Boxing superstar Claressa Shields’ MMA career might be coming to an abrupt end just three fights into her PFL tenure.

Claressa Shields is arguably one of the greatest boxers, male or female, to compete in the ring in the sport’s decorated history. After earning a slew of world championship belts, Shields opted to leap into MMA, which drew significant hype from fans, fighters, and pundits.

Shields appeared to live up to the hype when she finished Brittney Elkin in come-from-behind fashion during her 2021 PFL and professional MMA debut. Talks of a potential fight between then-PFL superstars Kayla Harrison and Shields began to surface, and the debate of who would get the better of the other in the cage ramped up.

But Shields faced her first significant case of adversity in MMA in her following fight against Abigail Montes at the 2021 PFL World Championship. She lost to Montes by split decision and struggled mightily with her ground game.

After bouncing back against Kelsey DeSantis last February, Shields seemed intrigued at potentially getting more activity in MMA over boxing. But her recent remarks potentially point to a sharp pivot from that stance.

Claressa Shields has beaten Savannah Marshall at middleweight but now targets a rematch at heavyweight.

Fresh off of her heavyweight title win over Danielle Perkins, Claressa Shields is setting her sights on a rematch of her 2022 fight with Savannah Marshall — but this one she wants to stage at heavyweight according to her promoter Dmitry Sailta. Shields took a unanimous decision win over Marshall in their first meeting at the middleweight division.

Salita says he’s formally reached out to Marshall’s team about their interest and hopes to bring the fight to fruition, adding that Shields additional power at heavyweight makes her an even bigger threat to score a knockout.

“We’ve had general discussions over the past several months and have expressed our interest in making the rematch happen,” Dmitry Salita, Shields’ promoter, told Sky Sports. “I believe she will stop Savannah with the power she possesses at heavyweight.”

If this proposed rematch is to gain any traction Salita says the fight would need to be either staged in the US or in a neutral location and not in England where they fought the first time. Shields is as accomplished as they come at this point and would appear to be angling for an opponent that will bring as much money and notoriety as possible, with Marshall being a significant name in women’s boxing.

Claressa Shields, one of the most decorated boxers ever, takes on top-ranked contender Danielle Perkins Sunday night for a chance to win another undisputed world title.

Shields fights Perkins at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, her hometown, on Sunday night for the undisputed women’s heavyweight championship. Shields (15-0, 3 KOs), already a champion of five different weight classes, is looking to become the first boxer to win undisputed titles at three different weight classes. Perkins (5-0, 2 KOs) will have to take down Shields on her home turf to win her first championship.

Shields-Perkins headlines a night of 10 fights in the “Vehicle City” featuring four women’s fights. The co-main event is a men’s heavyweight duel between Brandon Moore and Skylar Lacy for the vacant USBA heavyweight title. Five other boxers from Michigan — Jaquan McElroy, Joseph Jerome Starks, Leon Lawson III, Joseph Hicks and Joshua James Pagan — will also fight on the card.

Claressa Shields makes history every time she steps into a boxing ring. She looks to become a three-division undisputed champion as she heads home to Flint, Michigan to face Danielle Perkins on February 2 to determine the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Shields (15-0) is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a two-division undisputed champion. The self-proclaimed “G.W.O.A.T.” has held gold at super welterweight, middleweight, and super middleweight. She beat Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in July 2024 to win heavyweight gold, a division that hasn’t gotten much love.

Collecting gold and taking names, Shields looks to decimate Perkins, entertain family and friends, and put more gold around her waist.

“She (Perkins) is fighting against the best,” Shields said via Detroit News, “and if she comes in there and she don’t put her chin down, and she feels like she can just come out there and bully me and put her size and her weight on me and just punch me hard, and that’s going to win her the fight, she’s in for a rude awakening.”

A two-time World Championships medalist, Perkins (5-0) took two years off from action and returned in 2024, winning two straight. The 42-year-old has two wins via knockout. A former St. John’s basketball player, Perkins believes she is the first real test at heavyweight for Shields.

Perkins is ready to spoil her homecoming party on a special Sunday fight night.

“If it’s going to be a dogfight, then so far, there’s going to be two dogs, and you’re not going to know who’s who,” Perkins said.

Here’s how to get the cheapest prices and best deals for Claressa Shields vs. Danielle Perkins.

Claressa Shields vs. Danielle Perkins Dort Financial Center tickets

• Tickets: StubHub

Claressa Shields vs. Danielle Perkins will be in the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. Home to the Flint Firebirds, the venue can hold up to 5,109 people.

Tickets for the fight are available on StubHub.

Ticket prices start at $57.

Prices then range from $100, $300, $500, and $647.

BUY NOW: Claressa Shields vs. Danielle Perkins at Dort Financial Center

Dort Financial Center seat map for Claressa Shields vs. Danielle Perkins

Savannah Marshall outlines her plans to return to boxing in 2025 and chase down a second professional fight with great rival Claressa Shields; Shields will next box for unified heavyweight titles and now Marshall wants to fight Shields for the undisputed heavyweight world championship

Savannah Marshall intends to return to boxing in 2025 and pursue a rematch with Claressa Shields, all the way up to the heavyweight division.

Marshall’s only defeat in professional boxing came against long-time rival Shields in a major 2022 contest.

In 2023, the Briton became the undisputed super-middleweight world champion with her victory over Franchon Crews-Dezurn but didn’t box at all last year as she transitioned to MMA and competed in PFL.

But she is planning her return to boxing in 2025. She wants to chase a rematch with Shields, and is especially eager to fight the American superstar for a heavyweight world title.

Shields is fighting Danielle Perkins for the WBC, WBO and IBF heavyweight championships on February 2.

Marshall expects Shields to win that bout and would welcome a heavyweight title fight with her great rival.

“I think I’ll follow suit with Claressa, go up,” Marshall told Sky Sports. “Hopefully that sets up that fight again.”

It’s the fight Marshall wants more than any other and potentially making it for an undisputed heavyweight championship would be all the more appealing.

“I went over to MMA hoping to catch her there, that hasn’t materialised,” Marshall said. “Get a fight in March and then hopefully her in the summer.

“Size-wise, I’m probably the biggest out there anyway, height, frame-wise. The pool’s so shallow, with competition. I could carry light-heavy, heavyweight. It’s not really an issue.”

She believes boxing Shields at heavyweight could give her advantages. Marshall said: “I am [bigger than her]. And hopefully it will slow her down a bit! So that’s a plus.

“It’s the biggest fight out there for us both.”

Claressa Shields is ready to fight Cris Cyborg in 2025.

Training partners once upon a time, the relationship between Shields and Cyborg became acrimonious over the past few years. That animosity only ramped up in 2024 with Cyborg calling Shields out for a possible meeting in either the boxing ring or the PFL cage.

But Shields believes it’s all talk coming from Cyborg.

“She wants the clout,” Shields told the Pound 4 Pound podcast recently. “That’s what Cris Cyborg wants. Ain’t nobody paying attention to no Cris Cyborg no more. She’s old and I’m new. I’m popping right now. She’s a hater. And when we sparred, I kicked her ass, easy. She’s lucky I didn’t knock her ass out because the way she was looking, like a deer up in headlights. …

“She’s talking about she wants to fight me,” Shields continued. “Well, bitch come do it! Come fight me! I don’t understand what we’re waiting on. She’s like, ‘Oh, I want you to come to MMA.’ No, you idiot. I’m not going to MMA. You said you would knock me out if we wore eight-ounce gloves at 154 pounds. I don’t give a damn if we wear four-ounce gloves, I’m going to sleep Cris Cyborg, because what? She cannot fight. You’re an MMA fighter!”

A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Shields is a five-weight world champion in boxing and widely regarded as one of the best female boxers in the world. Still just 29 years old, Shields has also flirted some with MMA, taking three fights in the PFL, including a split decision win over Kelsey DeSantis back in February.

In contrast, Cyborg is one of the most accomplished female MMA fighters ever, who began dabbling in boxing over the past few years, with a 4-0 professional record.

Given their respective backgrounds, it’s clear that Shields would have a big advantage in a boxing match, while Cyborg would be an overwhelming favorite in an MMA fight. And though Shields clearly has no love for Cyborg at this point, even she acknowledges that facing her in MMA would not be to her advantage.

“Honestly, for this film, I wanted them to see everything. I wanted them to feel everything.”

Women in sports have had a much-needed and long-overdue spotlight shined on them this year, and I can’t think of a better way to end 2024 than with a film magnifying the name of one of this country’s unsung heroes: Claressa “T-Rex” Shields. At just 29, the Flint, Michigan native has built an enviable career in the boxing world, which includes not one but two Olympic gold medals, two world champion titles, 2018’s Female Fighter of the Year, the World’s Best Active Middleweight Female Fighter, Undisputed Female Middleweight title-holder between 2019 and 2024, and many more.

The Fire Inside explores Claressa’s life from when she first entered a boxing gym to her journey to becoming the first American woman to win gold in boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics. From childhood trauma to an unbreakable bond with her coach Jason Crutchfield, fans will get a taste of the remarkable fight Claressa held in her heart, as well as the mat. Blood, sweat, and tears were just a roadway to greatness for her.

Ryan Destiny portrays Claressa in this biographical drama, while Brian Tyree Henry stars as her trainer. Barry Jenkins adapted the screenplay from her 2015 documentary T-Rex, while Rachel Morrison made her directorial debut with the project.

I sat down with Claressa to learn more about the making of the film, her heartbreaking journey to the top, and more.

BuzzFeed: When were you first approached about turning your story into a movie? Was there anything you were hesitant about bringing to the screen?

Claressa Shields: The opportunity came two months before the 2016 Olympics. I received the email, and I responded to the email. I then made the phone calls and got in contact with everybody, but we didn’t get the contract and everything situated till a year after the Olympics. Well, after I won the Olympics again. So they sent the contract. There was no hesitation. I just want to have everything right in the contract and know what the story would be like — which part of my life would I be sharing? Which Olympics would we be focusing on? Is it going to go into my professional career or just my come-up? These are the questions I had to ask.

Barry Jenkins wrote the screenplay for The Fire Inside. What was it like working with him?

I didn’t have to do much work, and that just shows how great he is at what he does. We met and talked for about four hours. I asked him, “What is your perception of my life? Because if you’re going to write a story about my life, I need to know what you think first.” He gave me a spiel, and I told him, “Close, but let me tell you what my story was really about.” I told him where he got it right, where he got it wrong, or this is what you forgot, or this is what you overlooked, etc. Barry asked me a couple of follow-up questions and made sure that I was comfortable speaking about my sexual abuse and how I was raped when I was five.

Honestly, for this film, I wanted them to see everything. I wanted them to feel everything because I was not ashamed of what had happened to me. I’m not ashamed and I’m not a victim, I’m a victor. Two weeks or three weeks later, he sent me a script. He told me the script would only go through if I read and approved it because it’s my life. I read it three times and I thought it was great. We only had to make two changes, and he immediately rewrote those scenes over, and the rest is history. Barry’s such a great writer and person.

Claressa Shields, often hailed as the “GWOAT” (Greatest Woman of All Time) in boxing, has built her career not only on her powerful punches but also on her unapologetic voice. Whether it’s standing up for equality in sports, calling out detractors, or advocating for her rightful place in boxing history, Shields is not the one to hold back.

The 29-year-old has become a symbol of empowerment, using her platform to address issues that extend beyond the ring. Now, with her biopic sparking debate, Shields is once again proving she won’t shy away from addressing matters that hit close to home. Let’s see what Shields had to say!

In a fiery post on X, Shields addressed the lack of public support for her biopic, which chronicles her meteoric rise in boxing. Her post read: “So let’s talk about it! A whole biopic about my life & my journey in boxing but only 2 female champions have said anything about it! But y’all love to call me a hater! FOh! These girls been hating on me! That’s why I shine so bright ✨ AND Still! GOD GONNA ALWAYS DO HIS BIG ONE FOR ME!”

Despite the film’s success, Shields has expressed frustration over the lack of acknowledgment from her peers in the athletic community. Only a handful of athletes have publicly responded to the film. Boxer Regis Prograis shared his support, saying, “Good movie. Congratulations, @Claressashields.”

Basketball legend Dawn Staley also promoted the movie on her social media, saying, “#TheFireInside is a must-see! So much resonated with our WBB plight. Thank you @Claressashields for injecting your fight in all of us. I know the sport of boxing is much better off bc of you…women all over the world are better bc of your will and fight in and out of the ring.❤️”, while fellow boxer Mikaela Mayer admitted she hadn’t watched it yet but mentioned that “I can’t wait and I’m proud of you, always.”

However, beyond these few responses, Shields noticed a troubling silence, particularly from other female athletes. This lack of recognition from her peers has left her feeling upset and disappointed. In contrast, fans have showered the movie with immense love and support, further solidifying Shields’ status as a beloved icon in the boxing world.