MMA

CLARESSA SHIELDS will attempt to juggle her career as the face of women’s boxing with a new venture into MMA.
The three-weight champion, who also has two Olympic Gold medals, has signed for the Professional Fighters League.

Boxing star Claressa Shields, 25, has made the move across to MMA Credit: Jose Pineiro/SHOWTIME

PFL have fighters compete in a fight-twice-in-one-night play-off system, with the winners advancing to the championship where they compete for a $1million (£750,000) cheque.
And Shields will make her debut in the promotion next summer, with plans to feature in their NFL-style season in 2022.
Here SunSport’s Jack Figg speaks to the 25-year-old boxing sensation, who reveals her plans to train with UFC legend Jon Jones and Holly Holm.
JACK FIGG: Claressa, why the move into MMA after such a dominant boxing career?

CLARESSA SHIELDS: Timing is everything and the conversation with PFL was very lucrative and very nice.
We had an understanding on what I stand for, what they stand for and it all kind of meshed together.
The conversation wasn’t like, ‘Hey, come over here, fight against our top girl, spend two months getting ready then go back to boxing’.
It was more, ‘Come over here, sign a three-year deal and trust us that you’re going to get fair and competitive matches and play a part in helping build your brand up’.

The PFL season is something that drew me to it too, it’s equal with the men and women who both get the chance to fight for a million dollars.
You can control your own destiny and that’s something that intrigued me.

Shields is a three-weight world champion and two-time Olympic gold medal winner in boxing Credit: Jose Pineiro/SHOWTIME
JF: So, are you committing to MMA long-term?
CS: Well, three years, yeah. For right now.
After three years, we’ll see what happens, but I’m hoping I can learn so much this year and have great teaching and coaching that by 2022 I’ll be ready for the PFL full season.
JF: Are you training in MMA right now?
CS: I’ve been doing wrestling behind the scenes for a while now.
I fly out to Albuquerque, New Mexico, tomorrow to train with Jonny Bones [Jones] and Holly Holm and their wonderful team of coaches for 11 days.
That will be great training also.
I’m hitting the bag for five minutes and five rounds and working on my wrestling with no breaks.
It’s way different, when I get down to Albuquerque I think we’ll do more mixing it up, but I didn’t want to self-teach myself as I could teach myself bad habits.

The American has two Olympic gold medals to her name Credit: Jose Pineiro/SHOWTIME
JF: The JacksonWink gym in Albuquerque is prestigious, could that be your MMA team full-time?
CS: That’s a possibility. Right now I’m just seeing who I have the best chemistry with, who understands me.
I’ve heard great things about the gym myself. Jonny Bones and Holly Holm are great friends of mine and I think it will be a great camp.
For those who want to watch, go to my Claressa Shields GWOAT channel on YouTube. They can follow it behind the scenes.

UFC legends Jon Jones and Holly Holm will train with Shields
JF: How will you manage you boxing and MMA career?
CS: I will fight February in boxing, then I plan on fighting towards the end of the year in boxing and fight in June in MMA.
But, then I don’t know when I’ll fight again in MMA. I’ll fight two fights in MMA but I don’t know exactly when.
I definitely plan on having two boxing matches and two MMA fights next year.
JF: You’re going from boxing superstar to MMA beginner, how is that feeling?
CS: Yeah, I’m starting over but I’m still strong, I still have boxing and a lot of girls who do MMA, they’re terrible at boxing.
I just have to catch up on the other things, wrestling, jiu jitsu, and the Muay Thai, kickboxing stuff.
But, having a boxing advantage that will definitely play in my favour in every fight that I have.

Shields with former UFC champion Joanna JedrzejczykCredit: @claressashields
JF: If you become a champion in MMA, due to your boxing achievements, where does that leave your legacy?
CS: I think it leaves me in the top one or two combat fighters ever. As boxers do not come over to MMA and do well.
That’s known, it’s not a stereotype, it’s a fact. But I’m going to be the one to break that.
JF: Will you still train in MMA when you have a boxing match coming up?
CS: I can box in my sleep. That’s easy. I’m going to be doing my MMA training throughout, I won’t stop doing it.
I’m going to try and at least do it two or three times a week.
I train multiple times a day, it went from twice but now it’s three of four, depending on how I feel.
Boxing is the same repetitive work; bag drills, strengthening your core, pad work and now of course I can add MMA into my second session where it’s technical stiff and just learning. More

ROY JONES JR could be persuaded to carry on his comeback by the likes of Anderson Silva, Benard Hopkins or Antonio Tarver.
All-time great Jones comes out of retirement on Saturday to face fellow legend Mike Tyson in an eight-round exhibition bout.

Roy Jones Jr prepares to come out of retirement to face Mike Tyson Credit: Instagram / @royjonesjeofficial

UFC legend Anderson Silva has long been linked with fighting Jones Credit: Getty Images – Getty

The challenge comes two years after his last fight, but it may not prove to be the end of the road in the 51-year-old’s illustrious career.
Tarver, 52, and Hopkins, 55, are among those Jones feels he has unfinished business with – as well as UFC legend Silva, 45.
His cornerman Tom Yankello told SunSport: “I know he’s got a couple of guys he wants to settle scores with if they’re willing to.
“We got Tarver and Hopkins. But I don’t think he would come back to just fight, he wouldn’t come for just anyone.

“It would have to be one of the guys he really wants or for a cruiserweight world championship of something like that.
“Anderson Silva, that’s another name I can see something like that too.
“Roy loves to fight, he loves to train, he’s the ultimate competitor he enjoys that.”

Jones beat Tarver in their first fight in 2003, but lost the following two.

Similarly, he saw past Hopkins in a 1993 masterclass, but failed to repeat in their rematch 17 years later.
During the end of Jones’ career, he chased a fight with the UFC’s middleweight icon Silva, but the Brazilian’s contract permitted it.
Now the former champion has been released by the UFC, he is free to crossover to boxing, something Silva also revealed was possible.
Jones and Yanekllo have not explicitly discussed what could be next after Saturday’s pay-per-view spectacle.
Having seen the former four-weight champion revitalise himself over nine weeks of training camp, the trainer has not ruled out further fights.
But it all depends on how well Jones fairs against iconic puncher Tyson.

Jones lost on points in his rematch against Bernard Hopkins in 2010Credit: AFP – Getty

Antonio Tarver twice beat Jones Credit: Reuters
Yankello said: “If he comes out healthy I wouldn’t put it out the realm of possibility. But I would say it’s a little too early to say.
“This fight plays a big part, to see how he comes out and how he feels after it.
“Does this satisfy his sweet tooth, enough to ride off into the sunset?
“He’s spent his whole life doing that and it’s not something that fizzles out, especially once it’s been reignited.”
Jones comes into the fight as the betting underdog, despite Tyson’s 15 year inactivity.
But Yankello is confident what they lack in size in power, they make up for in superior boxing skills.
And he forecasts if Jones can weather the early storm, he can stop Tyson in the later rounds.

Trainer Tom Yankello with Jones

Yankello says Jones can stop Iron Mike in the later rounds
Yankello explained: “The later rounds is where I think Roy takes over. I’m not saying he doesn’t win the early rounds as well.
“But the early rounds will be dictate and then I think Roy outboxes him clearly. I think he could possibly stop him late.
“I think it comes down to how durable Mike is, being off 15 years. That’s the mystery to me, what he’s actually bringing, what his durability is.
“Mike’s been gone 15 years, can he be durable after not being hit for all these years?
“Even though Roy’s not on paper the bigger puncher in this fight, he’s knocked out more people than Mike has.
“He’s a power puncher, he always has been and I think it comes down to how durable Mike is.
“If he does stop him I think it would be later, somewhere from the fourth round onwards.”

Roy Jones Jr, 51, shows off incredible hand speed ahead of Mike Tyson fight More

RASHAD COULTER is the ex-UFC and Bellator heavyweight who crossed over to boxing on a mission to revive his career.
Coulter faces cruiserweight replacement Hasim Rahman Jr on Saturday on the undercard of Mike Tyson’s comeback against Roy Jones Jr.

Rashad Coulter is the ex-UFC and Bellator heavyweight who crossed over to boxingCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Coulter in training camp ahead of his fight on Mike Tyson’s undercard Credit: Twitter / @rashad_coulter

Before his fighting career, he played American Football for 17 years.
But in 2010 his good friend Muhammed Lawal – known as ‘King Mo’ – introduced Coulter to Muay Thai.
Within a year of training he made his MMA debut, winning by knockout.
After five fights on the local circuit in Texas, Coulter was given his first big break with a stoppage win against Jeremiah O’Neal under the Bellator banner.

It didn’t go unnoticed, as three victories and two years later the heavy-hitter was signed by the UFC.
But he suffered a disastrous start in MMA’s elite, losing three on the spin, all by knockout.
His fourth and final fight for the UFC did see him successful outpointing Hu Yaozong in a light-heavyweight fight, which he missed weight for.

Coulter had four fights in the UFC but only one once Credit: Getty Images – Getty

The American’s last MMA fight was in 2019Credit: Getty Images – Getty

It spelled the end of the road for his time in the octagon, but the 38-year-old had one more MMA bout, losing to Isaac Villanueva last year.

Despite his up and down career in the cage, Coulter is unbeaten in his four boxing matches.
He made his debut in the ring six years ago, winning on the cards, but has since stopped his other three opponents.
Coulter was due to face Viddal Riley, also unbeaten in four bouts, this weekend but the 23-year-old Londoner has pulled out injured.
Instead, he will fight Rahman Jr, who is 9-0 and the son of Hasim Sr, the man who knocked out Lennox Lewis in 2001.
Coulter grew up watching his next opponent’s dad, and will now share the ring with his son.
He said to MMA Island: “I’m blessed to still be on the card.
“Hasim is a skilled dude who has grown up around boxing, so it’s a new opponent but the same plan.

Coulter was meant to fight Viddal Riley Credit: Twitter / @rashad_coulter

YouTuber Jake Paul pictured with Coulter’s new opponent Hasim Rahman Jr Credit: https://twitter.com/_HasimRahmanJr/status/1314032111276290049

Rahman Sr famously knocked out Lennox Lewis Credit: Reuters
“I know he is southpaw and he switches but my job is to fight my fight and not let him dictate the pace.
“He is tough and has a good record, I have never ran from a fight and this will be great. I grew up watching his pops so this will be fun.
“But again this is strictly business.”
With the mass attention surrounding this weekend’s event, Coulter is looking to capitalise on the hype train and book a ticket back into the UFC.
He told BJ Penn.com: “For me, it opens up more boxing doors and in MMA, it could open up bigger MMA fights like me even going back to the UFC.
“It is a big platform for me.
“My heart is always in MMA, the UFC is a great promotion and I would love to be back in the UFC.
“There are several fights at 205 I want in the UFC. If I go finish Viddal, it will open more doors in MMA.”

Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr – Live stream, UK start time, date, undercard, and rules for massive boxing fight More