Overview
- Most Valuable Promotions announced an immediate ban on Claressa Shields from all future MVP events after cell phone footage circulated showing Shields reach past security and slap Alycia Baumgardner in a VIP lounge at the Rousey vs. Carano card.
- Alycia Baumgardner released a statement calling the contact unprovoked and said she intends to handle the matter legally, framing the incident as an assault.
- Claressa Shields disputed that account on social media, saying she was threatened and verbally attacked before she struck and threatening defamation suits against MVP and Baumgardner.
- MVP said the ban reflects a zero-tolerance policy for physical altercations outside competition and framed the move as protecting the promotion’s brand and the image of women’s sports.
- The clash is the latest episode in a long public feud between the two champions that has included online insults, prior ringside encounters, and differing support from promoters, and it could carry reputational and legal consequences for both fighters and MVP.