Claressa Shields returned from a 2.5 year-long layoff earlier today (Sat., Feb. 24, 2024) to face Kelsey DeSantis at the historic PFL vs. Bellator “Seize the Throne” event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the “GWOAT” returned with a vengeance to notch her second win as a pro mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.
Things looked a bit dicey for the pro boxing champion early on, failing to get much going with her strikes in round one. In the latter part of the opening frame, Shields found herself in a bad position, as DeSantis managed to lock in what appeared to be a tight armbar.
But after spending some time trying to torque her way to a submission, DeSantis didn’t have enough in the tank to pull it off, though credit to Shields for showing off some improved submission defense.
In round two, Shields put her foot on the gas pedal and came out swinging, tagging DeSantis with several big shots. But to DeSantis’ credit, she ate several big punches to the face and body and kept on ticking, leaving Shields a bit bewildered as she walked back to her corner at the end of the round.
In round three, Shields once again kept the fight standing, stuffing several of DeSantis’ takedown attempts. The pro boxer found success in the standup department again, unsurprisingly, before her foe managed to secure a takedown halfway through the round. That didn’t bode well for Shields because she exerted a lot of energy trying to score a knockout that never came against her Terminator-like opponent.
When it was all said and done, Shields did enough in rounds two and three to earn a split-decision win over DeSantis.
Take a look at some of the action:
During her post-fight interview, Shields revealed that she felt her arm nearly breaking as a result of the first-round armbar. Nevertheless, she moves to 2-1 in her pro MMA career while showing a lot of improvement to build upon moving forward.
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This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
