Claressa Shields says she plans on training with Jon Jones to prepare for MMA debut
Claressa Shields has said she wants to fight Amanda Nunes in MMA and has even started preparing for the fight.
Shields is looking to become a three-weight world champion in boxing next week. For MMA she revealed she is planning on working with Jon Jones. And, she has already worked with Olympic wrestlers to prepare for Nunes.
“I’m starting my training this year, 2020,” Shields told BJPENN.com. “I’ve been able to catch on to things very fast, learn and I’ve had some great people who have reached out to me. I’ll be going to camp with Jon Jones, I believe, at the end of February just to see if I can get into the whole training thing and do what he does because he’s so great. I’m looking forward to it.
“I’ve already had my wrestling done with Adaline Gray who was an Olympic wrestler, multiple time world champion wrestler. We did some work together and she was shocked at how quick I caught on to landing a takedown and avoiding a takedown. She was putting everything in my head right there and I thought it would be the worst training ever because I hate when people grab me — just in boxing, being a boxer you want to be free and loose to punch — but when we were working, I wasn’t irritated when she was grabbing me. If you teach me how to have some defense, and how I can get the takedown myself, I’m perfectly fine. I don’t like going into anything blind. I learned a lot and I have plenty of video in case I forget, but I’m ready to get super consistent with it.”
Training with Jon Jones would no doubt be a massive help to Claressa Shields move to MMA. Nunes said she would wrestle the shit out of her so she knows she has to be well prepared. Yet, she still expects to fight in MMA in 2020.
“The debut is definitely coming in 2020, towards the end of the year,” Shields concluded. “I know that when I start dedicating myself, I’ll want to be the best I can be. I’ll definitely want to get my feet wet and I know my boxing surpasses all of the girls in any of the MMA organizations. I’m a street fighter, too. Don’t let my boxing fool you, I get down with the get down, and get up with the get up. I’m just gonna learn all of the techniques. But, I think it will be an easy transition for me because of the way that I box. Holly Holm and I are two different boxers. She was a boxer who moves and wasn’t that aggressive. Me, I’ve always been aggressive, have fast punches, been able to hit people very, very hard and stun people.
“I fight in 10 ounces now. But, going down and fighting with four ounces hitting as hard as I hit, being as fast and explosive as I am, my boxing would do me great justice. The other stuff, I’ll continue to add to it and become this whole wrecking machine with it all together. I’m looking forward to all of it.”
