“I almost got my arm snapped in the freakin' armbar” - Claressa Shields talks challenges of transition after scraping split-decision win

Now a 2-1 MMA fighter, Claressa Shields is back to her winning ways after suffering the first loss of her professional career in any sport.

Shields, the current no. 1 pound-for-pound female boxer on most credible media sites, picked up a split decision win over Kelsey DeSantis at PFL vs. Bellator: Champs on Feb. 24. In her post-fight interview shortly after the gritty victory, Shields got emotional with Dan Hardy about her recent journey back to the cage.

Holding back tears, Shields said:

"I had such a hard camp. It's not easy what I'm trying to do [going back and forth between boxing and MMA] and I've been so respectful of the sport. I put in a lot of hard work for this and I'm gonna go back to the gym and work harder. I almost got my arm snapped in the freakin' armbar and had to get out of that."

With the win, Shields has improved to a winning record in MMA after going 1-1 in 2021 against Brittney Elkin and Abby Montes. The fight was Shields' first fight in the PFL since losing to Montes 16 months prior.

In the time since last competing in MMA, 'The GWOAT' racked up three more title defenses in boxing with wins over Ema Kozin, Savannah Marshall, and Maricela Cornejo to improve to 14-0 in the ring.

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Amanda Serrano congratulates Claressa Shields on MMA win at PFL vs. Bellator

Recognizing the difficult legacy that Claressa Shields is attempting to carve out for herself, Amanda Serrano congratulated the fellow female boxer on her win at PFL vs. Bellator: Champs on Feb. 24.

Having trained MMA in the past, Serrano understood the difficult journey Shields is currently on as a successful boxer.

Serrano wrote:

"Congrats to @claressashields on her MMA win... I've been in that cage and it's really hard going from boxing to MMA. All MMA fighters come with some hand skills from their stand-up striking but we as boxer go there with no kicking, wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills."

Serrano has a little-known MMA career herself and is currently 2-0-1 in the cage, last competing in 2021. As a close associate of Jake Paul, Serrano has teased a return to the sport to fight in the PFL but has yet to compete for a major organization.