After unceremoniously getting the boot from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) a few weeks back, former welterweight No. 1 contender, Jake Shields, landed on his feet by signing a deal with World Series of Fighting (WSOF).
The second best mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion on the planet, according to some.
At 35 years of age, Shields wants to prove that he is far from being on a "downswing" and aims to show fight fans worldwide that his days as top contender are just beginning.
He made his proclamation during a recent interview on The MMA Hour:
"Don't think I'm done. I'm going to surprise people and I'm going to go out there and do another great run with World Series of Fighting and win another world title. I'll show the fans that I can keep doing this."
In a prior interview, Shields blasted UFC's "ridiculous" decision to release him after just one loss, saying the ZUFFA-owned promotion prefers to keep fighters who try to "slug it out" as opposed to fighting smart.
Nevertheless, while he has more pressing issues to look forward to in his immediate future -- like winning the WSOF 170-pound title -- Shields says he won't rule out a return to the Octagon.
It just isn't necessarily his goal.
"Nah, that's not my goal. I'm not saying it won't happen, I'm not totally against that and I'm not ruling it out, but that's not my goal right now. My goal is to go out there and win in WSOF. I think they are a show that does great and can do serious ratings and do well. They have a lot of momentum right now and they seem to have big plans, so we'll take it from there."
Whether Dana White and Co will have him again, is quite another story.
Indeed, Shields has plenty of challenges to get through under the WSOF banner including the likes of Jon Fitch, Josh Burkman, Steve Carl and current welterweight champion, Rousimar Palhares, before he can hope for another invite back to the big show.
Can the former multi-division champion prove he's still one of the best in his class by knocking off a few of those aforementioned challengers?