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It was recently announced that Claressa Shields, one of the most decorated boxers in the world - male or female - would be taking her talents to the mixed martial arts world in 2021.
Claressa Shields signed a multi-fight deal with the US-based Professional Fighters League, and will be competing in a few 'special attraction fights' in her first year. In 2022, she will enter the league's tournament and will have the opportunity to work towards becoming a world champion and a million-dollar prize winner.
The three-division boxing world champion plans to become the first person to simultaneously hold world titles in boxing and MMA.
Claressa Shields said via the PFL's official press release:
“I want to thank Professional Fighters League and Peter Murray for believing in me and giving me this amazing opportunity. What drew me to the PFL is that it is definitely a fighter-first organization, and I can’t wait to be a part of that. Since turning pro it has been my goal to be the GWOAT and to be a two-sport star like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. I want to go where no man or woman has gone and hold championships in both boxing and MMA at the same time."
While she is set to make her MMA debut next year, Shields plans to continue competing in boxing.
Claressa Shields' Legendary Boxing Career
At just 25-years of age, Claressa Shields has already built one of the most impressive resumés in combat sports.
As a professional, Shields is a three-division women's boxing world champion, holding titles in the light middleweight, middleweight, and super middleweight divisions. She is also the fastest boxer - male or female - to ever capture world titles in three weight divisions, doing it in just ten professional bouts. With an impressive 10-0 record, she is currently considered the number one pound-for-pound women's boxer today.
Prior to making the transition to the professional ranks, Claressa Shields was already making history inside the boxing ring as an amateur. She compiled an amateur record of 77-1 with 19 wins via KO. In that stretch, Shields captured two amateur world championships, as well as back-to-back gold medals in the Summer Olympics, making her the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic championships.
Claressa Shields' accomplishments in boxing will already have a place in history. Still in her prime, it's highly likely that Shields goes on to accomplish even more inside the squared circle.
If Shields can make good on her promise of becoming the first person to hold world championships in boxing and MMA simultaneously, she will no doubt carve out an even bigger place in the combat sports history books.
Can Claressa Shields replicate her boxing dominance in MMA?
While Claressa Shields is already one of the world's most decorated boxers, she will be stepping into an entirely different world in mixed martial arts.
The three-division boxing world champion will already have boxing in her arsenal, but that comprises just a small piece of the bigger puzzle that is MMA. Apart from her championship-winning hands, Claressa Shields will also need to learn to become more well-rounded with strikes, which includes making use of her knees and feet, as well as how to defend against those kinds of strikes.
Perhaps the biggest adjustment for Shields would be the grappling aspect of MMA. While it is true that all fights start standing up, she will eventually run into someone who has the skills take her down with ease and dominate her on the mat. It would be impossible for Shields to become an elite-level grappler in just two or three years of training, but if she can develop even just decent takedown and submission defense and keep the fight standing, she can definitely be a problem inside the cage.
Shields is still fairly young, and has enough time to develop into a decent mixed martial artist, especially if she can dedicate herself to training and developing the various aspects that are required to become a well-rounded fighter before she enters the twilight of her prime.
Can Claressa Shields actually become an MMA champion? It's not impossible, but it definitely won't be an easy ask. In the PFL, Shields will likely have to run through the likes of veterans such as Cindy Dandois and two-time champion Kayla Harrison - the latter of whom is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo - before she can hoist a world title.
