Savannah Marshall knows why the PFL signed her to fight in MMA.
Marshall has fought current PFL fighter Claressa Shields twice in the boxing ring. She has one win, in the amateurs, and then a loss when they met professionally.
Shields had already moved to MMA and has had a promising start to her career, with one defeat and one victory.
Crossover fighting, such as Francis Ngannou’s March 8 date to fight Anthony Joshua - is all the rage, and Deontay Wilder is mooted as one fighter who could move to PFL in the other direction, to meet Ngannou in the Smartcage.
Marshall told Sky Sports she will be in attendance to research Shields’ capabilities in the cage.
"I'm going to be there cageside, having a look, sizing her up," she said, before admitting that PFL wants her for her rivalry with the American.
"I'm under no illusions why they've signed me. They haven't looked at me and thought she'll be a brilliant MMA fighter. They've signed me because there's potential for me to fight Claressa in the smartcage isn't there? That's why they've signed me."
"I come up short in the boxing so I want another stab, so why not in a new sport altogether.”
She also gave credit to Shields with her move into a new combat sport
"I really do. I'm interested to see how much she's come on," Marshall said. "I really want to see how she's improved if she has.
"For anyone to switch sports takes a lot of guts, especially from what she's achieved in her boxing career.
"She's striving for greatness, isn't she? So all the best to her and I think she's taken her speed over to PFL so I'm sure she'll do big things."
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