A welterweight matchup between onetime welterweight title challenger Jake Shields (27-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Tyron Woodley (11-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is in the works for this summer, sources told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
The fight is being targeted for a yet-unnamed event, likely UFC 161, on June 15 in Canada. A host city is not yet finalized.
Woodley recently called out Shields upon signing a new UFC fight contract, which followed his impressive first-round knockout of Jay Hieron in his promotional debut at UFC 156.
The win put the fighter back on track following a fourth-round KO at the hands of UFC vet Nate Marquardt, who claimed the Strikeforce welterweight title at an event this past July for the now-defunct promotion. It was Woodley's first professional loss in 11 outings.
The former Missouri wrestler earned wins over Andre Galvao, Paul Daley and Jordan Mein in his time with Strikeforce.
Shields, a former Strikeforce middleweight champ, makes his return to welterweight after a decision over 185-pound fighter Ed Herman at UFC 150, which was overturned when he tested positive for a banned substance. The Cesar Gracie-trained fighter was suspended six months and fined for the infraction.
Prior to Herman, Shields earned a unanimous decision over Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144, which put him back on the right track following back-to-back losses to champ Georges St-Pierre and Jake Ellenberger, respectively.
Source: MMAJunkie.com