Boxing champion Savannah Marshall wins her MMA debut with stunning first-round stoppage before...

"Boxing Champ Marshall Wins MMA Debut, Challenges Rival Shields For Rematch"

Release Time: 10:08 BST, 9 June 2024 | Last Edit: 10:57 BST, 9 June 2024

On Saturday night in Newcastle, Savannah Marshall won her first MMA fight in an incredibly intense first round.

The famous boxer faced off against Mirela Vargas in PFL Europe and put on a powerful display, as the match was halted with just 32 seconds to go in the opening round while Vargas staggered.

During the month of August, Marshall made a commitment to the Professional Fighters League for multiple years shortly after Shields had extended her own agreement with the same organization. The two athletes hinted at the possibility of having a rematch soon after the announcements, but it has not yet come to fruition.

Shields was present at the side of the cage to observe her opponent claim a win on Saturday. She was visible in a small screen next to the main broadcast, applauding the 33-year-old when the match came to an end.

Following the match, the US fighter entered the ring and consented to face Marshall once again in a redo of their memorable boxing contest from October 2022.

Savannah Marshall, who was making her debut in MMA on Saturday, won her first round in a dominant fashion.

Last August, Marshall, who is currently a boxing champion, agreed to a contract with the Professional Fighters League.

Following the altercation, she confronted her foe and pal Claressa Shields (who was positioned to the right) in the enclosure.

During the latter part of the first round on Saturday, Marshall was located at the center of the boxing ring, throwing powerful right and left punches as she pursued her adversary, Vargas.

Vargas admitted losing and tried to protect himself as the hits kept coming, until the referee ended the match and Marshall joyfully retreated.

After the fight, Marshall went up to the microphone and uttered: "To participate in MMA fighting, you must have a touch of madness."

She said: 'I wonder where my friend Claressa is? If you want to stand up from the floor, this is how you do it, darling.'

Afterwards, Shields entered the boxing ring and complimented her opponent, saying "Well done! You appeared more battered than I did during my first time in the ring."

Marshall replied, "Sure. Hey, are we going to fight inside the cage or not?"

Shields replied: 'Sure, I am willing to fight you inside a cage. What's stopping me?'

During October of 2022, Shields secured a unanimous decision victory over Marshall at the O2 Arena in London, marking her rival's sole career loss up to this point. Despite the intense competition, the two have maintained a strong friendship.

After the event, Dan Hardy, the head of PFL Europe's fighter operations, announced that Claressa would be Savannah's next opponent. He also noted that Claressa had spoken positively about Savannah in the past.

In my opinion, Savannah was able to earn Claressa's admiration today, not just for her impressive hand skills but also for the way she smoothly switched to MMA.

Shields was present near the ring to observe the happening, and someone asked them about a possible second match under the regulations of mixed martial arts.

In the year 2022, Marshall suffered his sole defeat as a professional boxer when he went up against an American opponent.

It seems very clear that the next fight will involve Claressa and Savannah. I predict that this fight will materialize after Claressa takes care of some of her actual boxing business. Once that's done, we can secure the date for their fight.

From what I comprehend, it looks like it will happen sometime in the latter part of this year.

Shields has participated in three MMA matches, with two victories and one defeat. In her initial fight in 2021, she was triumphant against Brittney Elkin. However, a few months later, she suffered a split decision loss against Abigail Montes.

After a period of two and a half years, she made a comeback in February and emerged victorious against Kelsey DeSantis.