Former world boxing champion Savannah Marshall made her mixed martial arts (MMA) debut at PFL Europe 2, broadcast live on DAZN today (Sat., June 8, 2024) from the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England, defeating Mirella Vargas via powerful first-round TKO (punches).
Marshall has made a name for herself in the boxing world since being given the opportunity to compete in a main event despite never having competed in mixed martial arts before. The former WBO women's middleweight champion has compiled a 13-1 professional record over six years, successfully defending her title three times. Her lone loss came in 2022 when she lost by decision to boxing great Claressa Shields.
Needless to say, the combat sports community was extremely interested to see how Marshall would transition from the ring to the cage.
At first, Marshall never seemed completely at ease. Vargas landed some hard leg kicks that brought the former boxer to his knees. Marshall also succumbed to some pretty basic takedown attempts, but managed to escape dangerous positions and get back to his feet each time. This allowed Marshall to win the war of attrition and land some big punches.
Vargas, who was relatively inexperienced coming into this bout, didn't stand a chance once Marshall started striking. The force was impressive and the punches really started to wear Vargas down. Marshall's efforts forced the referee to take a closer look at the bout and intervene before the end of the first round.
Check out the video highlights below, as well as Marshall's post-fight confrontation with Shields mentioned above.
For full PFL Newcastle results, coverage and highlights click here here.
