Undisputed boxing champion Savannah Marshall can now call herself an undefeated professional mixed martial artist.
In the main event of 2024 PFL Europe 2, Marshall made her MMA debut against Mirela Vargas at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England, in a 160-pound catchweight bout. As expected, Marshall (1-0) displayed beautiful striking, leading to a first-round TKO at 4:27. Yet, it wasn’t without a few challenges.
Coming in as a high-level boxer attempting a new sport, Marshall would have to deal with kicks and takedowns, among other obvious challenges. Training with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who was in her corner for the fight, helped prepare her for what was to come.
However, Like many boxers before her who tried their hands in the MMA cage, Marshall found herself on her back early in the fight.
“The Silent Assassin” remained calm when the fight hit the ground, and technically worked her way back up to her feet. That’s when she let her hands shine. Sharp punching combinations put Vargas (1-3) in trouble, but then Marshall experienced a few hard leg kicks that took her off her feet momentarily. Regardless, Marshall got back up, and continued with heavy forward pressure, refusing to let her opponent build momentum.
Eventually, after another takedown sequence, Vargas was rendered to nothing more than a defensive shell as Marshall unloaded furious punch combinations. The referee gave Vargas plenty of opportunity to respond before waving the fight off.
Savannah Marshall swarms to wins her MMA debut by first-round TKO at #PFLNewcastle, then Claressa Shields entered the cage.
🎥 @PFLEurope pic.twitter.com/SBlrt9Plhj
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 8, 2024
“I’ve only been doing this for nine months,” Marshall said during her post-fight interview. “I’ve absolutely loved it, but yeah, these MMA fighters – you’ve got to be a little bit crazy to do this.”
Marshall then shared a moment with Claressa Shields, who defeated her in the boxing ring in 2022. Shields is another boxing champion who has begun dabbling in MMA, and the pair expressed their desire to compete in the cage one day soon.
Marshall’s last appearance in the boxing ring came last July against Franchon Crews-Dezurn, who she defeated by a majority decision to win the undisputed super middleweight title.
