Savannah Marshall dazzled in her MMA debut by stopping Mirela Vargas in a thrilling first round at PFL Europe in Newcastle on Saturday night.
Marshall was competing in the cage for the first time after taking a step into MMA after beating Franchon Crews-Dezurn to become undisputed super-middleweight boxing champion in July last year.
An early acid test arrived in the form of multiple takedowns, from which Marshall recovered superbly to showcase her skills as one of the fiercest punchers in women’s boxing.
Marshall remained calm in the face of some tough early kicks, demonstrating her training alongside UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to get back to her feet smoothly.
Her knockout exploits would soon prove too much for Vargas as she unleashed a flurry of vicious shots that forced the referee to halt the contest.
Marshall stepped out wearing a Newcastle jersey in front of her home fans
In the presence of his long-time boxing rival, Claressa Shields, Marshall wasted no time in reiterating his intentions to meet the American in the PFL.
“Are we doing it in the cage or something?” Marshall said. “Let’s do it. Full MMA rules. Let’s go!”
Shields beat Marshall by unanimous decision when the two headlined the UK’s first all-female televised boxing card at the O2 in October 2022.
This capped a surge stemming from Marshall’s victory over Shields in the amateur ranks, which remains the latter’s only career defeat in boxing to date.
Shields herself made the decision to delve into the world of MMA when she made her PFL debut in 2021, since which she has accumulated a 2-1 record.
Marshall weathered an early storm to defeat Vargas
She is now set to make her return to boxing by challenging Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for the WBC heavyweight title in Detroit on July 27, aiming to become a four-weight world champion.
Marshall’s debut comes after just nine months of MMA training, with the 33-year-old repeatedly admitting that the prospect of facing Shields was a major factor in her decision to step down.
“These MMA fighters, you have to be a little crazy to do that,” Marshall said.
“I loved it, the fight week, the training, the MMA community welcomed me with open arms. It’s a tough sport and I take my hat off to everyone who practices it.”
