Jake Shields takes a number

Should Jake Shields have to wait in line to face UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre? Shields, the Strikeforce middleweight champ until he officially and unsurprisingly jumped ship to the UFC earlier this week, will drop back to (his natural) welterweight and face Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 in October.

While Kampmann is no slouch – he’s a strong striker and an adroit grappler with a 17-3 (8-2 UFC) record – and Shields shouldn’t take him lightly, the GSP bout is the only one anyone really wants to see. Granted, GSP is slated to defend his title against opposing Ultimate Fighter coach and all-round heel Josh Koscheck on December 11. And giving Shields a warm-up fight to ease him into the octagon makes sense. Except…

Except, Shields vs. Kampmann isn’t exactly the flashiest match-up with which to introduce a wet blanket like Shields to a new audience. I have to agree that you have to carefully control how you expose Shields to the UFC Eloi, otherwise they could have another Jon Fitch on their hands: a talented fighter with zero sex appeal in terms of creating interest and excitement for his fights.

It’s easier to sell a fighter with a 25-4-1 record and a 14-fight winning streak when the audience doesn’t know how boring most of those fights were. And they were boring. The most-exciting moment of Shields’ last fight (and of his last six or seven fights, really) was when UFC castaway Dan Henderson almost knocked him out in the first round. After that it was 20 minutes of hugging and sweating.

The UFC  would be better off giving Shields someone like Dan Hardy as his first fight with the promotion. Like Kampmann, Hardy’s also a striker, which could give Shields trouble. Hardy also has the personality to hype the fight and make it interesting. He’s cocky, mouthy, ballsy and everything Shields isn’t.