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‘Absolutely Ludicrous’- Miesha Tate Doesn’t See Claressa Shields vs Kayla Harrison Anytime Soon

Published 06/25/2021, 8:47 AM EDT

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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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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.

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“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.

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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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“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?

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Written by:

Akshyay Srichandan Mahapatra

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Akshyay Mahapatra is a UFC author for EssentiallySports. He wished to combine his passion for the UFC (that he has been following since 2008) as well as his love for writing. This motivated him to enter the world of combat sports journalism.
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