Claressa Shields is no longer undefeated in mixed martial arts. Competing in just her second MMA fight, the boxing champion was outgrappled by Abigail Montes in their women’s lightweight matchup at PFL 10. It was a largely forgettable contest with not much action in the first two rounds. However, Montes did enough to get the […]
Claressa Shields is no longer undefeated in mixed martial arts.
Competing in just her second MMA fight, the boxing champion was outgrappled by Abigail Montes in their women’s lightweight matchup at PFL 10.
It was a largely forgettable contest with not much action in the first two rounds. However, Montes did enough to get the second before finishing the third round by mounting Shields and unloading with ground and pound.
Shields managed to survive, but it wasn’t a good visual by any means as it appeared clear to everyone that Montes won the fight. Would she get the decision?
It was close as one judge scored it to Shields, however, the other two scored it to Montes who earned the split decision win as well as the biggest victory of her career.
The 2021 PFL World Championship will feature a total of six world title fights, with the victor of each bout taking home $1 million. Tonight, the third season of the Professional Fighters League will come to a close. In the main event, Kayla Harrison will bring her current contract with the promotion to an end […]
The 2021 PFL World Championship will feature a total of six world title fights, with the victor of each bout taking home $1 million.
Tonight, the third season of the Professional Fighters League will come to a close. In the main event, Kayla Harrison will bring her current contract with the promotion to an end as she looks to repeat as women’s lightweight champion against Taylor Guardado. Harrison has yet to taste defeat in her MMA career, and the -3000 odds in her favor indicate that the public expects it to stay that way in tonight’s main event.
In the co-main event, Ray Cooper III will look to win the 2021 PFL welterweight championship for the second time when he goes against Magomed Magomedkerimov. Magomedkerimov will be bringing in an impressive 28-5 record into the cage with him and an unbeaten PFL record. He’ll also have the privilege of having the man who he believes could be the greatest coach in MMA history, Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner. Stay tuned tonight to see if Coach Khabib will be able to lead Magomedkerimov to a PFL championship.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Also on the championship docket will be heavyweights Bruno Cappelozza taking on Ante Delija. Cappelozza comes in as the -185 favorite, a designation no doubt earned in part by a 3-0 season record. Delija will enter the bout with a 2-1 record this season, with the lone loss coming to guess who? Bruno Cappelozza back in May. In the lightweight championship, Loik Radzhabov will be the moderate favorite as he tries to take home $1 million at the expense of Raush Manfio.
In the final two championship bouts, Movlid Khaybulaev and Chris Wade will square off, with both men entering the fight with a 3-0 season record. Khaybulaev is currently listed as the -170 favorite. Lastly, Antonio Carlos Junior will face Marthin Hamlet for the light heavyweight prize. Carlos Junior spoke with MMA News prior to the fight about the healthy mindset he has heading into the finals after overcoming many dark days in the UFC.
Plus, former Bellator Featherweight Champion Julia Budd will make her PFL debut on the main card tonight as she takes on Kaitlin Young.
The 2021 PFL World Championship takes place live tonight, with the main card beginning at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+, and the preliminary card streaming exclusively on ESPN+ at 4:30 PM ET.
You can check out yesterday’s ceremonial weigh-ins below followed by the full fight card and weigh-in results, courtesy of PFL! Be sure to check back here on MMANews.com for all the results and highlights at the conclusion of tonight’s event!
Main Card
Women’s Lightweight Championship: Kayla Harrison (153.8) vs. Taylor Guardado (154.4)
Welterweight Championship: Ray Cooper III (169.8) vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov (170)
Women’s Lightweight Bout: Claressa Shields (155.8) vs. Abigail Montes (154.4)
Heavyweight Championship: Bruno Cappelozza (236.4) vs. Ante Delija (243)
Featherweight Championship: Movlid Khaybulaev (145) vs. Chris Wade (145)
Preliminary Card
Light Heavyweight Championship: Antonio Carlos Jr. (204.4) vs. Marthin Hamlet (205)
Lightweight Championship: Loik Radzhabov (155) vs. Raush Manfio (155)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Omari Akhmedov (203.6) vs. Jordan Young (206)
Women’s Lightweight Bout: Julia Budd (154.6) vs. Kaitlyn Young (155.6)
Lightweight Bout: Don Madge (155.6) vs. Nathan Williams (155.4)
Abigail Montes is confident she can pull off the upset and defeat Claressa Shields in the PFL finals on Wednesday. In a non-championship bout, the undefeated pro boxer in Shields is set for her second MMA fight against Montes. It’s a step-up in competition for Shields and Montes knows she has the skills to be […]
Abigail Montes is confident she can pull off the upset and defeat Claressa Shields in the PFL finals on Wednesday.
In a non-championship bout, the undefeated pro boxer in Shields is set for her second MMA fight against Montes. It’s a step-up in competition for Shields and Montes knows she has the skills to be able to expose the holes in the boxer’s game.
“I saw her debut – obviously, her boxing is top level and it’s explosive and strong, but there are many holes,” Montes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “Translating boxing to MMA is completely different. Adapting that to MMA is difficult because you have patterns from your entire life and you can’t change that overnight. It takes time. I’m telling you, I saw a lot of holes that I can take advantage of and use to get my win.”
With Abigail Montes seeing holes in Claressa Shields’ game she is confident she will be able to pull off the upset. The 2-0 MMA fighter knows a win over Shields would be massive for her career as the boxer is a massive star in combat sports and handing her, her first loss would be special.
“I knew of her. I follow her career and I knew that she had just made the jump to MMA,” Montes said, recalling how she got the call to fight Shields. “At first, I was taken away by the offer, but I never doubted on taking the fight because I saw it as an opportunity. But I was taken away by it and excited, too. It was like, ‘Wow in just my third fight I can fight someone that I follow and admire.’ That’s super cool. Things happen for a reason and opportunity doesn’t come twice, so here I am.”
However, for Montes, once she steps into the cage with her, she says she’ll view her as any other opponent. She also shared how she envisions the fight ending tomorrow night.
“I visualize the moment of victory often,” she told Mexican News Daily. “I foresee a potential ground-and-pound or submission victory.”
The 2021 PFL season finale takes place Wednesday, October 27, 2021. The main card begins at 8:00 PM ET and will be available on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Do you think Abigail Montes will be able to beat Claressa Shields?
Claressa Shields isn’t lacking confidence heading into her second professional MMA bout or when looking ahead at her future in the sport. All seemed to be lost for Claressa Shields during her MMA debut this past June. Though Shields was able to exhibit potent striking as expected, it was the grappling bugaboo that bit the […]
Claressa Shields isn’t lacking confidence heading into her second professional MMA bout or when looking ahead at her future in the sport.
All seemed to be lost for Claressa Shields during her MMA debut this past June. Though Shields was able to exhibit potent striking as expected, it was the grappling bugaboo that bit the boxing champion in the first two rounds. Then, in the final stanza, Shields was able to complete a come-from-behind victory punctuated by some ferocious ground-and-pound over her opponent, Brittney Elkin.
Tomorrow night, Shields will be back at it again as she faces Abigail Montes in the 2021 PFL season finale. Montes is 2-0 as a professional, so she brings a level of experience that is commensurate with Shields’. Weeks prior to tomorrow’s clash, Shields gave an update on how her training and said experience level is progressing.
“I’ve been learning on the job, and I’ve been just getting better and better,” Shields told The Albuquerque Journal. “… I’m being taught armbars and stuff, and I’m being taught how to get out of them. They’re showing me rear naked chokes, and I’m doing really good in wrestling and getting in great positions.
“That’s stuff that used to confuse me. Now I actually feel good doing them, and that’s just giving me more confidence for the future.”
Danger: Trouble Ahead
Claressa Shields’ PFL Debut Victory Over Brittney Elkin
Shields’ coach Mike Winkeljohn has praised her fast-learning abilities and even shared that the MMA newcomer has been blasting double-leg takedowns in her training at Jackson Wink MMA. The prospect of Shields adding a wrestling component to her MMA game is frightening for some, and it should be, says Shields. And that’s not the only thing her future foes should be fearful of according to the Olympian.
“If I can stop the takedown, a lot of people’s in trouble. If I can go for takedowns, people are in trouble,” Shields said in an interview with TMZ Sports earlier this month. “When I start adding those kicks to my punches, people are in trouble.”
The first person up on the list of troubletakers is Abigal Montes. And if all goes according to plan for Shields tomorrow night, she will close out the year with a 2-0 record as the then-2-1 Abigal Montes exits the Seminole Hard Rock Casino with a broken jaw.
“People keep saying Abigail’s gonna be a challenge for me and all this crazy stuff, like, she’s a decorated amateur kickboxer,” Shields said. “So even though she only has two fights in MMA, she’s been kickboxing for I don’t know how many years in Mexico. And she comes forward with a lot of punches. So we’re definitely gonna see a very, very entertaining fight. But I know I’m here to handle business, and I’m here to break Abigail’s jaw for sure.”
The 2021 PFL season finale takes place Wednesday, October 27, 2021. The main card begins at 8:00 PM ET and will be available on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Claressa Shields recently blasted Jake Paul and saying she could beat him up and would never fight on his undercard. Recently, Paul had Amanda Serrano, one of the best female boxers of all time on his undercard. Daniel Dubois, Tommy Fury and, Ivan Baranchyk vs. Montana Love were on his undercard. But, for Shields, she […]
Claressa Shields recently blasted Jake Paul and saying she could beat him up and would never fight on his undercard.
Recently, Paul had Amanda Serrano, one of the best female boxers of all time on his undercard. Daniel Dubois, Tommy Fury and, Ivan Baranchyk vs. Montana Love were on his undercard. But, for Shields, she says she was offered a spot on his undercard which he declined, whether or not it was for this event or an upcoming one is uncertain.
“I got an offer to be on Jake Paul’s undercard, and I turned it down,” Shields told LowKickMMA. “With all I am and what I represent, I would never do it. I hold value to where Jake Paul’s fans pay to watch him, but my fans pay to watch me. And when I’m not at the top of the bill, you’re not going to get your fair share of the pay-per-view buys. For some women in boxing though, that’s a big opportunity for them.”
Claressa Shields
“I’ve never been allowed to be at the top of a pay-per-view card when I’ve earned that right,” Shields continued. “Not to get my opportunity, and if I were to fight on the undercard of Jake Paul, it would be a f*cking slap in the face. Imma do it on my own, I don’t need him.”
Claressa Shields is arguable the best female boxer alive. She’s held multiple world titles in three different weight classes including being undisputed in two divisions. In her last fight back in March, she defeated Marie-Eve Dicaire by decision which was a pay-per-view event she headlined which was an all-female boxing card.
Although Shields is 11-0 in boxing, she’s transitioning to MMA and she has signed with PFL. She’s 1-0 in MMA and will fight on October 27 and after that, it’s likely she will return to boxing.
What do you make of Claressa Shields turning down a fight on Jake Paul’s undercard?
PFL fighter Claressa Shields has shared her opinion on Superman’s son being bisexual in the latest comic book series. The Flint, Michigan native has made a name for herself in the world of boxing with multiple world titles and an Olympic gold medal. The 26-year-old made her transition into MMA in June against Brittney Elkin. […]
PFL fighter Claressa Shields has shared her opinion on Superman’s son being bisexual in the latest comic book series.
The Flint, Michigannative has made a name for herself in the world of boxing with multiple world titles and an Olympic gold medal. The 26-year-old made her transition into MMA in June against Brittney Elkin. Despite facing early adversity, Shields ended up scoring the TKO finish in the third round.
The new Superman comic book series is set to release on Nov. 9, 2021. According to multiple publications including NPR, The Man of Steel’s son, Jonathan Kent, will come out as bisexual in the pages of Superman: Son of Kal-El #5.
Since news of Kent’s sexual orientation came to light, many have shared their reactions on social media. Among those to respond to the comic book chaos was one Claressa Shields. The decorated boxing champ fears that the message may be too confusing for children.
I’m no where near homophobic I just don’t think that cartoon characters should be bi sexual or gay. Leave the kids alone. Don’t push a agenda on children. To me that’s confusing kids. If a teenager or adult decides to be bi or gay, congrats to them. I have no problem with that https://t.co/JQRQTWafhn
“I’m no where near homophobic I just don’t think that cartoon characters should be bi sexual or gay. Leave the kids alone. Don’t push a agenda on children. To me that’s confusing kids. If a teenager or adult decides to be bi or gay, congrats to them. I have no problem with that” Claressa Shields posted.
After her remarks were perceived by a commenter to be homophobic, Shields clarified that she has no problem with anyone who determines themselves to be a part of the LGBT community. Since the target demographic for comics and cartoons is typically a younger audience, some will no doubt share Shields’ fears while others will view them as unwarranted.
Do you agree with Claressa Shields’ stance on keeping LGBT out of comic books and cartoons?
ESPN2 & ESPN
ESPN2 & ESPN
