Claressa Shields will return to the PFL cage this August, where she’ll compete in mixed martial arts for the second time.
The world championship boxer and two-time Olympic gold medalist will fight as part of the PFL’s August 27 card. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani was first to report the news.
No opponent has been named for Shield’s sophomore outing in MMA, which will take place in Florida at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL.
Shields (1-0), who is undefeated in boxing with multiple world titles to her name, made her debut at PFL 4 just weeks ago. There, she defeated journeywoman Brittney Elkin via TKO — the very same opponent who welcomed fellow crossover star Kayla Harrison to mixed martial arts a few years back.
Unlike Harrison, Shields appeared less than dominant in her debut, spending a lot of time dealing with the grappling attacks of Elkin. However, in the third and final round, she found a way to win when it mattered, and not surprisingly, her striking looked miles beyond her opponent.
Although Shields is competing at lightweight, her bouts are not part of the PFL’s current 155lb tournament for women, which features names like Harrison and Cindy Dandois. Instead, the league is following the same blueprint they took with Harrison, giving Shields standalone fights as she gets her toes wet in the sport.
The PFL’s August 27 event will host the heavyweight and women’s lightweight semifinal fights for the 2021 season. That means that Shields and Harrison are likely to end up competing on the same card.
