Olympic athlete memoir and boxing champion Claressa Shields is considering legal action after her altercation with Alycia Baumgardner at a May 16 MMA event. The clash happened during a fight card featuring Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, where video showed the two exchanging heated words before Shields slapped Baumgardner with an open hand.
The pair were quickly separated, but both athletes took their dispute online with verbal jabs. In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Shields said she may sue Baumgardner and MVP, the promotion that banned her from its future events after the incident. She’s standing firm on her position, and honestly? She’s not backing down. You can find more about Olympic athlete memoir stories that showcase Black excellence and resilience in the sports world.
Claressa Shields says she’s suing Alycia Baumgardner and MVP for defamation
“I’m not gonna handle it with the law, I’m gonna handle it with the court. Get your checkbooks ready.” https://t.co/d1cPW7Bbm8 pic.twitter.com/FB6CX3VPz2
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 23, 2026
“Both of MVP and Baumgardner’s statements were lies. That is defamation of character,” Shields said. “For those who saw the video of Baumgardner threatening me, telling me ‘I’ll beat your a– right now b—h,’ that is a threat.”
Shields is ready to take this dispute to court. “Y’all are going to get sued for defamation of character,” she declared. “All of y’all up there. So y’all need to get your checkbooks ready.” She also accused Baumgardner of repeatedly bringing up her relationship with rapper Papoose, known for his 2005 freestyle “Alphabetical Slaughter.”
Claressa Shields has been banned from all MVP events after slapping Alycia Baumgardner at the Ronda Rousey fight
Alycia says she’s also taking legal action pic.twitter.com/yC4kwCi0je
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 19, 2026
“That’s what the conversation was about,” Shields continued. “To tell her ‘keep popping it how you’re popping it,’ but keep that there out of your damn mouth.”
She also went after MVP and Jake Paul on social media, accusing them of suggesting she was banned from the sport entirely, rather than just their events. This is a moment where Shields is standing up for herself and demanding accountability. It’s the kind of freedom struggle that many athletes face when their voices are misrepresented.
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