Claressa Shields expected to be cageside for Savannah Marshall's PFL debut, could plant the seeds for future MMA clash: Report

It appears as though Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall could take their rivalry from the ring to the SmartCage. According to a report, the Michigan native will reportedly be sitting cageside for her longtime rival's MMA debut at the PFL Europe 2 card in Newcastle, England. Marshall will enter the cage to face Mirela Vargas in a lightweight contest.

'GWOAT' and 'Silent Assassin's rivalry dates back to their amateur careers as the British boxer handed the American her first amateur loss, which was significant as it was prior to their 2012 Olympic journey. Despite the loss, Shields went on to win the gold medal at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and earned a unanimous decision when they fought in a professional bout in 2022.

Since Marshall joined the PFL, there has been speculation that a rematch against 'GWOT' in an MMA bout is inevitable. The promotion tweeted a video of the Michigan native's arrival in Newcastle along with a message. Shields added more fuel to the fire as she recounted their history and brought her Olympic gold medal.

Shields said:

"I'm hard to forget, especially I think me and Savannah [Marshall]'s fight was over here [in England] and let's not forget that I won the Olympics here [in 2012]...I brought this bad baby [gold medal] over here too. They never gonna forget that I won the Olympics over you. And they're not gonna forget when I put a hurting on Savannah either for the undisputed championship. Yeah, the fans love me and I love them."

Check out Claressa Shields' comments below:

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PFL CEO Peter Murray hinted at Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall in the SmartCage

Prior to the announcement that Savannah Marshall would be fighting Mirela Vargas at PFL Europe 2 in Newcastle, England, CEO Peter Murray hinted at a potential MMA grudge match against Claressa Shields.

During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Murray spoke about the excitement surrounding the women's boxing champions being on the roster and mentioned that the plan is to have them compete in the SmartCage. He said:

"Once she [Marshall] develops a little further, those two [Marshall and Shields] will absolutely revisit the opportunity to fight one another but not in boxing, in MMA...We're gonna get to see both Claressa and Savannah get after it again in the PFL SmartCage." [10:11 - 10:45]