Claressa Shields has established
herself as one of the best female fighters on the planet. Her
prowess in the boxing world is undeniable. She currently holds
two gold medals in the Olympics, as well as simultaneous world
titles in WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO, the only boxer in history to do
so. Shields is certainly one of the best female boxers in
history and now at just 26 years old, she is looking to test her
skills further.
Future Aspirations
Shields has recently decided to challenge herself by entering
the world of mixed martial arts. On one hand, she wants to
silence the doubters that say she would never be able to cross
over, on the other hand, she has publicly stated that she is
interested in larger paydays. Of course, this road will not be
easy
despite her decorated career.
This is because MMA is a sport that incorporates all known
martial arts together and allows combatants to use a wide range
of different striking and grappling techniques.
Shields’ boxing is top notch, but she will still have to train
heavily to learn the fundamentals of kicking and grappling.
Being only 26 years old and naturally athletic, she can
certainly achieve greatness in this sport as well. She is
already on her way and has stated that she wants to become a
champion.
Her Training Camp and Partners
To beat the best, you have to train harder than the best.
Shields understands the importance of having skilled coaches and
gym partners and in preparation of her MMA debut, she went to
the Albuquerque, New Mexico based gym Jackson Wink MMA. This
organization is something of a legend in the MMA world as it is
directly responsible for massively successful fighters like
former UFC champions Jon Jones and Holly Holms, as well as Joel
Romero and others.
Following a two-week trial period, Shields decided to make
Jackson Wink her home for her MMA training. Greg Jackson, one of
the main trainers there, repeatedly raved about her natural
ability and called her a “quick learner.” Shields has worked
closely with former 135lbs UFC champion Holly Holms to study her
technique and learn what it takes to hunt for UFC gold. When
Shields was asked why she decided on Jackson Wink, she responded
“they know how to make champions here.”
Shields’ First MMA Fight
Despite criticism that she was rushing into her first fight,
Shields had her successful MMA debut two weeks ago after just
six months of training. Shields received multiple offers, but
ultimately signed with Professional Fighters League on a
multi-fight contract that will carry her through 2022. On June
10th, Shields faced her first MMA opponent in the 3-6 grappler
Brittney Elkin at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New
Jersey.
For most of the fight it seemed like Elkin was in control,
continuously pressuring Shields and keeping her back against the
cage. Shields clearly looked inexperienced when it came to
defending takedowns, but her boxing was crisp and powerful with
the much lighter four ounce gloves. In the third round, Shields
took control and mounted her opponent, raining punches on the
ground until the ref stopped the fight at the 1:44 mark.
In this fight, Shields showed she has the tenacity and ambition
that is needed to excel in this sport. She even
drew praise from PFL owner Ray Sefo
who stated he was very impressed, though he feels Shields has a
lot to learn. Shields is ready to face better competition and
make her name in this arena like she has in boxing.
Upcoming MMA and Boxing Events
Claressa’s next fight is sure to attract a massive audience, as
well as the attention of sportsbooks around the globe who offer
promotions like free bets. Her fights will certainly be great
for new bettors as they will presumably have some interesting
prop bets, parlays, and free betting involved, and you can get started with a welcome offer
from one of the world’s leading sportsbooks. It’s likely that
pay-per-view sales will also be enormous as this is one of the
most exciting female fighters we’ve had in MMA in many years.
Surprisingly, Shields has stated that she hopes to compete
simultaneously in boxing and MMA. While this is admirable, it
will certainly have its own dangers and challenges as she risks
becoming rusty and out of practice in both sports as she focuses
on one or the other. Her next opponents in either sport have not
been named, but rest assured she will be in the gym working hard
regardless. Presumably, she will look to sign with the UFC and
face the best female MMA talent once her contract with the PFL
is finished. We have already seen her go back and forth with UFC champion
Amanda Nunez on social media
in recent weeks.