Claressa Shields Explains Why She’s Going Back To MMA After Loss

Claressa Shields will be fighting in MMA again in February.

Shields signed with the PFL to fight in MMA and made her debut in June of 2021 and won by third-round TKO in a fight she was losing. In her second fight, she was controlled on the ground and lost a decision.

Since then, there hasn’t been talk of Claressa Shields fighting in MMA, but recently the PFL announced she will return against Kelsey DeSantis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“I wanted to fight Amanda Nunes in a boxing match,” Shields stated during a press conference Wednesday in Hollywood, Florida (h/t BoxingScene). “And when they asked her if she would fight me she said, ‘Tell Claressa Shields to come to my world and I’ll choke the sh*t out of her.’ When I heard her say that it really lit a fire in me. You know what? None of these girls are going to come over from MMA and fight me because they know I’d win, hands down.

“But it would be a super challenge for me to go over to MMA, so I just wanted to challenge myself and show that I’m not just badass in boxing – I’m a badass fighter, period. So why not come over to MMA and just prove myself? So that’s why I’m here, even though a lot of people thought I would just run back to boxing. But hey, here I am. I’m just here to get better and I believe in a year or two I will be fighting for a world title,” Shields continued.

With Claressa Shields set to return to MMA for the first time in 27 months, she says that is her focus. She also believes she has all the tools to exceed in MMA and believes she can be a world champion in MMA very soon.

“There’s a lot of great talent in the PFL,” Shields said. “I just want to do my due diligence and train and just win my fights and hopefully I’ll be as great as these guys up here and be able to fight for the PFL Championship and fight for the million dollars. Right now, it’s one fight at a time and I want to get back on a winning streak, as I lost my last fight by split decision.

“I just want to keep moving forward. Being able to be a woman and fighting in the first pro MMA bout in Saudi Arabia is a big deal for me and my career. I just want to come back and show that boxers can do MMA and that I have the potential to be a PFL world champion one day,” Shields concluded.

Do you think Claressa Shields will have success in MMA?