Claressa Shields – Syndication Server

Video: Claressa Shields biopic ‘The Fire Inside’ set for Christmas Day release

The world will soon become much more familiar with the story of Olympic legend, boxing champion and PFL fighter Claressa Shields.

The world will soon become much more familiar with the story of Olympic legend, boxing champion and PFL fighter [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag].

Shields has a strong claim to being the greatest women’s fighter in combat sports history. She certainly thinks so, acknowledging herself as the “GWOAT” (Greatest Woman of All Time) at every possible opportunity.

Shields, who won Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016, is undefeated in her professional boxing career at 15-0. She has won the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles in two weight classes, and her only blemish in regulated combat is a split decision loss in her second MMA fight in October 2021.

The road to Shields’ countless accolades hasn’t been a smooth one, however, and a biopic titled “The Fire Inside,” which releases nationwide in U.S. theaters on Dec. 25, will recount the challenges she faced en route to putting herself in the history books.

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The role of Shields is played by Ryan Destiny, whom Shields believes perfectly portrayed the power behind her story.

“Ryan did me great justice,” Shields said. “I have a very ferocious attitude when it comes to boxing, but during the time in my life that Ryan plays me, I was ferocious every day. It wasn’t just inside the ring – it was outside the ring, dealing with my family and friends, dealing with the trauma that I went through as a child. And I wondered, would Ryan be able to portray that? She could and did.

“All I cared about at that time was being the greatest boxer in the world. I wanted to win the Olympics. And all the while my family used to go without food – I had a rough relationship with my mom, and I had to raise my sister and my little brother. But when I saw Ryan run and watched her punch the bag, hit the pads in the ring, I was like, ‘Am I watching Ryan, or am I watching myself?’ That’s how good she was at portraying me. Even her energy when I had just won a fight and was sitting there pouting because I didn’t get all the points that I wanted, she got that. Watching Ryan in the movie, I was thinking, ‘This is unbelievable.'”

Check out the film’s official synopsis, as well as the theatrical poster, below:

THE FIRE INSIDE is based on the inspirational true story of Claressa Shields, arguably the greatest female boxer of all time. Claressa, a high school Junior from Flint, Michigan, aided by her tough-love coach Jason Crutchfield, pushes past all limitations to become the first American woman to win a gold medal in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, Claressa has to reckon with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and the real fight has only just begun.

Cris Cyborg: Money has to be ‘right’ to face Claressa Shields in boxing

Cris Cyborg is all about meeting Claressa Shields in the boxing ring, as long as the correct terms are met.

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] is eager to take on boxing middleweight champion Claressa Shields, but certain terms must align with her interests. Primarily, the concern is money.

While Cyborg is focused on her upcoming boxing bout against Aria Wild, who she faces Saturday at Crypto Fight Night Off-Chain 1 at O2 Arena in London, she is also aware of a potential challenge that awaits against Shields.

Both fighters have dabbled in the other’s primary combat sport; Shields is currently 2-1 in MMA under the PFL banner, while Cyborg is now 3-0 in professional boxing.

The pair have discussed the possibility of creating an intriguing matchup, and both appear to agree that boxing is the best arena. However, for Cyborg, multiple terms must be agreed upon, none more important than the fight purse.

“I think the money has to be right for this fight to happen,” Cyborg told MMA Junkie Radio. “Have to be close to MMA money, you know? People from boxing come into MMA because the money with girls is different.”

While money is Cyborg’s primary issue, others are also at play. Cyborg wants Shields, boxing’s undisputed middleweight champion (160 pounds), to drop weight. Cyborg, the Bellator women’s featherweight champion (145 pounds) would be willing to go up in weight a few pounds, but Shields coming down would be a trade-off for experience inside the ring. In fact, Shields will be moving even further away from Cyborg’s request for her next fight, when she competes at 175 pounds in July.

“She don’t want to drop the weight,” Cyborg said. “Now you guys see she’s going to go heavyweight. So, if I’m going to fight her it’s going to be 147, maybe 154 if the money is right. I know she can give up the weight. I can give up experience. I have two (boxing) fights.”

If all the terms can be met, Cyborg is excited for what could be one of the biggest women’s boxing fights of the year.

“You know the big difference, I’m a puncher,” Cyborg said. “So, I would like to fight 8 oz. gloves. It’s going to be different, she knows this. We’ve sparred before. But I believe if this fight happens, I think we have to have the agreement.

“Of course, I would like it. I think everybody would like to see this fight. She’s calling me out after my second boxing fight, so let’s see. It just depends on her now make it happen, and the money has to be right.”

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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.

Savannah Marshall signed with PFL for Claressa Shields rematch: ‘The goal is to make a build-up’

Boxing rivals Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields both ended up in PFL – and that’s not a coincidence.

It’s no coincidence [autotag]Savannah Marshall[/autotag] ended in the same MMA promotion as boxing rival [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag].

In October 2022, Shields defeated Marshall in the ring. But in a cage, it remains to be seen who would remain supreme. If all goes according to plan, fight fans should expect the rematch to take place under the PFL banner. In fact, that’s the driving factor as to why Marshall is transitioning to MMA.

“That’s the goal,” Marshall recently told MMA Junkie. “The goal isn’t really fighting me in a league or anything like that. The goal is to make a build-up and essentially have a fight with Claressa in the cage.”

Marshall, 32, said she was approached by PFL following the boxing match with Sheilds at O2 Arena in London. Shields had already made the jump, but the idea of evening things up was too good to pass up – particularly as Marshall had already experimented with going down the MMA path.

“In 2013, I walked into an MMA gym and wanted to give it a go because I just seen that MMA was really taking off, especially for women. I did about one or two sessions and I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this is too much for me to grasp.’ So I kind of turned my back on it then. In the lockdown again, I just saw there was a lot of opportunities happening for women in MMA. So I had a couple of sessions with Molly McCann, who was with the UFC. Then, boxing took off on me and I shut the door on it again.”

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Marshall makes her MMA debut on June 8 at 2024 PFL Europe 2 in Newcastle, England, against Mirela Vargas (1-2). While she’s taking it step by step, the end goal is obvious. Each fight that leads up to her potential showdown with Shields serves as an opportunity to hype the matchup.

Despite their competitive rivalry, Marshall said Shields gave her some pointers prior to her PFL signing. Initially, Marshall didn’t wrap her head around them. Now, she does.

“We’re not friends,” Marshall said. “We acknowledge each other and I’ve seen her just when I signed the contract before I’d done any MMA training. She kind of pulled me aside and said this, this, this, and this. Then obviously, once I did the MMA training, I went to her last fight in Saudi and said, ‘When I looked back it, I totally get what you’re trying to say.’ Because look, I thought I underestimated it massively. I thought it would’ve been like I’m the undisputed champion and I’m going to walk into this and that’s that. Clearly, it’s not like that at all. I’ve really underestimated the sport of MMA.”

Marshall’s climb through the MMA ranks won’t be without boxing matches in between. PFL’s flexibility in allowing her to do both was a major factor in her signing. Marshall appreciates the ability to weigh her options at each turn.

“This is where the PFL have been really good with me,” Marshall said. “They know that boxing comes first. Really, it came at a brilliant time. … If the PFL wasn’t there, I would’ve been sat about waiting for a fight. So really, I’m looking at the PFL. It’s keeping me active. It’s not a boxing fight, but I’m still training. I’m still in a camp. The emotions of fight week are still happening.

“But I’m just going to get June 8 out the way and then see. I might get in the cage and be absolutely terrible and think, “Jesus, that’s not for me.’ I might get in there and absolutely enjoy it and just think, ‘God, I want a bit more of that.’ I’m just going to see how June 8 goes first.”

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions live and official results

Check out the full results of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions which takes place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions took place Saturday and MMA Junkie provided coverage of live and official results throughout the entire card.

The event featured PFL fighters vs. Bellator fighters at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Champions of both promotions clashed in the main and co-main bouts. The main event was a heavyweight bout between PFL’s [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] and Bellator’s [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag]. Middleweights battled in the co-feature as PFL’s [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] took on Bellator’s [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag].

The 11-fight event featured several notable names including [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag], [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag], and the pro debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson [autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag].

Check out the official results, details and highlight clips from each bout below.

Claressa Shields def. Kelsey De Santis at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions: Best photos

Check out these photos from Claressa Shields’ victory over Kelsey De Santis at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in Saudi Arabia.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag]’ split decision victory over Kelsey De Santis on the prelims of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 15-21)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 15-21.

Cris Cyborg open to face Claressa Shields in boxing and MMA: ‘I want to be doing the biggest fights’

Cris Cyborg is seeking the biggest fights possible in her career and Claressa Shields fits the bill.

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] is seeking the biggest fights possible in the final stages of her illustrious career, and [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] fits the bill.

Cyborg faces Kelsey Wickstrum in a six-round, 154-pound boxing match Friday at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., marking her third fight in the ring.

With PFL acquiring Bellator, Cyborg and Shields are now under the same banner. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio, Shields named Bellator featherweight champion Cyborg as her dream matchup in MMA, and Cyborg is willing to face her in both worlds.

“I think it can be good. We can do one boxing and one MMA,” Cyborg told MMA Junkie Radio. “I think it’ll be nice. I think the fans would like it. Much respect, Claressa is the GOAT in boxing. She’s the best in boxing but for me, it’s nice.

“Like MMA, it’s a different world in boxing. We’re in the same organization. For sure we can fight MMA one day. I don’t know. She’s young, I’m at the end of the line now, but for sure I love opportunities. I love to do great fights.”

Shields (1-1) makes her return to the cage when she faces Kelsey DeSantis (1-2) in the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator event Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Cyborg has held titles in just about every major MMA organization. With names like Shields, Kayla Harrison, and Larissa Pacheco on her radar, Cyborg just wants a fight that will pique the fans’ interest.

“For me, I want to complete 20 years fighting,” Cyborg said. “I’m going to 19 now, and I want to be doing the biggest fights. If it’s going to be in boxing or MMA, but I want to do the biggest fights in both.”

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Claressa Shields says PFL return targeted for Q1 of 2024, reveals MMA title aspirations

As Claressa Shields continues to do her thing as an undefeated boxing champion, MMA is still very much part of her combat sports plan.

As [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] continues to do her thing as an undefeated boxing champion, MMA is still very much part of her combat sports plan.

Shields, who is 14-0 as a boxer and 1-1 in MMA, hasn’t fought in the latter sport since October 2021, where she lost a split decision to Abigail Montes at 2021 PFL Championships.

There were questions about whether the 28-year-old had moved past the MMA experiment after the setback, but Shields assured anyone questioning her priorities that is not the case.

In fact, Shields’ third MMA bout is expected to happen in the coming months.

“It’s looking like February or maybe April,” Shields told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve been training MMA with Murcielago Team in Lansing (Mich.) for the past few months, and I’ll continue training with them. I’ve been learning a lot. … I’m getting stronger in those fields that I’m not strong. I can’t say I’m strong on the ground, but I will be. I’m stronger than I was, so I’m just going to keep building from there.

“I’ve just been grinding and working hard, so I believe February or April you’ll see me back in the PFL SmartCage.”

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Although Shields could easily stay in her own world and continue to thrive as a world champion boxer, she said her passion for fighting and competition won’t allow her to be complacent. She craves greatness in every avenue available, and that’s what serves as the motivation to work on the parts of her game where she’s still a relative novice.

“I love fighting,” Shields said. “I don’t like the fact that I have to say, ‘There’s other girls in MMA that can beat me.’ That kind of angers me a little bit, like, ‘Ugh, she can beat me in a fight because she knows more of the things that I don’t know. But she can’t beat me in a boxing match.’ But I want to be the best fighter in the world. It doesn’t matter if it’s MMA or if it’s kickboxing or it’s boxing. I want to be the best.”

With that mindset, Shields said she sets a high bar when it comes to her goals. The 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist in boxing and current WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, WBF and The Ring women’s middleweight titleholder only has known the highest level of success in her combat sports journey, so to aspire for anything other than an MMA championship would be accepting she can’t reach those same heights.

“I would like to become PFL champion,” Shields said. “I believe that is doable. I believe that it’s possible for me. Give me some years of training of just me making MMA a priority. I believe that I can be a PFL and boxing world champion at the same time. I know it’s big, but I feel like it’s achievable, 100 percent, for me.”

All-time boxing great Claressa Shields’ dream MMA matchup would be against another GOAT

Boxing champion Claressa Shields says her dream fight in MMA is Cris Cyborg.

If all goes according to plan, [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] hopes one day to be fighting against all-time great [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] in MMA.

The highly decorated boxing champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist knows there’s a long road ahead to get to that point, but if it was up to her, Cyborg would be her ideal matchup in MMA. The possibility of a Shields-Cyborg bout did become a little more real now that the PFL, for which Shields fights in MMA, purchased Bellator, which is Cyborg’s home.

“The fight that I see – it’s the scariest fight for me in MMA – would be me vs. Cris Cyborg,” Shields told MMA Junkie Radio. “She’s a GOAT in MMA, and I’m a GOAT in boxing, and we both have multiple world titles in our field.

“I feel that fight right there would be the biggest fight and a fight that I would get up for. Listen, I would get up for a fight against Kayla Harrison or Larissa Pacheco. Those girls are badasses and good at what they do. But Cris just seems like she’s the beast. … If I had to pick a dream fight, it would be against her. I feel she’s better than Kayla and Larissa.”

Shields is one of the most accomplished women’s boxers in history. Many have the same regard for Cyborg in MMA.

Shields is only 1-1 in MMA, and hasn’t stepped back in the cage since her first professional loss in October 2021. Although she’s yet to go far in her MMA career, and her dream matchup is against Cyborg, the main goal is a championship.

Shields expects to resume her fighting career in the cage early 2024.

“It’s looking like February or maybe April,” Shields said. “I’ve been training MMA with Murcielago Team in Lansing (Mich.) for the past few months, and I’ll continue training with them. I’ve been learning a lot. … I’m getting stronger in those fields that I’m not strong. I can’t say I’m strong on the ground, but I will be. I’m stronger than I was, so I’m just going to keep building from there. … I’ve just been grinding and working hard, so I believe February or April you’ll see me back in the PFL SmartCage.”

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