Claressa Shields is in terrific shape ahead of her MMA comeback.

The undefeated three-weight boxing world champion hasn’t fought in her second sport since suffering a split decision defeat against Abigail Montes in October 2021.

Shields will look to improve her MMA record to 2-1 when she squares off against fellow novice Kelsey DeSantis on the PFL vs Bellator: CHAMPIONS card in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

It’ll be her first fight of any kind since outboxing Maricela Cornejo to retain her WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and WBF middleweight boxing belts in June 2023.

Since then, Shields has battled with a mental health issue that led to her gaining a lot of weight before she got back in the gym and completed an incredible body transformation.

Earlier this month, the 28-year-old shared a before and after picture that showed how far she’s come since deciding to fight back against depression.

“I did go through a rough time, and it did make me gain a whole lot of weight,” Shields told talkSPORT.com. “I was just not motivated, and kind of discouraged.

“When I started back training, I did just decide to not let depression win and just to keep working. I really wasn’t going to let anyone know about it, but it was something that was on my heart to put out there.”

Shields, who is aptly nicknamed ‘The Greatest Woman of All Time’, revealed her unhappiness wasn’t to do with fighting, and was exacerbated by personal issues.

She added: “It wasn’t nothing involving boxing why I was down.

“Real-life stuff happened that I can’t really go into detail about. People have family problems, relationship problems, and problems with yourself that you can’t really figure out.

“At the end of the day, I feel like I conquered it. I’ve only had to deal with depression a few times in my life, and it always feels different every time it creeps back on you.

“It’s all about if you’re going to let depression win or not, and I decided to win like I do everything else.”

Shields will carry her fighting spirit into the cage this weekend.

The Flint, Michigan native has set herself the lofty goal of becoming the first person to hold world titles in boxing and MMA simultaneously, and her journey starts against DeSantis.

If it doesn’t come off it won’t be for a lack of trying. Shields is certainly putting the work in, and her body transformation shows that.

American laid out her historic plan in exclusive chat to SunSport

CLARESSA SHIELDS is not shy of boasting about being the greatest women’s boxer of all time – but now she wants to go a step further.

Shields has an almost unmatched CV in the sport, with double Olympic gold medals, two undisputed titles and belts in three different divisions to her name.

But the outspoken American looked to better her legacy even further by crossing over to MMA in 2021 with the Professional Fighters League.

Shields, unbeaten in boxing, is 1-1 in MMA but insisted she did not swap the boxing ring for the cage just to experiment.

Instead, she wants to become a two-sport world champion as she sets her sights on the PFL title and the history that comes with it.

She told SunSport: “That’s the ultimate goal. Manifestation is real, I believe in two or three years I will be fighting for the PFL world championship.

“I’ll still be a boxing world champion and the same time. So the goal is to be boxing world champion and be PFL champion at the same time.

“And after that, I’d probably wash my hands with MMA but that’s the bigger goal.”

Shields won her MMA debut by beating Brittney Elkin but she then suffered defeat for the first time since her amateur boxing days against Abigail Montes.

She has not returned to the cage since, instead picking up a trio of boxing wins, including against arch rival Savannah Marshall.

But now Shields has her eyes on the PFL’s season, where stars fight in qualifying and knockout stages over four bouts to win the title and $1m cash prize.

But more than just the money, Shields believes actively holding titles in both sports – which would be a historic first – cements her place as the best to ever do it.

She said: “Well, I’m already the greatest woman of all time in boxing, we know that.

“But to be able to come over to a whole different sport in the prime of my career and win, when I’m able to win the PFL world championship, I think that ranks me as the greatest combat sports person ever.

“And not even woman. I don’t know any champion who can do what I’m doing right now.

“So I believe in three years when I actually get in the PFL tournament and I fight for the PFL world championship, when I win that rates me as the greatest combat sports person in history.”

Shields makes her MMA return on Saturday in Riyadh against Kelsey DeSantis on the PFL vs Bellator undercard.

Who inspires Claressa Shields, the two-time undisputed champion, the most? At the Super Bowl LVIII Radio Row, ahead of Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Fransisco 49ers, the champion revealed the woman who inspired her the most. It is none other than the artist with the most Grammy wins in history, Beyoncé. However, Shields regretted that she never had the chance to meet Beyoncé in person.

On that note, the 28-year-old dedicated a detailed message to the singer-songwriter. In addition, Shields eagerly hoped that Beyoncé would come across the former’s message. As a result, ‘T-Rex’ even encouraged her fans to carry her words to the legendary artist.

Claressa Shields looks up to Beyoncé
Several memorable incidents occurred at the Super Bowl LVIII Radio Row. While Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia engaged in an unprecedented brawl, Claressa Shields faced off against friend Mikaela Mayer, almost convincing fans that the two would fight. Anyway, as the fans still digested Claressa’s photo with Mayer who will most likely fight Natasha Jonas in a rematch, Shields paid Beyoncé a tribute with words. On being asked, who inspired the undisputed Middleweight champion the most, ‘T-Rex’ named Beyoncé.

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A post shared by ClaressaTheGWOATShields (@claressashields)

“The woman who inspires Claressa Shields the most is Beyoncé. Have I told Beyoncé that? No,” said Shields. Having been encouraged by the interviewer, Shields then looked into the camera and sent Beyoncé a heartfelt message in the form of a letter:

“Dear, Beyoncé,
You are so great at what you do. I mean you’re great at dancing, singing, rapping. Just being a great human being. And you carry yourself like just the most unbothered woman in the world.”

“I want to be like you, one day. And you also make me have that bad b-word energy when I come to my fights. So, I have my outfits dedicated to you. And I come out dancing, right before I beat a girl up in boxing for you,” Shields added. “So, from Claressa ‘GWOAT’ Shields, I love you. You’re inspirational. Keep up the great work. And just know that you are Queen B,” the 28-year-old concluded.

Later, Shields even posted the brief clip on Instagram and tagged Beyoncé too. Hoping Beyoncé would listen to her message, Shields requested her fans to tag the singer-songwriter. Well, what do you think of the message Shields left for Beyoncé? Let us know in the comments below.

A theft hardly captures much attention. But for some reason, this one did. It caught the eye of none other than the undisputed middleweight champion, Claressa Shields. She was left baffled by a heist, caught on camera, at an Apple Store in broad daylight. However, the detail that recorded itself in her film of memory was something else entirely.

Earlier today, reports emerged that an Apple store in Oakland was robbed in broad daylight. The thief yanked out iPhones kept on display without any qualms. The crime comes in the light of California Governor Gavin Newsom launching a fresh set of strategic attacks in curbing crime in the area. While visuals from the theft made their way to the web, many wondered how the man could do his deed without any interference from the cops. The same doubts persisted in the mind of the undisputed champ Claressa Shields.

Claressa Shields wonders where the cops are
The masked man went about pulling 49 iPhones off their security chord and shoving them into his pants, as a shocked crowd of Apple staff and customers stood watching. No one from the staff, including the security, attempted to intervene. It must be noted that Apple employees are generally instructed to not intervene when such shoplifting attempts are made, to avoid further confrontation. Generally, some outlets of Apple have designated security personnel who prevent such thefts from happening. However, some stores do not encompass such security staff, like in this case.

As the thief makes his way out of the store with a trouser full of stashed iPhones, a cop car can be seen parked right in front of the store, which the thief then nonchalantly crosses to get in his car and drive away.

On her X, formerly Twitter, ‘GWOAT’ reacted to the visuals from the theft that went down in the Apple store. What caught her attention was the lack of police personnel, even with a car parked right in front of the store. Responding to the snippets shared by Daily Loud, the 28-year-old fighter wrote, “Walked right past the cops…. Wow.”

While the thief had full access to the demo phones on display, he did not venture into the back room where sealed, packaged goods are stored. Access to this area is usually limited to only some Apple staff. It is also believed that most products kept on display are dummies and do not possess many of the features of an actual sealed iPhone that is up for sale. While the loss incurred in such robberies could be much less, the risk of life of staff and customers still persists.

This robbery is not a standalone but is a part of many other such incidents that have been on the rise in Oakland County. Claressa Shield’s response mirrors the reaction of many. Do you concur with her sentiments? Let us know in the comments section below.