Jake Shields vs Nick Thompson Elite XC 'Countdown to Welterweight Gold' on ProElite.com

Jake Shields and Nick "The Goat" Thompson will meet during the second installment of "Saturday Night Fights" on CBS in Stockton, Calif., on July 26 to crown the first-ever Elite XC welterweight champion, making this showdown of particular historical importance.

Starting at the beginning of next week, ProElite.com will give the fans an inside look at what these athletes are going through as they prepare for the biggest fight of their careers. Both Shields and Thompson will personally write and post weekly blogs on the site leading all the way up to the pre-fight press conference.

They're calling it the, "Countdown to Welterweight Gold."

This will be an unfiltered blog where they can each talk about anything they like, including training notes, fight preparation, how they're mentally preparing and more. This should be really interesting for the fans.

In fact, MMAmania.com also has featured similar weekly blog posts from great fighters such as WEC welterweight champ, Carlos Condit, who is currently sharing his thoughts with us in his preparation for his title defense on August 3 at WEC 35 against Hiromitsu Miura.

It's always a great read and very informative.

Interviews and press conferences can give you a decent idea of what a fighter is going through before a big match, but there's no way to tell exactly what's on their mind unless you hear their own original thoughts.

And "Countdown to Welterweight Gold" should bring you just that.