Claressa Shields says she’s ready for war with MMA challenger Brittney Elkin.
The 26-year-old three-division boxing champion is undefeated in 11 professional fights, and is now making the switch to MMA when she takes on Elkin on June 10 in Atlantic City.
Shields also has two gold medals to her name from her time competing at the Olympics at amateur level and is now looking for success in a third discipline.
With that in mind she is not going to be overly aggressive in search of a stoppage against her opponent, who also held world champion status as a boxer before moving over to MMA in 2013.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Shields said: "Everybody wants the knockout, everyone wants the stoppages, but for me, I just really want the experience.
"I want to get in there and get out as quick as possible, I'm fine with that. But, if I have to go 15 minutes and have an all-out war with Brittney Elkin, I'm fine with that."
Elkin, who has three wins and six defeats in the sport, recently claimed she would dispatch Shields in just 15 seconds, something which the current world champion dismissed.
“I saw an interview where Brittney Elkin said she wants to make me a 15-second highlight reel. Like she wants to go in there and knock me out in 15 seconds. And, I was just thinking to myself, 'B—, in your dreams. In your wildest dreams,’” she said.
"I wasn’t gonna talk trash for the fight because I feel like I don't have that right because it's my first fight in MMA.”