Olympic gold medalist and champion boxer Claressa Shields has joined Jackson Wink MMA in advance of her PFL debut, and now there’s video of her training.
The renowned MMA gym on Saturday posted a clip of Shields working with co-founder Mike Winkeljohn, who’s already shepherded one boxing champ – Holly Holm – to a UFC title.
Shields shows off high kicks, a flying knee and the oblique kick that JW-trained champ Jon Jones has used to great success in the octagon.
Check out the video.
Little preview of @Claressashields exploring her MMA standup abilities with @mmacoachwink... and yes... there will be plenty of wrestling and grappling education with @GregJacksonMMA and the coaching staff! It will be an interesting project for everyone involved! pic.twitter.com/O5O9RZQ2YD
— JacksonWinkMMA (@JacksonWinkMMA) December 5, 2020
As the post mentions, Shields will be doing a lot more than striking. As the undisputed middleweight boxing champ prepares for one-off PFL fights in the lightweight division, she is building a grappling game that will give her a shot at success in the $1 million tournaments in which the promotion wants her to compete.
Shields has flirted with MMA training before, releasing videos of her throwing kicks and working with former UFC and current Bellator champ Cris Cyborg. The PFL wants her to follow the blueprint set by her Olympic colleague Kayla Harrison, who did several one-offs before dominating a lightweight tournament.
Shields has some high-caliber help in the gym already. Former UFC light heavyweight champ and pound-for-pound great Jon Jones drilled takedowns with the boxing powerhouse.
