By Kevin Iole

He hasn't lost since the end of 2004 and he's reeled off victories over some of the top mixed martial artists in the world, but Jake Shields somehow remains one of the game's most anonymous stars. And even when things seem to be going good for him, something happens to put a damper on it.

But Shields takes the view that sooner or later, it's going to dawn on the masses that he's one of the world's elite welterweights. Shields, 28, hasn't lost since he dropped a decision to Akira Kikuchi on Dec. 14, 2004. Since, he's reeled off eight in a row, including wins over WEC champion Carlos Condit and top-ranked UFC middleweight Yushin Okami.

Shields, who is 19-4-1, thought he was going to be fighting Mike Pyle on Showtime on Saturday in Corpus Christi, Texas, for the Elite XC welterweight title. He'll still be fighting Pyle and he'll still be on Showtime, but the title shot has vanished. Pyle was unhappy with the way he was being promoted by Elite XC and declined the title shot. Shields wasn't sure what to make of the situation, but said he'll bring the same intensity he would have had the bout been for a belt.

"Obviously, every fighter wants to win a championship," Shields said. "It's one of my goals. He didn't want it for whatever his reasons are, but that doesn't change the fact that I need to perform at a certain level."

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