Did Claressa Shields win her MMA debut?
Former pro boxer Claressa Shields earned the respect of the MMA community by winning her debut MMA fight against Brittney Elkin at PFL 4 via TKO in round three. The event was held at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on June 10, 2021. The fight wasn't going as per plan for Claressa Shields, who found herself at the wrong end of the action, especially on the canvas. Brittney Elkin looked to capitalize on Shields' lack of prowess on the ground and even managed to successfully mete out a considerable amount of damage. However, Claressa Shields displayed her mental and physical fortitude as she weathered the storm. The boxer managed to bring the fight back to the feet, where she unleashed her incredibly gifted and dangerous hands. By the time the bell rang for the third round, Elkin seemed visibly gassed out. Shields, on the other hand, is a champion boxer with incredible cardio. She poured it on in the third frame and even shot for a takedown of her own. While this may not have been the wisest decision considering the gap in their ground games, Shields adapted brilliantly and began to unleash some vicious ground and pound. The referee gave Elkin every chance to defend herself, but she just wasn't able to, and as a result, the contest was stopped at 1:44 of round three. Also Read: "She couldn't hurt me" - Claressa Shields reacts to dominating win at PFL 4  Claressa Shields made a bold transition to MMA  After an illustrious career inside the squared circle, Claressa Shields set her sights on the world of mixed martial arts. This was a very bold move, considering how many more forms of combat she would need to begin learning to successfully make the switch. Thankfully, Shields made the right choice regarding training and coaching by signing up at Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is the same gym that has produced MMA greats like Jon Jones and former boxer-turned-martial artist Holly Holm. Also Read: "Boxing training is hard, but MMA is much harder" - Claressa Shields on boxing versus MMA comparisons  While Shields' first MMA outing was against an opponent with a 3-6 record coming into the fight, it still does not take away from the fact that Claressa Shields is a very hot prospect. The self-proclaimed GWOAT could treat us to an incredible career inside the MMA cage, provided she keeps improving from strength to strength. Maybe some more wrestling lessons from Jon 'Bones' Jones could help immensely. Sound off in the comments! Edited by Avinash Tewari