Claressa Shields has more ovaries than boxers have balls - Israel Adesanya believes it takes humility to venture into 'real fighting'

Israel Adesanya has given professional boxer Claressa Shields credit for having the courage to venture into MMA.

In the latest episode of his YouTube vlog, Adesanya went on about how difficult it is to master the different facets of mixed martial arts. During his monologue, the UFC middleweight champion heaped praise on Shields for transitioning to MMA despite her successful pro boxing career. Adesanya said:

"People don't understand. How do you think I'm a f***ing world champion? With just one discipline? F*** no! I know how to fight. I could've been a f***ing boxer. Done the whole blueprint like I said. Same as a kickboxer. But I humble myself when I realized I want to be a full-fledged fighter so I humble myself and I learn. I tell you one thing, Claressa Shields has got more ovaries than all you boxers have balls. Cause she actually humbled herself as well and ventured into real fighting. So yeah, I'm a grappler. I wrestle."

Israel Adesanya praises Claressa Shields:

Shields, of course, made her MMA debut under the Professional Fighters League (PFL) banner earlier this year. The self-proclaimed 'GWOAT' (greatest woman of all time) escaped an inevitable decision loss to Brittney Elkin when she scored a come-from-behind TKO victory in the third round.

However, Shields suffered her first combat sports loss in her sophomore appearance in October. She landed on the wrong side of a split decision against Abigail Montes.

Just the same, Adesanya believes that Shields deserves respect for testing her abilities in the MMA cage. 'T-Rex' is reportedly gearing up for a January return to reclaim her spot as the top pound-for-pound queen of boxing.

---

Israel Adesanya does a passing Khamzat Chimaev impression in the gym

In the same vlog episode, Israel Adesanya did a hilarious impersonation of rising UFC star Khamzat Chimaev. Before going for a takedown against his sparring partner, Adesanya can be heard saying with a Russian accent:

"I come for kill everybody. Smesh!"

The line is reminiscent of Chimaev's post-fight statement at UFC 267. The Russian-born Swede has put the entire UFC welterweight roster on notice, claiming he's going to "kill everybody."