Claressa Shields might have a new battle on her hands.
Shields picked up a split-decision Kelsey Desantis as a part of the PFL MMA fight card on Saturday, February 24th. The card took place in Saudi Arabia.
Two things came from the bout. She didn’t tap from a painful armbar submission hold that went viral, and two, her feud with Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino is ongoing.
“I don’t give a [expletive] about Cris Cyborg, and she knows that,” Shields told the media backstage after her fight. “Cris Cyborg can’t beat me in a fight and she knows that.”
The two were sparring partners at one point. Complimenting each other. Yet, Shields foray into MMA, and Cyborg’s entry into the boxing world seems to have strained their relationship. Cyborg was critical of Shields fighting at catchweight before her fight. She took aim at Shields MMA abilities stating the following on the social media platform, X.
“Even at 165lbs I might be able to win that fight without throwing a single punch,” she wrote.
Shields took aim at Cyborg’s boxing ability.
“She can’t beat me in boxing. Why is she worried about my weight class and what I fought at? I am not the only catchweight bout that is on the card.”
“Cris Cyborg is mad, because she turned down a fight with Larissa Pacheco, the PFL champion…”
Shields win will be a trivia question. Shields is the first woman to win an MMA match in Saudi Arabia. Shields adds that to being a two-time Olympic gold medalist, three-division world champion and two-division undisputed champion.
This comes eighteen-months after Ramla Ali was the first woman to win a fight in Saudi Arabia. The 28-year-old Shields has a boxing record of 14-0, 2 KOs. She is 2-1 in MMA.
“She is just mad that I am the first woman to come here to Saudi and I won. My message to Cris Cyborg is ‘get on my level’, huh. Get you a world championship belt, and it is never [going to] happen for you, boo. Get off my coattail and worry about yourself. That’s why you are looking how you are looking now – stupid.”
Cris Cyborg has a record of 21-2 in MMA, and 2-0 as a boxer. She has a boxing bout scheduled for April in boxing Green Bay, Wisconsin.