Women’s boxing superstar Claressa Shields has revealed she may be stepping away from mixed martial arts competition, citing time constraints as the main factor in her decision.
Speaking to Fight Hype, the undefeated boxing champion shared her immediate plans for the future. “I want to have two more fights this year. Then after that, take off a little time, maybe have a kid or something and then come back and fight some more,” Shields said.
When asked about continuing her MMA career, Shields expressed uncertainty. “I don’t know about MMA, I did everything I wanted to do over there. I went over there, won two fights, lost a split [decision], there’s not enough time in the day for me to train for MMA… Not enough time to train to become a PFL world champion,” she explained.
The Olympic gold medalist has maintained a perfect 16-0 record in professional boxing while simultaneously pursuing a career in MMA, where she holds a 2-1 record with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Earlier this month, Shields added to her boxing accolades by securing a unanimous decision victory over Danielle Perkins to unify the heavyweight titles. However, she faced a setback when she tested positive for marijuana in a mouth swab test.
“I did not test positive for a PED actually it was 3.4 n of weed and that’s not even full PFF. I’ve never smoked one in my life so mishap something happen,” Shields stated, addressing the situation.
Meanwhile, Brazilian star Cris Cyborg continues to express interest in competing against Shields in a PFL contest, though Shields’ recent comments suggest such a matchup may be unlikely given her current career trajectory.
