Claressa Shields has mixed it up with Cris Cyborg in the ring. Now, she’s getting more serious about a career in the octagon.
The undefeated boxer, who won gold for the U.S. at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, feels compelled to try her hand at MMA after talk of a showdown with two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes.
On Tuesday, Shields used a purported quote from sports medicine physician Dr. Jordan Metzl to let her thoughts be known. The quote read, “You need a goal that scares you just a little bit.”
Here’s Shields’ response on Twitter:
This quote is really making me consider trying the @ufc ! I had this weird feeling about turning pro a few years ago and I stumbled up on this quote & decided to do it! And then yesterday this same quote reappeared! With all this talk about me and Nunes I had that same feeling.
Shields, the current WBA, WBO, WBC, IBF, and The Ring titleholder at women’s middleweight (160 pounds) already has welcomed the idea of boxing Nunes. UFC president Dana White recently said he’s open to the female version of “The Money Fight,” prompting Shields to predict a bad ending for her MMA counterpart.
White clarified Nunes still has more work to do in the octagon but wasn’t opposed to the UFC champ following in the footsteps of Irish star Conor McGregor, who took on and was defeated by Floyd Mayweather in one of the most lucrative pay-per-views in history.
Shields (9-0 boxing), who most recently outpointed German Christina Hammer to add two new titles to her collection, told TMZ a fight with Nunes (18-4 MMA, 10-1 UFC) would be for her legacy. She also acknowledged she’d make “millions” for the crossover bout.
A fight in the octagon would, of course, be an entirely different story. Shields famously sparred with former featherweight champ Cyborg but doesn’t have any MMA training of note under her belt.
In 2017, Shields told MMA Fighting she would rather stick with her primary skillset than venture into a new sport. But with public interest peaking, she’s thinking about trying something new.
