OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS, JAKE SHIELDS LISTENS

Jake Shields didn’t give much pause in stepping up a weight class to face Robbie Lawler.

“As soon as Showtime called me... I said yeah, right away,” he recently told MMAWeekly Radio. “I didn’t even have to think about it.”

The former EliteXC welterweight champion headlines with former EliteXC middleweight champion Lawler for Strikeforce Saturday night in St. Louis.

His original opponent, welterweight Joe Riggs, spared no expletives in his feelings about the decision, but Shields brushes those aside.

“I think Joe’s just being immature and whining, trying to get some attention,” he said. “Showtime called me and said they wanted me to fight Robbie, it was a bigger fight for me, more money, main event. I’d be stupid not to take it. I wasn’t trying to disrespect Joe Riggs. I just think he’s being immature, but whatever. Maybe if he wins a couple fights, I’ll give him a beating too.”

Shields, and his manager/father Jack, are trying to craft a move to the upper echelons of the sport, where higher paydays and top-tier opponents are the norm. Shields is on most Top 10 lists as a welterweight, but at this point, he won’t be able to establish himself beyond the hardcore fan base as long as he remains outside the UFC.