Olympic gold medalist boxer Claressa Shields has signed an exclusive deal with the Professional Fighters League and is set to make her MMA debut in 2021. Shields signed a multi-fight deal with the league but won’t compete in PFL’s season format. Instead, Shields plans to fight at least twice in 2021 and make her debut with the PFL season format some time in 2022.

Shields is arguably the greatest female fighter of all time. Not only is she an Olympic gold medalist, but she also holds boxing titles in WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO. Claressa has teased a debut in MMA for years and says she wanted to test herself with a debut in MMA in 2020…

“I wanted to test myself. I want to see if I can be a world champion in boxing and a world champion in MMA. That’s something I want to test myself on. I’m not saying boxing is easy, but I’ve been on top of the world for almost 14 years now.”

Claressa Shields

Shields Plans To Stay Active In MMA and Boxing In 2021

Shields not only plans to make her MMA debut in 2021, but she also plans to stay active in the boxing ring. No official first MMA opponent has been announced for Shields, but the Flint native is as tough as they come. A couple wins with PFL could result in a UFC debut down the road. Could you imagine Claressa Shields vs Amanda Nunes? I know, I’m getting ahead of myself, but that match is a dream fight. It’s the definition of a super fight. Boxing legend vs MMA legend. PPV buys would be through the roof.