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Claressa Shields is heralded as one of the greatest female boxers ever. As an amateur, the Michigan-born fighter captured a gold medal in the middleweight division at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her professional boxing career has also been marked with several titles and achievements. However, Shields' MMA career has panned out in a different manner.
Did Claressa Shields quit MMA?
Claressa Shields holds a 2-1 professional MMA record during the span of her three-year career. All three of her MMA fights were fought under the PFL banner. After more than a year of inactivity in MMA, Shields announced her retirement from the sport on May 19.
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Shields made her professional MMA debut against Brittney Elkin in a lightweight bout at PFL 4 in June 2021. 'GWOAT' (Greatest Woman Of All Time) emerged victorious, defeating Elkin via third-round TKO. Shields then lost to Abigail Montes via split decision in their lightweight bout at PFL 10 in October 2021.
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Following the defeat, Shields stayed away from professional MMA competition for a few years and focused on her boxing obligations instead. Her third MMA fight was a 165-pound bout against Kelsey DeSantis at PFL vs. Bellator in February 2024, which Shields won via split decision.
Why did Claressa Shields quit MMA?
Several athletes from other combat sports disciplines have transitioned to MMA and reached the top. Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira and Holly Holm are some individuals who achieved remarkable success after transitioning to MMA.
Claressa Shields hoped to achieve a similar level of success. While she enjoyed a degree of success in the sport, 'GWOAT' acknowledged that it was a difficult thing to achieve after announcing her retirement from the sport this past May.
During her interview with Ariel Helwani, Shields said about her decision to retire (via BBC):
"It was fun, but I don't have enough time to train for it. It takes six to eight months just to get ready to defend takedowns. Even though 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... 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 well in MMA. It was fun, but it was too hard." [H/t BBC]
Although she decided to call it quits in MMA before reaching the top, Shields is going strong in her boxing career. With her win over Danielle Perkins in February 2025, Shields became the undisputed female heavyweight champion, adding another achievement to her already impressive resume.
