The UFC has a new contender in the welterweight division and his name is Jake Shields.

The former Strikeforce middleweight champion has officially signed with the UFC, and will move back down to 170lbs, where he spent the majority of his career before a recent move to 185lbs.

The news was announced by GracieFighter.com, the site for Shields' lead trainer Cesar Gracie, on late Thursday night.

Shields has been long rumored to head to the UFC after finishing his Strikeforce contract with his last fight, a unanimous decision over former UFC middleweight Dan Henderson, back in April.

Contract negotiations followed as Shields became a free agent, but Strikeforce instead opted to release the California based fighter when a number couldn't be reached, and it's been assumed since that time that he'd sign with the UFC.

The website also proclaimed that Shields would be heading back to welterweight for his first fight with the promotion, after a stay at 185lbs in Strikeforce.

"Jake's opponent is one of the UFC's top contenders and will be announced shortly," the website stated.

Current rumors for a first fight for Shields includes a possible match-up with Martin Kampmann as early as UFC 121 in October. Following a win over Paulo Thiago in June, Kampmann welcomed the chance to face Shields for his first UFC fight.

"That would definitely be a good fight," Kampmann said about Shields. "He's tough and he's ranked real high in the welterweight division. For good reason, I didn't expect him to beat (Dan) Henderson, he's definitely good."

UPDATE:

Speaking with sources close to Shields on Friday, MMAWeekly.com has confirmed that the contract with the UFC is still not official yet, but a deal could be done by the end of the day today. The change for the fighter to go back to 170lbs has been confirmed, and when Shields makes his return to action it will be at welterweight.

Courtesy of mmaweekly.com