just what Shield’s says he does – sticking around to help teach students in the gym how to beat up other people.

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So there you have it, maybe there’s more than meets the eye to Nick after all.  Truth be told though, whether you love him or hate him, I have a sneaky suspicion that he probably doesn’t give a rats ass.

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Article By RossC

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In-between fights on the pay-per-view card the camera panned to both UFC president Dana White and Shields sitting side-by-side at ringside.  Both men smiled broadly and White put his arm around the fighter, mouthing, “he’s mine” to the camera.

Shields has just a few months left of his current contract with Strikeforce, and any hopes that the promotion may have been able to retain his services after his big win over Dan Henderson last weekend now appear to be at an end.

Though a champion at 185lbs it’s likely that Shields will now head back down to welterweight in the UFC where a fight with current dominant champion Georges St.Pierre and a possible appearance as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter Season 12 awaits.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski is believed to have put pen to paper on a 16 month, multi-fight deal with the promotion today, Loretta Hunt revealed.

Arlovski has fought for the promotion once before back in June of 2009 against Brett Rogers, who knocked the Belarusian out just 22 seconds into the opening round. It marked the fighter’s second loss in a row, having fallen to another current Strikeforce heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, at an Affliction event in January of the same year.

Despite that the 31 year old remains a credible contender and carries more name recognition than many of the other fighters currently lurking in the promotions heavyweight division.

He is expected to be put into action on a May 15th Strikeforce card opposite Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva who suffered a decision loss to Fabricio Werdum in his last outing for the company.

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Meanwhile Jake Shields today confirmed on twitter that his bout with Dan Henderson will be the headline bout for Strikeforce’s April 17th event which will be broadcast live for free via CBS.

In addition he stated that Gegard Mousasi Vs Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal will also feature on the main card along with other bouts still to be confirmed.

Henderson’s contract with the UFC ended in the summer after his knockout victory of Michael Bisping at UFC 100, and after the promotion failed to agree to his increased pay demands, Strikeforce have now seized the opportunity to add more star power to their growing roster.

Speaking to sherdog.com, Henderson’s manager Aaron Crecy said of the deal, “Dan chose to sign with Strikeforce after careful consideration.  He approached the process with an open mind, and over the course of the past couple months became increasingly impressed with the Strikeforce organization. It was not a decision that Dan took lightly.”

There is no confirmation on when Henderson who or when he will fight next, but with Henderson able to fight at both 185lbs and 205lbs,  there will be a number of options available to him during his 4 fight deal which willunfold over the next 16 months.

One of the most likely options would appear to be a title shot against current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, and that would be a highly significant and credible bout for the promotion.

Henderson could however just as easily look to a title opportunity against current middleweight champion Jake Shields for his first fight, and further down the road it may also not be out of the question for him to move up to the heavyweight division to face Fedor Emelianenko.“

Signing the former Pride champion, who fought for both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles as well as starred as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter reality series during his time in the UFC, further highlights Strikeforce’s rise in 2009.

After having also secured the services of Fedor in the past year from under the noses of the UFC, it also serves as another reminder that the  UFC is no longer the only show in town for the sports top talents.

“Dan likes to be a maverick, and I think part of the attraction to Strikeforce was to be a part of something that broadens the growth of the sport within the U.S. and globally,” Crecy explained in an email to sherdog.com.

“The fact that Strikeforce offers a network television platform in CBS as well as a premium cable partner in Showtime was particularly appealing to him. It delivers an incredible opportunity for Dan to perform live before an audience of millions of present and future MMA fans. Also, (Strikeforce CEO) Scott Coker treated Dan with a great deal of respect and integrity throughout the negotiations, and that certainly affected his decision. Dan is very excited to be a part of the Strikeforce family.”

Unfortunately for him and his supporters he succumbed to a unanimous decision loss against Jake Shields, though he was close to ending the fight by rear naked choke at the end of the third round.

He has since spoken out about his loss via his twitter account. Here’s what he had to say…

“Sorry bout that monkeys, didn’t train hard enough, wasn’t prepared to grapple that much.”

“I’m feeling fine despite the loss – I hate losing, but I’m completely healthy, and looking to fight again asap. Show must go on!”