They may have drifted apart. A fight, be it in the ring or the cage, appears unlikely, at least anytime soon. But it hasn’t deterred Cris Cyborg or Claressa Shields from taking potshots at each other. The latest round witnessed the former UFC champion skewering the two-time Olympic gold medalist over purported weight issues. The jibe followed Amanda Serrano‘s forthright take on the rivalry with Shields and their potential clash.

The Claressa Shields-Cris Cyborg rivalry intensified last year. Twelve months ago, after re-signing her contract with the PFL, Shields marked her return to MMA and defeated former marine Kelsey DeSantis at the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator event in Riyadh. Seven months later, following her admission to the PFL ranks, Cyborg faced Larissa Pacheco and became the women’s featherweight champion. But much before, in January, after a gap of two years, she stepped into the ring. As fate would have it, the two legends’ paths eventually crossed. The back-and-forth continues.

A challenge for the GWOAT

In a teasing remark, Cris Cyborg questioned Claressa Shields’ ability to drop weight for a potential bout. Early in February, Shields, who had already made her heavyweight debut last July, defeated Danielle Perkins at her hometown of Flint, Michigan, and became boxing’s first three-division undisputed champion. So laughing at Shields’ alleged predicament, Cyborg stated, “Apparently she can no longer make 154 either 😂😂😂😅.” So what made the Brazilian-American MMA champion laugh so much? It seems Amanda Serrano’s now-viral message caught her attention.

As most fans know, the Shields-Serrano matchup remains one of the most discussed dream fights in women’s boxing. Comparisons are obvious. To her credit, Serrano has always acknowledged Shields as one of the greatest boxers of all time. So in her latest post she made her stand clear.

“I have my own set of accomplishments & accolades. She’s a big woman & I’m a smaller one. Not sure it makes sense for either one of us to be compared,” said the unified featherweight champion, who is poised to meet rival Katie Taylor for the third time in July.

Even if there’s the slightest chance of a showdown with Shields, she may not be willing to go over 140 pounds. “I will never go over 140 lb., which is already 3 divisions past my best weight of 126, where I’m champion & I believe she can’t make 140,” she stated before highlighting how her own accomplishments stand on good stead and that women’s boxing can happily accommodate multiple champions.

But the proof is in the pudding

It seems even for Shields vs. Cyborg, weight remains the sticking point. The issue has kept the clash on the back burner. Reportedly, Cyborg, who has by-and-large dominated the featherweight and light middleweight divisions in MMA and boxing, respectively, wants the fight to happen at 147 pounds. Shields disagrees. For her, 154 pounds remains the limit.

Slamming Cris Cyborg’s boxing ambitions, during an interview Clarissa Shields said, “If Cris Cyborg fights me at 154 lbs., we can make the fight happen…. Fight me at 154. I’m going to dog-walk her like I do everybody else.” And she hasn’t budged from the stand. Eager to take on the newly crowned unified welterweight champion Lauren Price, she recently expressed willingness to fight at 154 pounds.

One may wonder. If Claressa Shields drops to 154 pounds, will Amanda Serrano honor the move and take a step forward?

Do you think a Shields-Serrano matchup makes sense? Or do the higher weight classes suit the three-division undisputed champion more?