Jon Jones talks up Claressa Shields ahead of MMA debut, warns PFA opponents to get ready

The former Olympic gold medallist Claressa Shields was recently seen training with UFC pound-for-pound juggernaut Jon Jones for her much anticipated MMA debut in 2021. The multi-division boxing champion signed a contract with Professional Fighters League (PFL) earlier, calming that she can’t wait to dominate MMA as well. Apart from Bones, T-Rex also had some sparring sessions with former champ Holly Holm and MMA trainer Mike Winkeljohn.

Claressa Shields MMA debut: Jon Jones impressed with Shields’ skills

The former UFC light heavyweight champion was seemed pretty impressed with Claressa Shields’ progress so far. He recently shared a clip from their training session on Instagram, claiming that Shields “could be a problem” for her opponents in PFL. Jon Jones also hailed T-Rex for her stamina, writing that “She reminded me what it was like to be 25 again. This woman could train all day. Excited about her future”.

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The T-Rex has been dominating the boxing scene for years as she’s one of the few boxers (male or female) to ever hold the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO world championships at the same time. Shields is currently undefeated in her professional boxing career, holding the record of 10-0. Not just that, she is a former 3 weight class boxing champion and former pound for pound no.1 in women’s boxing.

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Earlier while talking about her MMA debut to ESPN, Claressa Shields made it clear that she has no interest in saying goodbye to boxing. She said she’ll compete in both boxing and MMA matches, even if it means that she has to fight six times a year. “I’m gonna spend a lot of time learning and just growing in MMA, but I’m still gonna accept my mandatory challenges in boxing,” she added. 

Jon Jones, on the other hand, vacated his light heavyweight title earlier this year to move the heavyweight division. He’s yet to make his heavyweight debut, with fans claiming that Jones could fight the winner of the title match between champion Stipe Miocic and no.1 contender Francis Ngannou. Jon Jones' last fight came at UFC 247 where he defeated Dominick Reyes by a controversial unanimous decision (48–47, 48–47, 49–46).

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Image Source: Claressa Shields/ Instagram