“I Have a Lot of Potential”: Claressa Shields Details Her Long-Term MMA Plans

In a redo of her MMA career, Claressa Shields enters the Octagon this week. Ahead of this crucial night of her combat stint, she was quizzed on whether MMA remains her endgame. Or is boxing still her calling? In reply, she noted where she sees herself in these two formats.

On February 24th, the GWOAT will take on the MMA fighter, Kelsey DeSantis, in a women’s lightweight bout. The PFL x Bellator card comes after she re-signed a multi-year agreement with the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) last year. Her last boxing stint was in June last year. Hence, most assume that a lasting career in MMA is a strategic choice she’s made. However, these doubts vanished when she presented her ambitious aim.

Boxing or MMA? Claressa Shields Answers

Ahead of her re-entry into the cage, the 28-year-old fighter was asked if she plans to remain in the sport of MMA for the foreseeable future. To Fight Hub TV’s question, she noted, “It’s something that I’ve seen, that I know is that I’m able to learn and pick up on anything. In the big picture, for me, is to be boxing world champion at the same time it’s going to be the PFL world champion. I believe that it’s very doable for me. I feel like it’s far fetched for sure but it’s not impossible.”

Her confidence stems from not any brazen assumptions, but from her prior experience in the Octagon. In 2020, the Flint, Michigan-based fighter began training under the guidance of Roberto Alencar. That November, she signed a three-year contract with the PFL. Her MMA debut came the following year against Brittney Elkin, a fight Shields won via a round 3 technical knockout. Months later, in the same year, she faced Abigail Montes, who defeated her through a split decision.

Since then, she’s been off the MMA radar, leading the boxing scape with her undisputed reign in the middleweight division. But she hopes to rule both the combat avenues. She noted, “I have a lot of potential and all it’s going to take is me learning the right things because the fight is already there. I am going to go in there, I’m going to fight, I’m going to be athletic, I’m going to be Claressa Shields, the GWOAT, right? But the fact that I’m forcing myself to be uncomfortable and learning all this ground stuff and not like people who do something right one time and they learned it. It’s like I’m actually drilling for hours and hours.”

While she prepares to return to the cage, her former opponent has thrown her name in the hand for a rematch in MMA.

 Savannah Marshall envisions a cage rematch

In 2022, Shields defeated the English fighter, Savannah Marshall on points, continuing her reign as the undisputed. A couple of years later, Marshall who has also signed with the PFL sees chances of a rematch in the cage. She noted that she was signed only for the potential rematch against the one who gave her career’s only loss.

In media reports, she noted, “They haven’t looked at me and thought she’ll be a brilliant MMA fighter. They’ve signed me because there’s potential for me to fight Claressa in the smartcage isn’t there? That’s why they’ve signed me.”

Also Read: “Gonna Be One-Sided A** Whooping”: Claressa Shields Believes There Are Much Bigger Fights for Her Than Alycia Baumgardner

While Shields has not commented on this front, a rematch between them in MMA format would be an interesting undertaking. Who do you see winning that fight? Take your picks in the comments section below.

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