Claressa Shields isn’t backing down — and she wants that made perfectly clear. Most Valuable Promotions banned undisputed women’s heavyweight champion Shields from all future events following a physical altercation with unified women’s junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner at MVP MMA 1 over the weekend. The incident took place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles during MVP’s Rousey vs. Carano event, and the ban was announced Monday via a statement posted to X.
But Shields wasted no time responding — and she came with receipts.
In a video posted to social media, Shields revealed a new angle of the confrontation, showing the two women in a heated verbal exchange. The drama seemingly stemmed from Baumgardner’s past comments about Shields’ relationship with Papoose. Unfortunately, their spat quickly turned physical.
“What circulated online does not tell the full story. Until now,” she wrote. “I do not condone violence. I never have. But I am also not someone who will stand in silence while continuously being verbally attacked, threatened, discriminated against or assassinate my character.”
I have dedicated my life to the sport of boxing. Through the grace of God I have been blessed. My talent has allowed me to undeniably take woman’s boxing to a new level. That doesn’t stop at the ring.
What circulated online does not tell the full story. Until now. I do not… pic.twitter.com/hoiLX6dI9v
— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) May 19, 2026
Shields rejected any suggestion the incident was rooted in envy or colorism and pointed to a pattern of prior behavior.
“There is a documented history of attacks and threats by this person that led to this moment, and that history will speak for itself. There is a difference between aggression and protection,” she said.
Baumgardner, for her part, released a statement claiming she was “physically assaulted without provocation” and vowed to handle the matter legally.
As for the ban itself, Shields was dismissive.
“Now to MVP — y’all tried to sign me, I declined! You cannot ban me from a place I didn’t want to be! I can go fight anywhere in the world tomorrow!” she wrote, adding that MVP had shown “nothing but disrespect” from the start — including calling their fighters “the Real GWOAT” and overlooking her accomplishments in women’s boxing.
Now To MVP, y’all tried to sign me, I declined! You can not ban me from a place I didn’t want to be! I can go fight anywhere in the world Tomorrow! So any one who think this weak ass ban matters it don’t 😂! Those false statements will be addressed too. Y’all fighter threatening… pic.twitter.com/Qtdbv049eq
— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) May 19, 2026
Shields successfully defended her undisputed heavyweight title against Franchon Crews-Dezurn in February, continuing a dominant run that has made her the most decorated woman in boxing history. She made clear her legacy speaks for itself — ban or no ban. “I’ve fought too hard and come too far to let anyone rewrite my story,” she said.
