Claressa Shields announced that in addition to boxing, she would compete in MMA from the year 2021. She made the move to cement herself as the best female fighter on the planet. To achieve her goal, she inked a deal with the PFL and will fight in the promotion’s lightweight division.
‘T-Rex’ has been pretty active on social media the past few weeks with frequent posts on her MMA training sessions. Shields recently took to Twitter after her BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) session. She wrote, “I can’t believe I was doing BJJ today. It’s just the beginning but I’m happy to learn and have some understanding of it.”
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The two-time Olympic gold medallist will make her professional fighting debut in 2021 against an undisclosed opponent. She will look to carry over her impeccable boxing stats to the cage as well.
‘T-Rex’ has a perfect 10-0 record in the squared circle. However, MMA is different from boxing and ‘T-Rex’ will have to develop her wrestling skills and overall ground and pound. She will have to use this in sync with her boxing game as her opponents will ensure that they do not get into a slugfest.
READ – ‘I’m Still Put on a Back Burner to Men’ – Claressa Shields Trashes Boxing
Claressa Shields trains with Jon Jones
The duo shares the same gym and Claressa Shields was seen training alongside former UFC champion, Jon Jones. ‘T-Rex’ took it to her Instagram handle to share snippets of training with ‘Bones’.
In this video, fans can see Jones helping Shields hone all the aspects of her game that would come to the fore in a cage fight. Unquestionably, Jones is a legend of the sport, and seeking lessons from him would help any fighter tremendously.
Shields seems to be in the right wings before her much-awaited PFL debut. However, it would be intriguing to see who she picks up as her first pro-MMA opponent.
How would Claressa Shields fare in her first MMA fight? Can she make an undefeated run in MMA as well?
