The Joe Rogan Experience

Joe Rogan Experience #1619 - Claressa Shields

Claressa Shields is a two-time olympic gold medalist and holder of multiple world championship belts. She is the first fighter in boxing history to be an undisputed champion in two different weight divisions in the four-belt era.

Joe RoganhostClaressa Shieldsguest

Jun 26, 20241h 59mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Claressa Shields Details Bold Transition From Boxing Dominance To MMA Stardom

Claressa Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and undisputed boxing champion, discusses her decision to pursue MMA while remaining active in boxing. She explains how lack of promotion and pay equity in women’s boxing pushed her to explore new opportunities with the PFL and a potential future super-fight with Kayla Harrison. Shields breaks down her early MMA training at Jackson Wink, her approach to learning grappling and kicks, and how she structures recovery and strength work around knowing her own body. The conversation also explores double standards in women’s sports, promoter politics, and the mental toughness and individuality required to be a true champion.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Shields is pursuing MMA to test her greatness, not because boxing isn’t working.

Despite having ‘cleared out’ multiple divisions in boxing, she views MMA as a new arena to prove whether she’s truly as great as she believes, aiming to become champion in both sports simultaneously.

Lack of equitable promotion and pay in women’s boxing is a major driver of her move.

She cites examples where her TV ratings surpassed male headliners who earned many times her purse, and points to unequal promotion windows and marketing as structural problems holding women’s boxing back.

Shields treats her MMA transition with humility and seriousness, not arrogance.

Training at Jackson Wink since December, she started on the ground, focuses heavily on defense, jiu-jitsu for MMA, and live simulations, and rejects the idea of jumping straight into super-fights without proper skill development.

Knowing and protecting her body is central to her training philosophy.

She opposes “break them down to build them up” coaching, recounts refusing dangerous overtraining sprints at the Olympic Training Center, and prioritizes recovery with ice baths, massage, yoga, and careful strength work.

Promotion and storytelling, not just skill, drive how stars are made in combat sports.

Shields notes how men are routinely built on major undercards while women rarely get those slots, how having visible big paydays increases fan interest, and how she feels responsible to speak up on “micro” inequities like commercial spots and All-Access shows.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Five Ps: Proper preparation prevents poor performance.

— Claressa Shields

I’m venturing off into MMA because I really wanna see, ‘Am I as great as I think I am?’

— Claressa Shields

You have to learn fighters like you learn your children.

— Claressa Shields

If boxing gave me the recognition that I get doing MMA, I would just do boxing.

— Claressa Shields

How you do anything is how you do everything.

— Joe Rogan

Claressa Shields’ boxing career and historic accomplishmentsMotivations for transitioning into MMA and signing with PFLEarly MMA training: grappling, kicks, and work at Jackson WinkWomen’s boxing: pay disparity, promotion gaps, and visibilityTraining philosophy, overtraining, recovery, and body awarenessPotential super-fights: Kayla Harrison, Amanda Nunes, and crossover talkMentality of champions, handling critics, and personal relationships

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