What's next for Marshall after electric MMA debut?

Savannah Marshall wrote a caller section into her storied profession erstwhile she stopped Mirela Vargas successful an electrical MMA debut astatine PFL Europe successful Newcastle past week.

In a pulsating first round, Britain's Marshall - a world champion astatine ace middleweight successful boxing - stopped nan Brazilian pinch an onslaught of punches aft escaping a nail-biting limb triangle effort connected nan ground.

The 33-year-old Hartlepool autochthonal was past joined successful nan cage by semipermanent boxing rival and chap PFL star, Claressa Shields.

Marshall's capacity and her confrontation pinch American Shields left a burning mobility connected everyone's lips who witnessed nan spectacle astatine nan Utilita Arena - what's next?

Marshall and Shields are engaged successful 1 of boxing's top rivalries pinch nan Briton winning astatine amateur level and nan American avenging nan conclusion - nan only 1 of her profession - successful 2022.

Marshall said a large logic down her move to nan PFL was to pursuit a 3rd conflict pinch Shields aft her rival made her MMA debut successful 2021, pinch "boxing politics" preventing a trilogy conflict happening successful nan ring.

After Marshall defeated Vargas, tv cameras showed Shields smiling and applauding astatine ringside, earlier nan brace shared words and a respectful fist bump successful nan cage.

"I conscionable said to her 'are we going to get it connected successful present aliases what?' And she said 'hmm yeah'," Marshall told nan BBC.

"I dream so, but it was a shady yeah. We’ll person to see.”

Shields, meanwhile, said nan brace will conflict nether MMA rules, but she's unsure erstwhile it will be.

Undisputed middleweight champion Shields is group to look Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for nan unified ray heavyweight title connected 27 July.

"As of correct now I’m nan amended MMA combatant and it still stands that Savannah conscionable punches harder," said Shields.

"But I person beardown points she doesn’t person and she has weaknesses that I tin return advantage of correct now. So nan fight’s going to hap – I conscionable don’t cognize when.”

Marshall's elite boxing is what made nan quality successful her triumph complete Vargas, but she besides showcased elements of grappling she has learned successful her 9 months training MMA.

She was taken down aggregate times but was capable to get backmost to her feet, and utilised her jiu-jitsu skills to flight a tight submission attempt.

British UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who Marshall had been training pinch successful mentation for her MMA bow, would for illustration to spot her conflict different force to fine-tune her skills earlier taking connected Shields.

"The point is, her and Claressa, they’re going to person a boxing lucifer pinch MMA gloves connected aren’t they?" Aspinall told nan PFL., external

"And that’s really breathtaking but my sentiment – and I’m evidently not Savannah’s coach aliases head aliases thing for illustration that, I’m conscionable a friend – but I deliberation 1 much conflict would beryllium better.

"Just to get nan consciousness of nan cage - nary shoes on, small gloves, punches, kicks coming towards you, she needs to get utilized to it all. So I deliberation 1 much earlier a large 1 pinch Shields.”

Marshall has said a deficiency of challenges successful boxing is different logic she started MMA, pinch a 3rd conflict pinch Shields failing to materialise.

She past boxed successful July 2023, beating Franchon Crews-Dezurn for nan undisputed ace middleweight championship.

With Marshall's banal rising further aft stopping Vargas, she hinted a return to nan ringing could beryllium connected nan cards if promotor Ben Shalom made her nan correct offer.

"Look, I deliberation nan large 1 for her has ever been Claressa. Whether that’s MMA adjacent aliases boxing I’m not sure, we’ll speak," Shalom told BBC Sport.

"But I ever wanted to spot nan rematch astatine 168 pounds, complete three-minute rounds wherever she has much clip to break her down, much clip to find nan gaps and perchance sound her out.

"Twelve three-minute rounds would beryllium fantastic, aliases 10 astatine least, and I’d fancy Savannah's chances astatine a bigger weight."