Strikeforce Champ: Jake Shields "I'm planning on putting Henderson away."

Strikeforce middleweight champion and American Jiu-Jitsu black belt Jake Shields (24-4-1) has not lost a fight since 2004, and is currently on a red-hot 13-fight win streak.

The middleweight champion's Jiu-Jitsu sets him apart from his opponents and 10 fighters have fallen prey to Shields air-tight submission game.

He has defeated the likes of Paul Daley, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, and Robbie Lawler all in that same time span. While there are many more on his list of victories, it is worth noting that those four gentlemen all rank in the top 10 in the world in their respective weight classes.

The black belt started his MMA career in 1999, when the sport lacked the mainstream acceptance it does now. However, that did not deter Shields from knowing what he loved and what he wanted to do.

Speaking exclusively with Bleacher Report , the middleweight champion spoke of his entrance into the world's fastest-growing sport, his upcoming bout, and future possibitlies.

"I was doing this long before the sport had any money or fame in it. This is just what I wanted to do, that’s the thing we were all fighting years ago and fighting on Indian reservations," Shields said. "We weren’t making a lot of money but it’s just what we wanted to do. It’s great that we’re all getting paid and what not now, but that’s not why we got into fighting."

The "we" Shields is referring to would be the Diaz brothers, Nick and Nate, along with Gilbert Melendez.

Nick is the current Strikeforce welterweight champion and Gilbert is the lightweight king. Nate has had a very successful career himself, and won season five's Ultimate Fighter TV reality show.

Having elite fighters alongside you in the gym everyday is what sets average fighters apart from great fighters, and Shields feels that working with the aforementioned cast of training partners has been of tremendous help.

"It helps tremendously, we just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Just a bunch of tough guys at the gym and pushing each other to the next level," Shields said. "When we started, Cesar’s (Gracie) mind set was you never quit no matter what and push through everything. We pushed each other to get further and further and we’re still doing that.

"We’re all good friends, but we’re really competitive with each other. When we’re in the gym we’re trying to beat each other up but not get hurt. That’s also crucial, you can’t have training partners trying to hurt you and because your careers not going to go anymore. We have a tight camp, we train really hard, and we don’t stop training."

With his training partners still in mind, Shields was asked how exactly does it feel to watch your friends fight and compete in the same sport. Especially a sport where there are so many unkowns.

"I get way more nervous when my teammates fight than when I fight. When I fight I’m always relaxed and calm but when my friends fight I’m always nervous," he said. "It’s fun and we usually win so it’s great we all do so well."

Speaking of fights and winning, he was successful in defeating Jason "Mayhem" Miller last November by displaying a superior ground game but left the fight unhappy that he did not finish the fight.

"I had mixed feelings, I was happy I won the belt, but also I hate going to a decision. I really want to go out there and finish opponents," Shields said. "I knew Mayhem was a tough opponent, but he turned out to be even tougher. He’s squirmy guy and he’s hard to put away. I don’t like going the distance."

Shields' next opponent is former Pride champion Dan Henderson. Henderson will be making his organizational debut against Shields this Saturday night on CBS, where the two will be the main event.

Preparations for the bout are right on track according to the Cesar Gracie-trained fighter.

"Everything is going great so far. I almost have all of my hard sparring out of the way," Shields said. "My conditioning is going good, my camp is going good, everything is going good. I just get to go out there and do the fun part now."

The majority of Shields' fun was spent in the weltwerweight division, and after feeling like he needed a larger challenge he made the move to middleweight. Since the jump in weight classes he has shown the ability to gain lean muscle mass, and it may be a blessing in disguise.

"I’ve really upped my strength and conditioning regimen. Normally, I’m not trying to put size on but for this one we’re trying to put size on. So, I’ve really dialed in my nutrition program thanks to Tapout Sports Nutrition," he said. "Before, I followed the program off and on but this time I actually followed the program the whole time.

"Right now I’m at a solid 185 (lbs), I think that’s a good weight because I don’t want to get too big in case I drop back down to 170. My lifting program is really based off speed. I have a great strength trainer, that’s made the difference."

With a great training camp and prior appearances on CBS behind him, what exactly does it mean getting to defend his middleweight championship on CBS?

"It’s a huge opportunity for me fighting on network tv which I’ve done before, but it’s the first time I’m a main event on network TV," Shields said. "Henderson is so well-respected that getting to go out there and fight a guy that well respected in the main event is a huge opportunity for me to show the world I belong."

Against elite fighters huge opportunities can be few and far between, but the middleweight champion believes that he has spotted a weakness in Henderson's game.

"He’s a really solid fighter so there's not a lot of weaknesses, but I think his weakness is his jiujitsu. I’ve been watching tape and his Jiu-Jitsu isn’t that bad, but it’s definitely his weakness," Shields said. "He’s really good on top, but his weakest part is his guard. I definitely think if it hits the ground I have the advantage, and I’m planning on putting Henderson away."

Regardless of if he is successful or not in his plan of defeating Henderson, one thing is certain: Shields will be a free-agent after Saturday night as this is the last fight on his current Strikeforce contract.

Only he knows what the future holds and don't expect him to be looking past the task at hand.

"This is the biggest fight of my life and this guy is considered by many to be the number two middleweight in the world so it’s a huge fight for me, and I’m not looking past this," he said. "I’m just trying to put everything into beating Dan Henderson right now and then I'll figure it out from there."

Additional information regarding Shield's nutritional sponsor can be found at: www.tapoutsn.com