Boxing phenom Claressa Shields has expressed her desire to fight MMA legend Cris Cyborg.
Shields started MMA in 2021, having two fights that year—winning one and losing one. Since then, she has continued in boxing, scoring her latest victory against Maricela Cornejo in their undisputed middleweight title fight in June 2023. Just a couple of months after her most recent fight, the self-proclaimed ‘GWOAT’ extended her partnership with the PFL, where she’s eyeing big fights.
During an interview with MMA Junkie, Shields praised Cyborg by saying that she’s a dream matchup for her, although she wouldn’t also mind fights against PFL legends Kayla Harrison and Larissa Pacheco.
“The fight that I see – it’s the scariest fight for me in MMA – would be me vs. Cris Cyborg,” Shields stated. “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.”
If Shields and Cyborg don’t face off in the PFL cage, there’s a chance they could have a boxing match down the road.
For now, Cyborg is campaigning for a bout against Harrison in her potential retirement fight in 2024. In the meantime, the multi-promotion champion is lined up for a boxing match in January against Kelsey Wickstrum.
Do you want to see Claressa Shields vs Cris Cyborg in the PFL?
