Claressa Shields defeats Brittney Elkin in MMA debut

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

She shook off a slow first two rounds before she got Elkin on the ground and needed a few heavy shots to cause the decisive damage.

She already won the light middleweight, middleweight and super middleweight crowns in her boxing career and was the fastest fighter in history — either male or female — to become a three-division world champion.

“The genius of champions making transitions is they start all over and don’t care,” said Lewis, the Hall of Fame linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.

Unlike other MMA organizations, the PFL uses a season format, with playoffs and a championship fight night that awards a $1 million prize for each of its six weight class champions.

Thursday’s card aired on ESPN2, and the league has yet to decide when or where it will stage its championship fight night.

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