Claressa Shields wins MMA debut

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Claressa Shields may have been down, but she wasn’t out.

Her ground game needs some work, as she was dominated on the ground for two straight rounds. But the two-time Olympic gold medalist was able to rebound in the third round. She stayed in a safe, kneeling position and landed huge punches to Brittney Elkin, finishing her off by TKO at 1 minute, 44 seconds. 

The first two rounds were rough for Shields, as Elkin was able to get her down in the first round, move to a full mount and land punches from the top. The second was more of the same. 

But Shields stopped an attempted takedown in the third, which then enabled her to find her position and keep punching until she earned the TKO. 

The win moves Shields to 1-0 in her MMA career while Elkin, now 3-7, is on a four-fight losing streak