Editor’s note: This story was originally published over at Boxing Junkie, part of the USA TODAY Network, via DAZN.)
Claressa Shields shocked the combat sports world when MMA Junkie broke the news earlier this week that she signed with PFL to try her hand at mixed martial arts.
Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) is a two-time Olympic boxing gold medalist and a three-division champion as a professional.
Shields will make her MMA debut in 2021 in a series of special attractions and then look to enter the 2022 PFL season, where she’ll get the opportunity to win $1 million.
Days after signing with PFL, the 25-year-old from Flint, Mich., spoke with DAZN News about why she signed with PFL, her MMA skill level at this point, when she’ll have her first MMA fight, and what separates MMA from boxing in terms of how women are treated.
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