Boxing icon Claressa Shields has officially announced her retirement from mixed martial arts following a brief three-fight venture into the sport.
The undefeated 16-0 boxing champion, who often refers to herself as `the greatest woman of all time` (GWOAT), initially made waves in the combat sports world by transitioning to MMA in 2021.
Shields secured a TKO victory in her debut after overcoming difficulties, but then faced a split-decision loss in her subsequent fight.
Her third and final MMA bout took place in February 2024, where she earned a close decision win against Kelsey DeSantis, concluding her mixed martial arts record with two wins and one loss.Claressa Shields Explains MMA Retirement
Earlier this year, the double Olympic boxing gold medalist had already given an indication about the future of her MMA aspirations.
Claressa Shields suggested that she simply did not have enough available time to dedicate the intensive training required to compete at a world-champion level in mixed martial arts.
Speaking on Monday, the 30-year-old confirmed her departure from the sport, candidly admitting that MMA proved to be `too hard`.
“MMA is done, sweetheart,” Shields told Ariel Helwani. “It was fun, but I don’t have enough time to train for it. It takes eight months just to get ready to defend takedowns. I got a lot better and put in the time, I broke my arm twice. It was fun, and I enjoyed every fight I did.”
She added that her family had always been against her MMA move and that she pursued it “because I wanted to prove a point, and I proved that point.”
Shields further elaborated on the time commitment: “It takes a lot of time to train for MMA, time that I don’t have.” While she acknowledged previous dreams of becoming a PFL champion and potentially facing fighters like Kayla Harrison or Larissa Pacheco, she ultimately concluded, “I’m already great in boxing, and to be great like that in MMA, I would have to train consistently for at least three to four years. I did really good in MMA. It was fun, but it was too hard.”
What`s Next for Claressa Shields?
Claressa Shields is set to return to professional boxing for her next challenge. She is scheduled to face IBF light-heavyweight titleholder Lani Daniels on July 26.
Shields recently became an undisputed champion (at heavyweight, according to the source text, though typically fighting at lower weights) with a unanimous decision victory over Danielle Perkins in February.
She will put her titles and her undefeated professional boxing record on the line against Daniels at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
