Lauren Murphy Welcomes Claressa Shields as She Announces MMA Debut

Claressa Shields shocked the world by signing with PFL recently. The two-time Olympic gold medallist in boxing will now aim to pick up the other disciplines in MMA before she makes her debut early next year.

The addition of Shields who is arguably one of the best female boxers in the world opens up the possibilities of super fights against the likes of Amanda Nunes and fellow Olympic gold medallist Kayla Harisson. Though, it will be a while before these dream fights materialize. 

Flyweight Lauren Murphy echoed the thoughts of many MMA fans around the world when she tweeted, “This is so bad a**. I cannot wait to watch a story develop between Shields, Harrison, Nunes, and the rest of the featherweights. What a cool addition to the roster of bada** women in MMA” 

Read: Valentina Shevchenko wants Lauren Murphy and Jessica Andrade to fight for top contender 

What is next for Lauren Murphy?

‘Lucky‘ finds herself in a difficult spot. After her loss to Sijara Eubanks in 2018, she bounced back brilliantly. She is now 4-0 in her last four fights; two of those wins have come via stoppage. 

The run of 4-0 includes wins over the likes of Roxanne Modafferi and Andrea Lee. In most cases, a four-fight win streak over notable opponents for the number 3 ranked fighter in the division would warrant a title shot. However, ‘Lucky’ does not have a title shot in sight and might not get it anytime soon either. 

It was recently reported that Jessica Andrade would be next in line for the title shot, despite being 1-2 in her last three fights. 

The champion Valentina Shevchenko believes that Jessica Andrade and Lauren Murphy should fight to decide who gets the title shot next.

Who do you think should fight for the belt next at flyweight? Does Lauren Murphy deserve a title shot right away? Or should she fight Jessica Andrade to figure out who gets the title shot next?