Jake Paul didn’t waste any time firing back in the aftermath of Claressa Shields’ PFL loss.
Shields suffered her first professional loss in combat sports on Wednesday when she dropped a split decision to Abigail Montes at PFL’s season finale. Two judges scored the contest 29-28 in favor of the 21-year-old Montes, who stifled Shields with her wrestling and clinch game en route to pulling off the upset over the decorated boxing champion.
Mere minutes after the bout’s conclusion, Paul tweeted at Shields with a gleeful message calling the two-time Olympic champion “a loser” and blasting her for having a “prima donna attitude.”
Paul’s words can be read in full below.
“The truth hurts but it’s necessary. Clarissa [sic] Shields is a loser. In MMA, and even more so with her prima donna attitude. The fake always get exposed. Losses come when anger and hate take over. Just ask Rousey and McGregor. She spent more time berating Jake Paul than learning Jiu Jitsu. She’s never been a big draw and unfortunately for her she never will be. Amanda Serrano (the GWOAT) though, has 30 KOs in 42 fights. 2-0 in MMA, both wins by submission. Congrats Abigail Montes on the win.”
Paul’s message appeared to be a direct response to comments Shields made in recent months about not wanting to fight on one of Paul’s undercards. Shields initially spoke on the subject at a PFL press conference in September and framed the topic as disrespectful. She then elaborated on her words on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour.
“What has Jake Paul done that’s so great to where he gets to be the main event pay-per-view on Showtime, but I don’t?” Shields told host Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I gotta fight under him. That’s the thing, it’s like I actually earned my opportunity. They’re just giving it to him. They’re like, ‘Hey, you’re Jake Paul, you’ve got a million subscribers on YouTube, you and your brother get to fight main event on Showtime.’
“That’s trash. I literally earned my spot and never was given an opportunity. That’s what pisses me off. It’s not really Jake Paul, it’s more like how dare they give him the opportunity that I earned. I fought the main event on Showtime six times, sold out arenas for Showtime, and still would get the ‘We don’t think you’re big enough to fight on pay-per-view.’ Get out of here. It’s crap. That’s why I would never fight on the undercard of him or nobody else who haven’t earned it. If they’re not a world champion, Errol Spence, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Terence Crawford, even Shakur Stevenson, if they not under them I’m not fighting on no undercard of no other men.”
Shields remains one of the most decorated female boxers of her era, a champion in three weight divisions who also captured gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. She is an undefeated 11-0 in her professional boxing career and held a 77-1 record as an amateur.
The 26-year-old boxing champion inked a three-year deal with PFL in November 2020 and went into Wednesday’s event having won her MMA debut over Brittney Elkin in June with a dramatic third-round comeback. Her attempt at competing simultaneously in boxing and MMA may have taken a hit Wednesday, but Shields is still tentatively scheduled to defend her three boxing titles against Ema Kozin on Dec. 11 in Birmingham, England.
Paul is 4-0 as a professional boxer and last fought against former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in August, winning via split decision.
