There’s an age-old saying – pick your battles. Claressa Shields likely forgot that wisdom. She now faces the fallout from the altercation that unfolded at the Intuit Dome this past Saturday, where she allegedly slapped Alycia Baumgardner.

Jake Paul‘s MVP (Most Valuable Promotions), whose inaugural MMA event was underway at the venue at the time, has now banned Claressa Shields from all future events. Meanwhile, Alycia Baumgardner is considering legal action. Both the MVP and the unified super featherweight champion laid out their positions through separate statements.

“Most Valuable Promotions is aware of the incident during MVP’s Rousey vs. Carano event on Saturday night involving physical contact by Claressa Shields toward Alycia Baumgardner,” MVP’s official statement read. “MVP maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy for hostile, threatening, or aggressive behavior toward fighters, staff, media, or guests at any of our events. Physical altercations outside the ring or cage are unacceptable in any MVP environment. MVP does not condone, tolerate, or accept Claressa Shields’ behavior in that setting and it reflects poorly on MVP and women’s sports, which we have worked tirelessly to uplift.

“Effective immediately, Claressa Shields is banned from all MVP events until further notice. There is a time and a place for fighter tension and banter, but to physically attack a fellow athlete while there as a guest inside a private VIP area is unacceptable.”

The statement concluded with MVP praising their security for quickly containing the situation and also commending their star boxer, Alycia Baumgardner, for not retaliating during the incident. The MVP’s response followed a statement from Baumgardner herself.

Framing herself as someone focused on growth and professionalism, Baumgardner claimed the altercation at MVP MMA 1 was completely unprovoked. Referring to past controversies, she accused an unnamed individual (likely Shields) of repeatedly displaying hostility toward fellow women fighters.

“That conduct is unacceptable and should not be tolerated in any professional sport,” Baumgardner stated. “This behavior reflects a repeated pattern of hostility, chaos, and attention-seeking conduct that continues to embarrass women’s sports. This situation has been and will continue to be handled legally and professionally.”

The unified women’s super featherweight champion concluded her statement by praising MVP and Netflix for elevating women’s combat sports through the event.

Claressa Shields faces intense scrutiny after viral confrontation

Both statements stem from what allegedly transpired backstage at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, where footage of the now-viral incident captured Shields and Baumgardner, who signed with MVP last year, in a heated exchange.

The situation escalated when Shields moved toward Baumgardner and appeared to raise her hand in what looked like a slap. With several people around them, including security personnel and associates, the exact moment of contact remains unclear on video.

Still, the move immediately sparked a commotion, forcing security to intervene before the situation intensified further.

As clips of the altercation spread online, Shields faced immediate backlash and quickly offered her version of events.

“Imma continue giving bit**es hell respectfully 😎😭 that lil a** girl said, ‘I’ll beat your a** right now’ after already disrespecting me,” she noted in her post on X. “Now you classy and playing victim. Can’t go around threatening people; take that 👋🏾 & try and GET YOUR LICK BACK!”

Part of the shock surrounding the incident comes from the fact that few expected the long-running rivalry between the two world champions to escalate this far.

The two have spent years publicly calling each other out and trading online shots. Just last month, after Baumgardner headlined the MVP-ESPN card while defending her unified title against Bo Mi Re Shin, Shields hurled scathing criticism at the event and its participants over what she considered subpar performances.

Many fans still wonder what the feud is truly about, especially since the chances of the two ever sharing a ring appear slim. The significant weight difference between Baumgardner and Shields makes any realistic matchup difficult to envision.

Even a catchweight bout appears risky considering Shields, who currently rules the women’s heavyweight division, would need to undergo a drastic weight cut to meet Baumgardner somewhere in the middle.

Given those realities, the rivalry itself appears excessive to many observers. MVP has already confirmed disciplinary action, and the coming days should reveal the specifics of the legal action Alycia Baumgardner intends to pursue.