Highlights! Watch former boxing champion Claressa Shields lose first-ever MMA fight at PFL 10 | Video

Multi-division boxing champion Claressa Shields came into her sophomore MMA fight against Abigail Montes as the betting favorite on Weds. night (Oct. 27, 2021) at PFL 10, but “Brave” was having none of that talk.

For 15 minutes, the Mexican-born fighter suffocated the power-punching pugilist with her wrestling, smothering her up against the cage and then dragging her down to the canvas. Once there, Montes utilized her ground-and-pound with great effectiveness. While none of the offense seemed to hurt Shields, it was enough to get the job done.

Shields couldn’t seem to find the space to use her “sweet science” skills, leaving her to rely on her still-underdeveloped grappling. In the end, Montes did enough to earn the split-decision win, handing Shields her first loss in her very young MMA career. Despite the setback, Shields will undoubtedly use the defeat as a learning tool moving forward.

As for Montes, she improves to 3-0 in her pro MMA career and will use the momentum from this huge victory to move forward in her own title fight aspirations, though it is unknown if that journey will continue with PFL.

For full PFL 10 results and play-by-play updates click here.