Boxing champion Claressa Shields makes the leap to mixed martial arts.
Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who broke a 10-0 record in her professional boxing career after 77-1 as an amateur, has signed a contract with the PFL that includes her transitional sports.
Two people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie of Shields’ signing on Monday but asked for anonymity as the PFL is yet to make an official announcement.
Shields will take on one-off lightweight battles with PFL; She will not compete in the 2021 season. The situation is similar to that of two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison in 2018, before entering and winning the 2019 championship at 155 pounds.
New PFL athlete @ ClaressaShields talked about switching to MMA last year and the adjustments she would need to make.
“If they put me in four ounce gloves, they call me Muhammad Ali.”
More about her signature: https://t.co/uetKZ4Hl2D pic.twitter.com/PzE0Qw0fDr
– MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) 1st December 2020
Shields, 25, is expected to continue boxing and participating in MMA in 2021. She has been mentioned in MMA circles for the past few years. There have been discussions about possible fights with UFC doubles champion Amanda Nunes and Bellator champion Cris Cyborg, but those conversations have mostly centered on nunes or cyborg transitioning into boxing.
However, the idea of participating in MMA was never rejected by Shields. In July 2019, she posted on social media that she would “really” consider fighting for the UFC. A video showing Shield’s Training Kicks first appeared in February.
Shields, the undisputed world women’s middleweight champion, is one of only seven boxers in history – men or women – to hold WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO world championships concurrently. She hasn’t fought since a unanimous win over Ivana Habazin last January. The shields weighed 153.4 pounds for this fight.
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