Claressa Shields: MMA Treats Women Better Than Boxing Does

On December 2, 2020, reports emerged that professional boxer Claressa Shields had signed an exclusive, multi-year deal with the mixed martial arts promotion Professional Fighters League. Shields, a 25-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist from Flint, Michigan, was considered the top female pound-for-pound boxer in the world at the time of the announcement. MMA Junkie was the first to report the signing.

Shields rose to prominence after winning back-to-back gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games for Team USA. As an amateur, she accumulated a 77-1 record, and she subsequently built a professional record of 10-0. She won all four major titles in the same weight class, a feat accomplished by only eight other boxers in history.

According to reports at the time, Shields did not plan to compete in the traditional league season format in 2021, but aimed for a season berth in 2022. Instead, she planned to compete in two or three boxing matches and two or three mixed martial arts fights during 2021, with the goal of holding world championships in both sports simultaneously. Commenting on her career move, Shields stated that while she was not upset with boxing, she regarded it as a sexist sport.

At the time of the announcement, Shields had not settled on a training regimen or a home mixed martial arts gym, though she expressed a desire to train with top fighters and coaches. She also noted that fellow competitor Kayla Harrison would be in her thoughts toward the end of 2021.