For all the accomplishments Claressa Shields has earned during her athletic career, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and multi-weight class boxing world champion may be facing her most daunting challenge to date as she attempts to transition into mixed martial arts.
While sports like wrestling and kickboxing have produced numerous champions across organizations like the UFC, Bellator and PFL, boxers haven’t found the same kind of success.
Of course the list of high level boxers actually attempting to compete in MMA have been few and far between but Shields wants to prove the naysayers wrong as she plots her debut later this year.