A few weeks after landing the Tom Brady of MMA, Professional Fighters League (PFL) landed a one of the hottest boxers in the world as the mixed martial arts (MMA) organization has reached an agreement with Claressa Shields, according to MMA Junkie.
The current WBA, WBC, The Ring and IBF Middleweight champion has teased a transition into MMA for some time now, and even expressed interest in signing with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In fact, UFC president Dana White mentioned that he had talks with Shields’ people about a potential jump to the Octagon, though nothing ever materialized.
In signing with PFL, Shields will compete at Lightweight which could lead to a mega-fight against division queen, Kayla Harrison, down the road. Of course, Shields will transition into the sport slowly, as she still intends to box in 2021.
Shields — who is undefeated as a professional at 10-0 — last competed this past January defeating Ivana Habazin to win the WBC and WBO Light Middleweight titles. Before going pro, Shields had an extensive amateur record and won the gold medal at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
In an interesting twist, Harrison also won gold at the 2012 and 2016 games, though her specialty was judo.