Decorated boxer Claressa Shields has many accomplishments, including being a boxing champion to have competed and win an MMA match.
The list of accolades continues to grow for "T. Rex." By age 26, Claressa Shields has taken home Olympic gold twice, won numerous boxing championships across weight classes, and now sports a win in the PFL.
Shields won her MMA debut by TKOing Brittney Elkin, then she went on to her next match a few months later.
Though the undefeated boxer fought hard, she took the first loss of her professional fighting career via split decision against Abigail Montes.
She still considers herself "The Greatest Woman Of All Time" and prides herself on stepping up to the challenge of MMA. Currently a lone wolf in her acts, Shields blames "egos" for other boxers not following suit.
“Ego, men have a lot of egos, a lot of boxers have egos. They want to be great at what they’re great at and the minute they’re faced with something uncomfortable or abnormal, they don’t want to do it," Shields explains to SunSport.
Many boxers tried their hand at mixed martial arts. Famous names in the realm of boxing such as James Toney, and Ricardo Mayorga made an effort in the sport. While revered boxing champions, they both met failure in their MMA debuts and retired from the sport.
Notably, former boxer and UFC veteran LaVerne Clark saw success in MMA. He won his UFC debut, and from 1998 to 1999, won 9 fights in a row, mostly by TKO.
In recent years, no other boxing champions besides Shields has made an attempt at mixed martial arts. It's been over 10 years since fellow boxing legend Holly Holm set out on her MMA journey, in which she became UFC women's bantamweight champion.
Undoubtedly, some fighters fear their perfect records being tarnished by a loss. However, Shields plans to take her MMA career all the way to the top.
A championship belt in MMA may be the toughest challenge of her combat career, but she refuses to back down.
“It’s unprecedented, it’s never been done before and that’s what people want to see, extraordinary things. And the fact that I’m willing to put my reputation, my record, put everything on the line to achieve the PFL world title, it shows my character," Calaressa continues.
From the Olympics to boxing to MMA, Shields proves her tenacity is unmatched.
She currently dominates women's lightweight boxing; undefeated at 12-0. And on February 5, she rebounded from her MMA loss with a unanimous decision boxing win against Ema Kozin.
Shields plans to reappear in the PFL in 2023 to continue her legacy. Perhaps Shields will start a trend of professional boxers turned successful MMA fighters.
Are you excited for Claressa Shields's next MMA bout?