"It means a lot to be asked to fight for the EliteXC title as the co-main event on CBS and it means even more since I am fighting for the title against someone for whom I have so much respect," stated EliteXC welterweight Nick Thompson as he talked about his upcoming title clash with Jake Shields on the July 26th CBS EliteXC card. Check out what he had to say about Shields, the fight and much more.

PC: How is training going for your EliteXC debut against Jake Shields on CBS?

NT: I would have liked more notice for a fight of this caliber, but my camp rallied behind me and I will be at my best come July 26th.

PC: What do you think of Jake as a fighter?

NT: I think Jake is a great fighter. He is complete in every discipline of the sport.

PC: What does it mean to you to be fighting for EliteXC's welterweight title?

NT: It means a lot to be asked to fight for the EliteXC title as the co-main event on CBS and it means even more since I am fighting for the title against someone for whom I have so much respect.

PC: In your last fight, you earned a nice submission win over Michael Costa in Japan just over a month ago. How important was it for you to get right back in there so soon?

NT: I had hoped to take some time off in order to study for the bar, but fighting Jake as the co-main event on CBS was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

PC: How many fights are you contracted to fight with EliteXC?

NT: I have a 6 fight deal with EliteXC.

PC: Both of you guys have great Jiu Jitsu. Do you think this will be a ground fight?

NT: I think both of us are more than proficient in every area of the sport. As such, it's hard to predict where the fight will end up.

PC: Is there any added pressure for you fighting on CBS?

NT: Actually, I think there might be less pressure than in my other recent fights. My other fights were against guys that were skilled, but not very well known. I think people had expectations that I would dominate those fighters. Subsequently, I felt a lot pressure to excel and ended up forcing the fight. In a fight like this, I can relax and let the fight come to me.

PC: What's your prediction for the fight?

NT: At the end of the night, I will be the EliteXC welterweight champion.

PC: Do you feel like it's all on you to put Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts back on the map given Kaitlin Young and Sean Sherk's recent losses and your fight being before Lesnar's?

NT: No. There's no shame in losing to high-caliber fighters. Anyone that thinks that our camp is off the map because of two losses is short-sighted.

PC: Were you surprised to see Sean go toe-to-toe with BJ?

NT: No. Sean has good boxing. I would have liked to have seen him either push the pace a little more or look for the takedown later in the fight, but I think he psyched himself out a little. Sean's track record leads me to believe that he will make a learning experience of the fight and come back better than ever.

PC: I'm sure you've read both Ben Hill and Novell Bell's interviews on FightHype. How do you respond to everything that has been said?

NT: Right now, I am focused on Shields and am uninterested in making a public response.

PC: Are you willing to meet up and fight with either of these guys after your fight with Shields?

NT: I've talked to Ben and I am willing to try and work something out after my fight with Shields.

PC: Do you have a problem with Novell or Maoshan or both?

NT: I don't know enough about them to care one way or the other, but I do think that mixed martial arts is the truest test of a fighting discipline and I'm willing to test that hypothesis against those who claim otherwise.

PC: Good luck Nick in your fight with Jake. Is there anything you want to say in closing?

NT: I would like to thank my training partners at MMAA for sacrifices they have made. Guys like Derrick Noble and Nik Lentz have helped me prepare for four fights in 6 months and I couldn't have done it without them. I would also like to thank The Fight Zone, Island Supplements, MMA Overload and TapouT for having faith in me. Now is when their faith will pay dividends.