Claressa Shields made a spectacular debut against Brittney Elkin, earning an impressive TKO win during Thursday night’s prime event of a Professional Fighters League card in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Shields and Elkin went toe-to-toe for two straight rounds. At one point, it looked as though Elkin had her beat after the MMA newbie got her down onto the mat, raining blows down on Shields.
“She had me on the ground, but she couldn’t hurt me,” Shields said. “Her punches didn’t hurt me. She tried to get me in me an armbar and that didn’t hurt me.”
She says her coach warned her not to let it happen a second time.
“Every time I sat down in the corner, I said, ‘Dang I lost another round.’ I said, ‘You know what, we gone go out there and win the second round. Came out again, lost the second round. Came out third round, coach said ‘Do not get taken down.'”
In the third round, Elkin lasted 1 minute, 44 seconds before being hit with the TKO.
“I feel like I am dreaming. This is crazy,” the Olympic boxing champion said during her postfight interview. “I never doubted myself winning a boxing match in my life,” Shields said. “MMA, it’s like it’s possible I can lose this first fight. … I just had a never-quit attitude every round.”
Shields is currently the reigning two-division boxing champion, a two-time USA olympic gold medalist and the only boxer to simultaneously hold the four major belts – IBF, WBC, WBA, and WBO. Shields is also the only undisputed champion ever in two weight classes, light middleweight and middleweight.
