UFC 161's Jake Shields: 'Tyron Woodley doesn’t hit harder than Dan Henderson ... I can take his best punch'

When Jake Shields steps into the Octagon this weekend (June 15, 2013) to fight former Strikeforce roster mate Tyron Woodley at UFC 161 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, he will feel comfortable knowing that "The Chosen One" probably can't hit him any harder than he has already been hit.

Why is the former Strikeforce 170-pound champion so confident?

Because he took Dan Henderson's best punch in a middleweight contest and it didn't knock him out. And if the "Skrap Pack" member can take the infamous "H-Bomb" on the chin and not lose consciousness, then he can most likely take Woodley's best punch, too.

His words (via Bloody Elbow):

"I definitely think I could withstand his (Woodley's) punches. I mean, anything is possible, there could be a flash knockout with those little gloves, so of course anyone can be knocked out, but I think I could take it. I've taken Henderson's biggest right hand he could throw. I think Woodley hits hard, but I don't think he hits as hard as Henderson does."

Shields and Henderson locked horns three years ago under the Strikeforce banner in a 185-pound title fight that saw the power-punching Olympic-level wrestler floor the former No. 1 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight contender early in the fight. Shields was able to somehow weather the storm, recover and go on to dominate the remainder of the fight en route to a unanimous decision win.

And while Woodley isn't necessarily known as a "power puncher," he does have two knockout victories to his credit, including his 36-second drubbing of Jay Hieron at UFC 156 earlier this year.

But, will "T-Wood" be able to do the same to Shields, who has traded punches with the best of them and only been knocked down for the count on two occasions in his 14-year career?