Claressa Shields was beaten for the first time as an MMA fighter Wednesday, losing to Abigail Montes via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) at PFL 10 in Hollywood, Florida.
Shields, an undefeated boxing champion and Olympic gold medalist, fell to 1-1 as a professional MMA fighter after winning her debut in June.
The 26-year-old had a strong start to the bout, pressuring Montes in the stand-up department and defending her opponent's takedown attempts.
But Shields gave up takedowns in Rounds 2 and 3, with Montes reaching full mount late in the fight and battering the boxing champ with ground-and-pound shots.
Shields, who trains out of Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, also competed under the PFL banner in her MMA debut. She mounted a huge comeback against Brittney Elkin, scoring a third-round TKO after losing the first two rounds.
Montes improved to 3-0 as a professional MMA fighter with the victory, her second triumph of 2021.
Shields, considered to be one of the top female boxers, has a boxing match booked for Dec. 11 against Ema Kozin. She's only trained in MMA since December 2020.
