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Boxing champion Claressa Shields makes the leap to mixed martial arts.
Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who set a 10-0 record in her professional boxing career after a 77-1 as an amateur, has signed a contract with the PFL that will see her sports transition.
Two people with knowledge of the situation spoke to MMA Junkie about Shields signing on Monday, but requested anonymity as the PFL has yet to make an official announcement.
Shields will take one-off fights from light to weight with PFL; she will not compete in the 2021 season. The situation is similar to what double Olympic gold medalist in judo Kayla Harrison did in 2018 before competing and winning the 2019 championship at 155 pounds.
Shields, 25, is expected to continue boxing in 2021 and compete in MMA. She has been mentioned in MMA circles in recent years. There have been discussions of potential fights with two-time UFC champion Amanda Nunes and Bellator champion Cris Cyborg, but those discussions have mostly focused on Nunes or Cyborg’s transition to boxing.
The idea of competing in MMA, however, was never rejected by Shields. In July 2019, she posted on social media that she would “really” consider fighting for the UFC. In February, a video of Shields’ training kicks first surfaced.
Shields, the undisputed world women’s middleweight champion, is one of only seven boxers in history – male or female – to hold the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO world championships at the same time. She hasn’t fought since a unanimous decision victory over Ivana Habazin last January. Shields weighed 153.4 pounds for this fight.
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