Claressa Shields put ‘faith over fear’ to claim come-from-behind win on MMA debut at PFL 4

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Shields certainly didn’t have things her own way early on against the more experienced Brittney Elkin at PFL 4 on Thursday night in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Indeed, as she got off her stool for the third and final round she was two rounds down and in desperate need of a finish.

But, despite finding her elite-level boxing skills nullified through lengthy spells on the mat, Shields managed to turn the fight on its head before finishing the bout with a new type of TKO for her – ground and pound.

Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Shields said she knew she was in for a rough ride in her MMA debut, and the experience certainly didn’t disappoint.

“I had told myself, ‘This is not going to be easy,'” she said.

“That’s why I spent seven months in Albuquerque, I haven’t been home in a while. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

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“I was getting in there with an experienced vet. I have been doing MMA for seven months and she’s been doing it for 12 years, so I knew I was at a disadvantage. 

“But I also knew I’m just a different kind of animal. 

“Even though I felt I was losing, I still felt I had time. 

“So I just gave it my all, just don’t quit and you’ll come out happy and victorious.”

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Shields revealed that she had arrived in Atlantic City at the peak of her physical fitness.

But, after being taken down in Rounds 1 and 2, the two-time Olympic gold medallist and multi-time professional boxing champion knew she needed to dig deep to find a way to win in the third and final round.

“I knew it would be completely different and that’s what we had trained for,” Shields said. “The only thing I knew coming into the fight was that I was in dog shape. 

“I knew I had trained the hardest that I could train and I had as much information in my mind as I could take. 

“So my main thing was just come in the cage and have my faith over fear and put my best foot forward. I feel like every round I did that.

“When I sat down after the second round coach said, ‘Hey, it’s time to go in there and get the stoppage.’

“I said, ‘I’m not getting taken down this round and put on my back. I’m just going to come out here and give the best that I got.’ 

“I could’ve went home with the L like that, but something came over me and just kept punching.”

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