A few days ago, Claressa Shields made history by defending her undisputed heavyweight title successfully against Lani Daniels. However, the victory also underscored that there are no credible challengers in the higher weight classes to threaten the Flint native. So, if ‘T-Rex’ wants to challenge herself, she needs to move down again to where she started her career. However, as we all know, Shields has no intention of doing that. She wants to rule over the heavyweight division for the time being.
So, just when it appeared the division might stagnate, Cristiane Justino stepped up. The former featherweight champion across all four major MMA promotions came out to challenge the self-proclaimed GWOAT. With ‘Cris Cyborg’ returning to boxing in 2022 and riding a five-fight win streak while climbing to super welterweight, her callout presents a compelling challenge. Furthermore, given the pedigree of both boxers, this fight can prove to be one of the biggest fights of the year. However, recently appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Claressa Shields shut down every chance of this clash as soon as it appeared.
Claressa Shields’ still not over the betrayal
Talking about Justino, the Flint native called her “old, she’s washed up, and she’s a hater,” shutting down any chance of the match ever happening. It seems like the 30-year-old is still angry about the fact that Justino turned down an offer from Saudi Arabia to box her back in 2023. But despite the brutal and rather ignorant dismissal, the former UFC champion isn’t giving up.
Make it happen 154lbs
Or we can go old school with an open weight @PFLMMA challenge.
Claressa 175lbs X Cyborg 145 https://t.co/iT2F9s6uJy
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) July 30, 2025
On Wednesday, the PFL middleweight champion took to her ‘X’ to react to a clip from a recent episode of Weighing In. In the clip, hosts Big John McCarthy and Josh Thomson were discussing a potential fight between Cyborg and Shields at 154. They argued that, despite Shields’ undisputed heavyweight champion status, she hasn’t faced top-tier opponents, urging her to take on Justino at 154 instead of avoiding the challenge.
That was the only ammo that the Brazilian needed. She quoted the clip and wrote, “Make it happen 154lbs . Or we can go old school with an open weight @PFLMMA challenge. Claressa 175lbs X Cyborg 145,” putting out a bold challenge. The 40-year-old wants this fight desperately, and for her, the venue doesn’t matter. She would either face the Flint native inside the rig at 154. And if that doesn’t work for Shields, the MMA legend is even ready for an MMA rules fight inside a PFL ring, disregarding the weight disparity.
Honestly, there could not be a better opportunity for Claressa Shields than this. After Daniels, she does not have a legit big-name opponent. So, a crossover fight against one of MMA’s biggest legends seems like an unmissable challenge. Yet, Shields has a history of defying expectations. Just take her recent comments about finding a new promotional home for her boxing career.
Getting the biggest possible bag
After her historic victory over Lani Daniels, the Flint native declared herself a free agent after a prolonged partnership with Dmitry Salita, which began when she was only 21. Given her career, no, every promotion in the world would love to sign Claressa Shields. Maybe, except for Jake Paul‘s MVP.
The duo has been in a pretty heated rivalry for a while now, and because of that, many believed that Shields would never sign with his promotion. However, on the same Ariel Helwani show, Shields denied any kind of resistance, claiming that she is only interested in business. “I am interested in talking to everybody to see what their vision is for me. If their vision doesn’t align with my vision, then I’ll, you know, walk away. But right now, whoever wants to speak, whoever wants to have a sit-down and talk or whatever,” she clarified.
The 30-year-old even brushed off any kind of conflicts with promotions, including MVP. “I don’t have any smoke with any of these entities—MVP, whoever… It’s just more of like, the facts are the facts,” she added. While the Flint native acknowledged that her blunt comments may have rubbed certain people the wrong way, she won’t stand for any disrespect. And in that process, if she burns bridges with someone, she won’t regret it.
At this moment, Claressa Shields has two big decisions in front of her. And both of her decisions will have a severe impact on her legacy and future. So, let’s hope she makes the wise choice that she won’t regret later. What do you think?
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