With the exception of world renown MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko, Jake Shields is quite possibly the best fighter not currently competing in the UFC.

After his recent win over former UFC superstar Dan Henderson, Shields (25-4) is now consistently ranked among the top five fighters in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions, boasting notable victories over legends of the sport such as Henderson and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, current stars like Robbie Lawler, Yushin Okami and Jason Miller; and even up-and-comer's such as Carlos Condit and Paul Daley.

Despite the post-fight controversy which erupted around him after his win over Henderson, Shields maintains a respectful and mild-mannered persona away from the cage. The lifelong vegetarian and proud single father of a nine-year-old little girl has forged a reputation within MMA circles as an extremely hardworking, intelligent and naturally gifted fighter who has worked hard to get the most of his vast potential.

Shields, an accomplished All-American collegiate wrestler and world class Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner under Cesar Gracie, has championed his brand of jiu-jitsu dubbed "American" jiu-jitsu. The form combines the best aspects of both disciplines into a comprehensive grappling style which Shields has used to successfully climb to the top of the MMA stratosphere.

With a pending free agency period expected to begin soon, where Shields goes from here is anyone's guess, but fans of the superstar would like to see a superfight against current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Shields may be able to grant that wish if he decides to sign with the UFC over Strikeforce in upcoming negotiations. A decision is expected sometime this summer.

Shields recently sat down with FiveKnuckles.com to discuss his huge win over MMA legend Dan Henderson, give his thoughts on the post fight fiasco, lend some insight into his thoughts about a possible move to the UFC and a match up with Georges St. Pierre, and much more.

FiveKnuckles.com: First of all, congratulations on your huge win over Dan Henderson. Were you at all surprised by how definitely you were able to control the fight with your grappling? After all, Henderson is an Olympic greco-roman wrestler.

Jake Shields: Not really, I knew it would be a tough fight, but I knew it was possible. It was kinda what I expected. I knew he had big power in that right hand, and if he caught me he could knock me out, but I was pretty sure that if I didn't get caught with that big right hand, that I could control the fight.

FiveKnuckles.com: There seemed to be an inordinate amount of trash-talk coming from Henderson's side. He cut you down and downplayed your skills in numerous interviews before the fight. How did that effect the outcome of the fight.

Jake Shields: It just made me want to beat him more just to prove a point. I think he looked past me a little bit. You know, he made a comment saying something like, he's better than me everywhere - saying his jiu-jitsu is better than mine, and saying he could beat me seven days a week in a wrestling match. So I just wanted to prove a point, and just kinda prove him wrong.

FiveKnuckles.com: Speaking of wrestling, it seemed as though you were able to take Henderson down at will, and really control him on the ground. Did you know you were going to be able to accomplish that against someone with Henderson's kind of wrestling credentials?

Jake Shields: You never...