Claressa Shields done with MMA: 'It was too hard'

Undisputed women's heavyweight boxing champion Claressa Shields won't be competing in mixed martial arts again.

Shields doesn't have time to focus on both sports, she told "The Ariel Helwani Show" on Monday.

"MMA is done, sweetheart," Shields said. "It was fun. It was fine. I don't have enough time to train for it. It takes six months, eight months to just get ready to defend takedowns. Even though I got a lot better - I got a lot better, I put in time. I got my arm broken twice. It was fun. I enjoyed every fight I did. ... I did it because I wanted to prove a point. All right, I proved that point."

She added: "I did really good in MMA. ... But it was too hard."

Shields, 30, fought in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) - the world's second-biggest MMA promotion after the UFC - three times between 2021 and 2024.

Shields made her professional MMA debut in June 2021, defeating Brittney Elkin by third-round TKO. She lost her sophomore appearance four months later, dropping a split decision to Abby Montes. Shields competed three times in boxing between 2022 and 2023 before returning to MMA for a third fight in February 2024. She earned a split-decision victory over Kelsey DeSantis to lift her record to 2-1.

Since then, Shields has won two fights in the ring, knocking out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse last July to claim the WBC women's heavyweight title and then beating Danielle Perkins by unanimous decision in February to capture the undisputed championship. The Flint, Michigan, native is scheduled to defend her belts against Lani Daniels on July 26 in Detroit.

Though Shields once had her sights set on a world title in MMA, she's comfortable with her decision to hang up the 4-ounce gloves.

"It just takes a lot of time to train for MMA - time that I don't have," Shields said. "I did have aspirations of being PFL MMA world champion and having a fight with Kayla Harrison one day or Larissa Pacheco. I did have those dreams and I did have aspirations, but it's just not enough time. I'm great already in boxing, and to be great like that in MMA, I would have to train at least three, four years consistently."