Strikeforce releases Jake Shields.....UFC?

It's been a long time coming, but it appears that Jake Shields' exit from Strikeforce is official, and his move to the UFC could come at any day.

Shields was released from his Strikeforce contract on Wednesday as first reported by Sherdog.com, and word is that negotiations are underway with the UFC, and could be finished any day.

Strikeforce president Scott Coker appeared on MMAWeekly Radio on Wednesday night and all but confirmed Shields' exit from the promotion after a contract could not be settled due to financial reasons.

"The numbers, there was a big gap between what we thought was real, and what we thought was going to work, and I call that the numbers dance," said Coker. "It is what it is, and we're going to probably be moving forward with that tournament."

The tournament is a possible 8 to 16 man middleweight tournament to fill the void of the championship vacated by Shields who won and defended the title successfully until his exit from the promotion on Wednesday.

The current timeline for Shields' move to the UFC could come at any time. The negotiations are underway between Shields' manager and the promotion, and a deal could be finalized as early as next week.

Current plans for Shields in the UFC could include a run at both middleweight and welterweight, but no definite decisions have been made at this time. Shields has stated on multiple occasions that he would be comfortable at either weight class, and would fight whoever the UFC put in front of him.

(source: MMAWeekly.com)