Claressa Shields has reacted to a comment recently made by Israel Adesanya surrounding her venture into the sport of MMA.
Shields has dominated the women's boxing scene for a long time as a multi-division champion. She is one of the few boxers in the world to hold the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO world championship belts, as well as an undefeated professional record.
Fans and fighters alike have praised Shields for her fighting prowess, with current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya being one of them.
In a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, Adesanya praised Claressa Shields for her transition from boxing to MMA. 'The Last Stylebender' stated that Shields deserves respect for putting her skills to the test in the cage.
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"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."
Catch Adesanya's comments in the video below:
Taking to Twitter, the 'GWOAT' responded to Adesanya's complimentary remarks. Shields thanked the UFC middleweight champion for his kind words.
"UFC News: Claressa Shields has more ovaries than boxers have balls - Israel Adesanya believes it takes humility to venture into 'real fighting' well thank you @stylebender !!!! Appreciate the kind words!!!! Heart of a dinosaur for sure!!!"
Claressa Shields' most recent fight was against Abigail Montes at the PFL Finale on October 27, 2021. Shields lost to Montes via split decision. The defeat was the first defeat of her professional fighting career.
Claressa Shields gets her name in the Guinness World Records 2022 book
Claressa Shields made history by becoming the first boxer in the four-belt era to hold all titles simultaneously across two weight divisions.
'T-Rex' defeated Marie-Eve Dicaire on March 5, 2021 to claim the Canadian's IBF belt, as well as the vacant WBA world title. She also retained her WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles.
Shields was included in the Guinness World Records book after completing her historic quadruple.
Before turning professional in 2016, the US star won two World Championships and two Olympic gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 games. Her victory marked the first time an American woman had ever won consecutive Olympic boxing gold medals.
Claressa Shields is widely considered one of the best female boxers of all time, having gone undefeated in 11 professional bouts. In June 2020, the 'GWOAT' signed a three-year contract with PFL to begin her MMA career. In June, she made her pro debut, knocking out Brittney Elkin in the third round.