Shields vs Fickett Postponed

by Robert Sargent

After suffering a back injury in training last week, Jake Shields has been forced to pull out of his March 29th EliteXC Welterweight Championship bout with Drew Fickett. The fight has now been rescheduled for June 14th.

Fickett will still compete on the March 29th EliteXC/Strikeforce card, and will likely be involved in a fight on the undercard.

Shields originally injured his back when doing cardio drills with a heavy hammer last week, leaving him confined to his bed for days and unable to walk. His father and manager, Jack Shields, recommended that his son withdraw from the fight to avoid further complications or injury.

Shields (20-4-1) stated that he was in great shape and felt that he would be unstoppable in the fight with Fickett, prior to the injury. Feeling that it was better not to go into the fight and lose because of an injury, he chose not to take the risk.

Fickett's management are in the process of finding a suitable opponent on short notice. Assuming that he is victorious, Fickett (32-5-0) will face Shields for the newly-created EliteXC Welterweight Championship on June 14th in Honolulu, Hawaii.


The June 14th event will also feature an EliteXC 160-pound title bout between champion KJ Noons and challenger Yves Edwards. New ICON Sport Middleweight Champion Kala Kolohe Hose, fresh off of his stoppage victory over Phil Baroni, will also compete on the card.