"It feels great" - Claressa Shields talks about counting Conor McGregor among her fans
Conor McGregor has recently heaped praise on Claressa Shields for venturing into the sport of MMA. 'The GWOAT' will make her MMA debut against Brittney Elkin on June 10 at PFL 4.
McGregor singing high praises for Shields makes her feel "super excited". The 26-year-old boxer-turned-mixed martial artist admitted she is grateful for all the support that 'The Notorious One' has shown her.
"It feels great. I'm super excited that he (Conor McGregor_ feels excited about me fighting," said Shields in an interview with The Mac Life. "I'm happy that everybody is respecting my work ethic and some people put me higher than I put myself right now, but it's just great to have another great reach out to you who has been great in the sport of MMA."
In December last year, McGregor offered a few crucial tips to Claressa Shields while she was still taking her baby steps in the MMA realm. The former two-division UFC champion also noted that he is excited to see how Shields develops her skill-set in the sport that she's not extensively familiar with.
"McGregor has sent me tips: 'Look, you need to work on this, get balance on that one foot, get used to bouncing, they're gonna grab your leg, get used to bouncing on that single leg so you can pull your leg out,'" said Shields.
"Real courage a lot of her male counterparts do not possess" - Conor McGregor on Claressa Shields switching to MMA
According to Conor McGregor, Claress Shields' fellow male boxers do not possess the courage that she has shown by deciding to move to MMA. The Irishman believes that a multi-weight boxing world champion switching to MMA is a "rare occurrence."
McGregor is not the only UFC superstar to have lauded Claressa Shields for transitioning to MMA. The likes of former light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones, Holly Holm, Michelle Waterson and Tyron Woodley have also praised the 26-year-old.
Following a dominant five-year-long boxing career, Claressa Shields is set to fight Brittney Elkin on June 10 in her first MMA fight. Ahead of the bout, Elkin claimed that she would finish Shields inside 15 seconds in the first round.