Claressa Shields believes COVID-19 had a role to play in Amanda Nunes' loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269 

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Amanda Nunes, Dana White & Julianna Pena (left), Claressa Shields (right) [Images via Getty: UFC 269 Press Conference & Claressa Shields v Brittney Elkin]

Claressa Shields believes that Amanda Nunes' recent shock loss to Julianna Pena was a result of 'The Lioness' not being fully recovered from catching COVID-19 earlier in the year.

At UFC 269, Amanda Nunes was set to defend her women's bantamweight title against one of the few contenders she had not yet already defeated. Julianna Pena came into the bout a massive underdog, with many believing that the bout was simply a placeholder until the UFC were able to book Nunes vs. Kayla Harrison.

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However, Pena would shock the world. After definitively losing the first round, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' entered round two with a vengeance. She did what very few have ever been able to do: stand and trade with Amanda Nunes. This approach appeared to catch Nunes off guard and she began to wilt under the pressure.

Pena did not relent and, after bringing the fight to the mat, she was able to lock in a modified rear-naked choke that saw the former champ tap. With that, Pena became one of the biggest underdog champions of all time.

However, in a recent interview with Fight Hype, world champion boxer and 1-1 MMA fighter Claressa Shields stated that she believes Nunes' loss was due to her suffering the effects of long Covid:

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"I think Amanda hadn't recovered from Covid yet. To be honest. I think that, yes, her test came back negative but when you catch Covid it can do a lot to your respiratory system and stuff like that. I think that she was still kinda battling with that, and that's why I think she's confident in the rematch. Amanda won the first round. You know, I just think that she kinda, you know, gassed out. Because she had been sick and all the other stuff. But I think Amanda Nunes is gonna come back and win her title back. But congrats to, what's her name, Julianna."

Check out the full interview below:

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Will Claressa Shields ever fight in the UFC?

In 2021, Claressa Shields made the move to MMA, having amassed an 11-0 record in boxing. She has since gone 1-1 in MMA, defeating Britney Elkins via TKO and dropping a decision loss to Abby Montes.

If she wishes to make it to the UFC one day, Shields must continue to rack up time in the cage and begin to even out her skillset.

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