Products You May Like
Claressa Shields isn’t wasting any time getting back in the cage.
Less than two weeks after her MMA debut, the boxing standout is now booked for a return to PFL on Aug. 27 at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, promotion officials told ESPN.
No opponent has been named yet. The news was first reported by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani.
Shields rallied for a third-round TKO win over Brittney Elkin in her MMA debut June 10. Elkin was beating Shields handily on the ground before Shields was able to stop a takedown in the third round and slam Elkin with punches from her knees en route to the finish.
ESPN has Shields ranked No. 2 in its pound-for-pound women’s boxing rankings. The Michigan native became the first two-division boxing champion of the four-belt era with a win over Marie-Eve Dicaire in March. Shields, 26, told ESPN last month that she planned on fighting once more in MMA before heading back to boxing at the end of 2021. She will continue to juggle both combat sports.
Shields is a former two-time Olympic gold medalist in boxing and is currently a three-division world boxing champion. For her crossover to MMA, Shields has been training with the likes of all-time UFC great Jon Jones at JacksonWink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico since last December.