Tag: 2024 PFL Europe 2

Savannah Marshall’s successful pro debut sets up MMA rematch with boxing rival Claressa Shields

It looks like Savannah Marshall will have a shot to avenge a loss in the near future.

It looks like [autotag]Savannah Marshall[/autotag] will have a shot to avenge a loss in the near future.

Undisputed super middleweight women’s boxing champion Marshall (1-0) made her MMA debut Saturday in the main event of 2024 PFL Europe 2 and finished Mirela Vargas (1-3) in the first round at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England.

Afterward, [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] entered the cage for a friendly and playful faceoff – but one that also could be very serious for both fighters soon. In 2022, Shields and Marshall became the first female boxers to headline a major show in the U.K., and Shields took a unanimous decision to become the undisputed middleweight champ.

The 29-year-old Shields, regarded as the greatest women’s boxer in history, has been dabbling in MMA, as well, and returned in February for a split decision win over Kelsey DeSantis. She’s 2-1 under the PFL banner in three years as a pro in MMA.

Her win over Marshall is the only boxing loss of Marshall’s career. Early in her MMA debut Saturday, she found herself on her back and with some issues to work through, but she did – and then celebrated with training partner and teammate Tom Aspinall, the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion.

No date was given for a potential Marshall-Shields rematch in MMA for the PFL, but such a booking could be a boon for the promotion given the women are two of the most popular boxers in the world.

2024 PFL Europe 2: Best photos from Newcastle

Check out these photos from the fights at 2024 PFL Europe 2 in Newcastle.

Check out these photos from the fights at 2024 PFL Europe 2, which took place at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England. (Photos courtesy of PFL.)

Boxing champion Savannah Marshall scores first-round TKO in MMA debut at 2024 PFL Europe 2

Savannah Marshall overcame usual challenges a boxer faces in an MMA debut, scoring a first-round TKO at 2024 PFL Europe 2 in Newcastle.

Undisputed boxing champion [autotag]Savannah Marshall[/autotag] can now call herself an undefeated professional mixed martial artist.

In the main event of 2024 PFL Europe 2, Marshall made her MMA debut against Mirela Vargas at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England, in a 160-pound catchweight bout. As expected, Marshall (1-0) displayed beautiful striking, leading to a first-round TKO at 4:27. Yet, it wasn’t without a few challenges.

Coming in as a high-level boxer attempting a new sport, Marshall would have to deal with kicks and takedowns, among other obvious challenges. Training with UFC interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], who was in her corner for the fight, helped prepare her for what was to come.

However, Like many boxers before her who tried their hands in the MMA cage, Marshall found herself on her back early in the fight.

“The Silent Assassin” remained calm when the fight hit the ground, and technically worked her way back up to her feet. That’s when she let her hands shine. Sharp punching combinations put Vargas (1-3) in trouble, but then Marshall experienced a few hard leg kicks that took her off her feet momentarily. Regardless, Marshall got back up, and continued with heavy forward pressure, refusing to let her opponent build momentum.

Eventually, after another takedown sequence, Vargas was rendered to nothing more than a defensive shell as Marshall unloaded furious punch combinations. The referee gave Vargas plenty of opportunity to respond before waving the fight off.

“I’ve only been doing this for nine months,” Marshall said during her post-fight interview. “I’ve absolutely loved it, but yeah, these MMA fighters – you’ve got to be a little bit crazy to do this.”

Marshall then shared a moment with Claressa Shields, who defeated her in the boxing ring in 2022. Shields is another boxing champion who has begun dabbling in MMA, and the pair expressed their desire to compete in the cage one day soon.

Marshall’s last appearance in the boxing ring came last July against Franchon Crews-Dezurn, who she defeated by a majority decision to win the undisputed super middleweight title.

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2024 PFL Europe 2 video: Shanelle Dyer scores devastating head kick knockout

Shanelle Dyer added a big highlight to her early career resume Saturday with a brutal head kick knockout at 2024 PFL Europe 2.

[autotag]Shanelle Dyer[/autotag] added a big highlight to her early career resume Saturday with a brutal finish of [autotag]Mariam Torchinava[/autotag] at 2024 PFL Europe 2.

In the first round of their European women’s flyweight tournament bout, Dyer (5-0) landed a picture-perfect right head kick to the jaw of Torchinava (8-3), sending her crumbling against the fence and into the mat at the 2:32 mark of Round 1.

Check out a replay of the finish below (via X):

With the win, the 23-year-old Dyer has now finished four of her five opponents inside the distance during her career, and handed Torchinava her first stoppage loss since her professional debut in July 2021.

Dyer moves on to the semifinal round with her win, and had a chippy faceoff with her next opponent Valentina Scatizzi in the cage afterward.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL Europe 2.

Video: Watch Friday’s PFL Europe 2 ceremonial weigh-ins live on MMA Junkie at 1 p.m. ET

Check out a live video stream of the PFL Europe 2 ceremonial weigh-ins from Newcastle, England.

PFL Europe 2 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT).

PFL Europe 2 (DAZN) takes place Saturday at Utilita Arena in Newcastle.

Photos: 2024 PFL Europe 2 faceoffs at St. James Park in Newcastle

Check out these photos of the 2024 PFL Europe 2 fighter faceoffs at St. James Park in Newcastle.

Check out these photos of the 2024 PFL Europe 2 fighter faceoffs at St. James Par, how of Newcastle United F.C. in Newcastle ahead of the event, which features the professional MMA debut of boxing champion [autotag]Savannah Marshall[/autotag]. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

Savannah Marshall starts in on new MMA journey with hope for eventual Claressa Shields rematch

Don’t think for a minute Savannah Marshall is not big-picturing her transition to MMA with an eye on Claressa Shields.

Ahead of her pro MMA debut, [autotag]Savannah Marshall[/autotag] no doubt is focused on who’s directly in front of her.

But don’t think for a minute she’s not big-picturing her transition to MMA with an eye on the only woman to beat her in the boxing ring: Claressa Shields.

Marshall (0-0) next month has her pro debut against Mirela Vargas (1-2) to headline PFL Europe 2 in Newcastle, England. And if she can get through that, well, she’ll find herself conveniently in the same PFL promotion as Shields (2-1), who outpointed her in a 2022 boxing match.

But first, she has to just make a smooth crossover to a new sport.

“Training has been hard – real hard,” Marshall told PFL Europe. “It’s been a massive change, but one I’ve really enjoyed. I’m enjoying learning new skills and enjoying the adjustments I’ve made from being a boxer. I’ve been doing it for about nine months now and I’m really excited. This is a chapter I never thought I would have, so this is all a bit of a bonus for me.”

Marshall, who turned 33 on Sunday, will be fighting in front of her home fans in England. She recently told MMA Junkie she thought about MMA more than a decade ago, but at the time decided it wasn’t what her journey should be.

But fast forward to 2024, and Marshall might have put herself into a perfect scenario to try to avenge the loss to Shields some day.

“I’ve seen Claressa Shields’ fights in the cage, and I can see how she might struggle with certain things,” Marshall said. “Obviously, what would benefit me in the boxing ring doesn’t really benefit me in MMA – I’m talking about stance-wise. I had to really change how I stand. I have never really taken anything from any of the girls fighting in the PFL because everyone is different, and I am going to adapt differently. All I can take from Claressa’s fight is that I can point out what she struggled with.”

But before she can hone in on Shields, she has to get through Vargas. Nearly a year after her most recent boxing win in July 2023, that’s what she’ll try to do after an undeniably successful boxing career with multiple titles.

“All I wanted to be was undisputed and have all the belts, and that’s what I’ve done,” Marshall said. “This is a new journey for me. This is a new checklist. This is a new set of goals, and it’s really exciting. This is new, and it’s the unknown, and it’s really got me pumped up. This is something I’ve been missing for a long time in boxing.”

Savannah Marshall’s MMA debut opponent revealed as full 2024 PFL Europe 2 lineup announced

British boxing champion Savannah Marshall will make her MMA debut in England on June 8.

British boxing champion [autotag]Savannah Marshall[/autotag]l’s opponent for her debut in mixed martial arts has been revealed – and it’s someone right at her level.

The PFL announced Monday that Marshall will meet Brazilian [autotag]Mirela Vargas[/autotag] at 2024 PFL Europe 2. The event, which will be headlined by Marshall’s debut, is set for June 8 at Utilita Arena in New Castle, England.

Vargas, 26, is 1-2 as a professional fighter. She won her pro debut in 2021 by 12-second knockout, but then she didn’t compete again until 2023, losing by submission in both bouts under the Iron Man MMA banner.

Marshall, 32, is the IBF, WBA, WBO, and The Ring women’s super middleweight champion with a 13-1 professional boxing record. Her lone career loss came against fellow PFL fighter Claressa Shields. She most recently competed in July 2023 when she won a majority decision vs. Franchon Crews Dezurn. Now Marshall looks to make a name for herself in the world of MMA.

Along with Marshall’s opponent, the promotion also announced the full lineup for PFL Europe 2, which can be seen below:

  • Savannah Marshall (Debut) vs. Mirela Vargas (1-2)
  • Kane Mousah (14-6) vs. Dylan Tuke (7-4)
  • Jack Grant (19-8) vs. Charlie Leary (17-13-1) – welterweight regular season
  • Dean Garnett (12-2-1) vs. Ayton De Paepe (12-4) – bantamweight regular season
  • Shanelle Dyer (4-0) vs. Mariam Torchinava (9-2) – women’s flyweight regular season
  • Ibragim Ibragimov (6-0) vs. Josh Reed (13-8)
  • Frans Mlambo (15-6) vs. Luke Shanks (10-4) – bantamweight regular season
  • Lizzy Gevers (3-1) vs. Sammy-Jo Luxton (2-0) – women’s flyweight regular season
  • Mark Ewen (5-0) vs. Mathias Poiron (7-1)
  • Khurshed Kakhorov (12-1) vs. Bondo Kikadze (8-3-1) – bantamweight regular season
  • Valentina Scatizzi (2-2) vs. Marie Loiseau (6-4) – women’s flyweight regular season
  • Ben Woolliss (2-0) vs. Maher Belkhadir (1-1)
  • Alexander Luster (7-1) vs. Alperen Karabulut (10-3, 1 NC)
  • Dee Begley (4-5) vs. Paulina Wisniewska (2-0)

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