Claressa Shields works out during a pre fight media workout at the Downtown Boxing Gym on October 02, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Claressa Shields is expected to be the next big thing in MMA and was compared to Holly Holm recently
Brandon Gibson, one of the striking coaches at Jackson Wink, opened up on Claressa Shields and Holly Holm.
Gibson was speaking to WERMMA and also highlighted how much work was going on with Jon Jones.
Jones had moved up to the UFC Heavyweight division and was keen to win the title after vacating the Light Heavyweight one.
Another big talking point was boxing champion Shields joining the Jackson Wink gym. She had been training with Jones and former UFC champion Holm too.
Gibson was asked about the 25-year-old PFL star and claimed she looked great. He hadn’t met her but was expected to work out with her in the coming weeks.
Gibson also spoke about the Holm and Shields and their boxing background. Holm had a great boxing career before she came to MMA and even did a lot of kickboxing too:
“Holly set the blueprint in many ways of a great boxing champion and making the transition into MMA and become a UFC world champion.
“Holly did learn how to box out of a kickboxing and MMA school and Holly had kickboxed competitively before she got real heavy into boxing.
“So Holly was a little more of a well-versed striker in some ways but I think Claressa’s amateur boxing style is going to carry over really well into MMA like just very high paced, and with the small gloves, we don’t need to be hitting as hard as we can with every strike.
“She seems to throw with a lot of volume and a lot of speed and I think that’s gonna lend itself well to MMA.”
Gibson added that they would also be working on Shields’ stance as it was different in MMA. A longer stance could see the legs get taken out and they would also be working on her range.
However, Gibson added that Shields was an incredible athlete and expected her to do well in the PFL.
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