Boxing star Claressa Shields has an opponent set for her MMA debut, Gregor Gillespie v. Carlos Diego Ferreira has been booked and more — here is your fight announcement roundup for Wednesday, April 14.
Claressa Shields vs. Brittney Elkin set For June 10 PFL card
Boxing's undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields is dipping her toes in the world of MMA. Signing with the PFL, Shields will be competing in the lightweight division. She makes her debut against a veteran in Brittney Elkin.
“I am very excited to cement my legacy as the Greatest Woman of All Time,” said Shields in a press release. “I cannot wait to step into the PFL cage for the first time on June 10 and show the world that I never back down from a challenge. I have shown I am the best boxer in the world and eventually I intend to do the same thing as a mixed martial artist.”
Elkin is currently on a three-fight losing streak. Competing for Bellator, FTW, and the PFL, she lost to PFL lightweight champion Kayla Harrison in the latter's MMA debut in 2018.
Gregor Gillespie rebooked against Carlos Diego Ferreira for May UFC event
After having a bout fall through not long ago, Gregor Gillespie will finally get a chance to compete. Per ESPN, Gillespie will face off against Carlos Diego Ferreira at UFC on ESPN 24 on May 8.
Gillespie is looking to bounce back after losing to Kevin Lee in 2019. That ended a 13-fight win streak. He was supposed to face Brad Riddell on March 20, but Riddell backed out of the bout due to COVID-19 precautions. Ferreira's last fight was also a loss. He fought Beneil Dariush in February, losing via split decision and losing a six-fight win streak in the process.
Logan Storley needs a new opponent for Bellator 258
Ranked high in the Bellator welterweight rankings, Logan Storely is in need of a new opponent. It was announced via MMA Fighting that Killys Mota is out of his Bellator 258 bout with Storley after testing positive for COVID-19.
Mota is 2-2 in his last four rights, his last bout a loss to Derek Anderson in November.
"I was fine and then I caught the coronavirus and this sh*t f*cked me up,” Mota told MMA Fighting. “I was sick for two weeks and then I only had four or five weeks to train for him. I agreed to this fight a week or two before COVID but then I got sick and thought it would be better to cancel it.
“It’s too risky. I couldn’t train. I’m starting to feel better now [but] I haven’t felt anything like this disease before in my life. No rush, I’ll do the right thing. I’m upset because it was a good fight, he has great wrestling but I believe in my fighting style and what I train.”
Storley had his eleven-fight win streak snapped in November against Yaroslav Amosov.
Henry Corrales to now face Johnny Campbell at Bellator 258
Another change has been made to Bellator 258, as Henry Corrales will fight Johnny Campbell. Corrales' original opponent, Keith Lee, was taken off the card on May 7 with no explanation given. MMA Junkie was the first to report the news.
A former KOTC featherweight and bantamweight champion, Corrales ended a two-fight losing streak in October, beating Brandon Girtz. Campbell is looking to rebound after losing to Ary Farias back in October. The loss ended a four-fight win streak.
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