UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is interested in fighting Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields.

"As a proud champion, I want to fight the best," St. Pierre told Sportsnet.ca. "And Jake Shields is the best right now."

Shields' Strikeforce contract has come to an end, and rumors have spread about the champion moving to the UFC. President Dana White has stated that he wants Shields in his organization. Many have stated that if Shields ends up with the UFC, he should drop down a weight class.

"Shields is amazing," said St. Pierre. "He's, of course, the guy to beat right now. He's fighting at 185 pounds right now, and he's dominating and beating everyone at 185. And he's (a natural) 170-pound fighter. He's not only an amazing fighter, he's an amazing jiu-jitsu fighter."

If Shields gets signed by the UFC, would he, infact, move down to welterweight, where he fought earlier in his career?

St. Pierre insists that he is not calling Shields out. On the contrary, the Canadian stated that he has much respect for Shields. Shields, a Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu product, is currently riding a 14-fight winning streak and has not lost since December 2004.

"He's a great submission fighter," said St. Pierre. "He's got great technique and take downs. He's very good at not getting hit standing up. He's a perfect mixed martial artist and he's going to have a long career. He's a very smart guy and I have a lot of respect for this guy. I love watching his fights."

St. Pierre seems to believe that Shields is one of the top fighters in the world, and even watches him from a technical standpoint rather than as just a fan.

"As a matter of fact, there's only a few guys I like to watch in mixed martial arts, to learn (from), and he's one of them," he said. "I like to watch Jake Shields, Anderson Silva, Mauricio Shogun, Lyoto Machida. I like to watch also Fedor and Sakuraba back in the day, the Gracies."