Claressa Shields, the former undisputed champion, will make her MMA debut on June 10. But who is her opponent?
Claressa Shields was set to make her long-awaited MMA debut against Brittney Elkin at PFL 4 at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J, in April.
Last November, the two-time Olympic gold medallist chose to try her hand at mixed martial arts, but not before becoming an undisputed champion for the second time in her career, making her the first boxer of both gender to do so.
In March, she won her 11th professional boxing match by unanimous decision over Marie-Eve Dicaire, retaining her WBC and WBO female light middleweight titles and picking up the IBF, WBA (Super), and The Ring belts in the process.
But who is Brittney Elkin’s opponent, and does she have a chance against heavy-favorite Shields, as the most decorated female boxer of all time begins a career in the cage?
WHO IS BRITTNEY ELKIN?
From Westminster, Colorado, Elkin made her professional MMA debut at Sparta Combat League’s Validation event in early 2014. She seemed destined for a promising cage career after defeating Summer Bradshaw by unanimous decision.
In April of the same year, she was defeated by submission at SCL – Army vs. Marines 5, before being defeated by Latoya Walker in her Fight 2 Win debut in August 2014.
Elkin made her Bellator debut in July 2017 after a three-year move between franchises, but was defeated for the second time in her career by Amanda Bell.
Her first Professional Fighters League bout was 11 months later, in which she chose to submit for the third time in her career, before retiring in January 2019 due to an injury suffered at NMEF – Annihilation 65.
Elkin, who has a professional record of 3-6-0, has a chance to create a massive upset in what would be a fairy-tale victory over possibly the greatest female boxer of all time.
