AEW's Marina Shafir details training with former UFC Champion to improve wrestling skills

AEW star Marina Shafir has an expansive UFC career and switched over to wrestling in the last couple of years. She had a brief stint with NXT but was released. Recently, the 34-year old cited how she trained with UFC fighter Josh Barnett to improve on her wrestling skills.

Popular MMA fighters like Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler have also taken up wrestling. Rousey is currently the SmackDown Women's Champion. Shafir made her AEW televised debut in December 2021 on an edition of DARK.

Recently during an interaction on The Sessions with Renée Paquette, Marina highlighted how Barnett's training has helped hone her wrestling skills:

“He knows how to be like, ‘Marina, shut the f**k up. Simplify this.’ We simplified, we simplified, we simplified, that was the game plan. It just goes back to basics. I have a good enough foundation that I can lean on if I ever feel like I’m in trouble. I don’t need to just try harder than that reaction because the reactions are what are special. The two shows that I did, he honed it in for me both times," Shafir said. [H/T Fightful]

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Marina Shafir wants to face former AEW Women's Champion Britt Baker

Britt Baker made a name for herself with her impressive reign and diversified in-ring skills. She never shied away from a fight that was apparent from her lights-out match.

Baker recently faced her dream opponent Saraya (fka Paige) at AEW Full Gear but was unsuccessful. However, it seems their feud is far from over.

In the same edition of The Sessions with Renée Paquette, Shafir listed her dream opponents from the AEW women’s division:

“Serena [Deeb], easy. Mercedes [Martinez], easy. Athena, holy sh*t, we’d beat the sh*t out of each other. Gimme Britt [Baker]. Gimme Jamie [Hayter]. No, f**k that. Give me Kiera [Hogan], give me Diamanté, give me all the girls that are also in that bubble, who wanna break that ceiling. I want all those girls because everybody has something to offer, not just one f**king person," said Shafir. [H/T ewrestlingnews.com]

Would you like to see Marina Shafir contend for the Women's Championship? Sound off in the comments.