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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 21: Claressa Maria Shields of the United States celebrates victory over Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands in the Women’s Middle (69-75kg) Final Bout on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro – Pavilion 6 on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 21: Claressa Maria Shields of the United States celebrates victory over Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands in the Women’s Middle (69-75kg) Final Bout on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro – Pavilion 6 on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Women’s boxing legend Claressa Shields made a successful debut in MMA as she defeated Brittney Elkin at PFL 4 via T (KO). The win was all it took for fans and pundits to ponder over a possible matchup with a certain Kayla Harrison.
Although the match has every ingredient to be a blockbuster, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate, thinks it’s too early for Shields to match up against the formidable Harrison.
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MIAMI, FL – APRIL 04: WBA, WBC and IBF Middleweight World Champion Claressa Shields poses for the media before her workout at 5th Street Gym on April 4, 2019 in Miami, Florida. Shields is training to fight WBO Middleweight World Champion Christina Hammer for the undisputed middleweight world championship April 13. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Tate is gearing up for her long-awaited return to the octagon on July 17. Ahead of the Marion Reneau fight, she appeared for an interview where she gave her opinion on a possible mega-clash between ‘T-Rex’ and Harrison.
🎙️"There's a clearly a lot of work that still has to be done. To be expected." — @MieshaTate explains why we're years away from a Harrison vs. Shields fight despite Claressa's MMA prowess thus far 🔊@RyanMcKinnell
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— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) June 23, 2021
“I mean I loved Claressa’s last fight,” ‘Cupcake’ said. “So impressive in so many ways. But there is clearly a lot of work that still has to be done, to be expected. I expected, I didn’t expect, to see a perfect ground fighter out there.”
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‘Cupcake’ added that she wasn’t sure at first how ‘T-Rex’ would come out of adversity and perform. However, Shields’ performance convinced her. Nevertheless, the former UFC champion feels the Harrison fight would be a step too soon.
“But to say, it would make sense to be matched up against Kayla Harrison is absolutely ludicrous,” she explained.
Tate on what separates Claressa Shields and Kayla Harrison for now
Although Shields has tonnes of caliber to succeed in the sport, Harrison (9-0) is certainly a notch ahead for now. The latter has already indulged herself in the sport and this is something that even ‘Cupcake’ agrees with.
“They are in just a different world when it comes to experience and the experience that applies into the sport that both are doing,” she added.
The former bantamweight champ also thinks it will still take years for Shields to match the standard of the judoka. And it’s even possible that they won’t be meeting at all, according to ‘Cupcake’.
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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 02: U.S. Olympian Kayla Harrison visits the USA House at the Royal College of Art on August 2, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOC)
“I don’t know if Claressa will still be with PFL, but I just kinda feel like Kayla won’t be. I think she’s gonna be gunning for the UFC, I think she’s gonna be gunning to come over and do something with the 145 division,” Tate concluded.
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What did you make of Miesha’s assessment on Shields vs Harrison?
