Cris Cyborg Takes a Swipe at Claressa Shields' Rap Career

Cris Cyborg has brought Claressa Shields' music into their long-running feud. The Brazilian took to social media to poke fun at Shields' rapping, the latest in a string of jabs the two have traded without any sign of an actual fight being made.

The comment was a response to an interview with Britton Hardin, DAZN's head of boxing. Hardin argued that one way to keep boxing growing is to highlight what fighters do outside the ring, since people who discover an athlete through another craft might then start watching their fights. Cyborg disagreed, at least when it comes to Shields, who has a well-known passion for hip hop. "Let's be honest nobody is becoming a fan of boxing because they listen to Claressa Shields rap," she wrote.

A rivalry stuck at the weight question

Shields has released several hip hop tracks, some dating back to 2025, and once performed under the name Ressa Da Gwoat before switching to her real name. None of it has impressed Cyborg. The two have been calling each other out for a long time, and Cyborg again targeted Shields for a boxing match after her unanimous decision over Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa. That bout had been planned as a PFL featherweight title defense until Vieira's weight miss took the belt off the line.

Shields and UFC women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison are both named as possible opponents for Cyborg. Cyborg and Shields have not agreed on a weight class, so no fight between them has been made.

Shields' busy year

Shields has had two title fights in 2026. Early in the year she beat Franchon Crews-Dezurn by unanimous decision to keep her WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and WBF heavyweight belts, and on August 15 she stopped Kaye Scott in the sixth round to win the WBA and WBC middleweight titles. She does not appear to be booked for another fight, and no fight with Cyborg has been announced.