What Did MVP Promotions Say About the Ban?

Most Valuable Promotions released a formal statement on Instagram, Facebook, and X addressing Shields' conduct at the Rousey vs. Carano event.

The promotion said there's "a time and a place for fighter tension and banter," but that physically putting hands on another athlete in a private VIP area crosses the line and "reflects poorly on MVP and women's sports, which we have worked tirelessly to uplift."

The key line from the statement, repeated across platforms: "Effective immediately, Claressa Shields is banned from all MVP events until further notice." Commentary around the statement is calling this effectively an indefinite or "lifetime" ban, unless MVP chooses to quietly walk it back later.

I doubt its a ban that will stick if there is a mutual business interests for both parties to pursue. Translation: if somehow MVP has a worthwhile fighter in their stable who is anywhere close to Shields’ weight, the ban could and probably will be lifted.

What Happened Between Claressa Shields and Alycia Baumgardner?

The run-in happened Saturday night at MVP's Rousey vs. Carano card on Netflix. Video shows Baumgardner walking up and offering her hand, Shields slapping it away and stepping in, and security jumping in to stop things from turning into a full brawl at ringside.

The moment came after months of trash talk, with Baumgardner questioning Shields publicly and Shields dismissing MVP's women's roster as "level 10" while calling herself "level 100." Shields and Baumgardner have feuded for years across roughly 30 pounds of weight class separation, with Shields previously accusing Baumgardner of performance-enhancing drug use following an adverse VADA finding that Baumgardner has publicly disputed.

How Did Both Fighters Respond?

Shields took to X within the hour to explain herself, framing the slap as a response to being threatened first and accusing Baumgardner of "playing victim."

The video exists, but the X post essentially confirms the slap happened from Shields herself.

Baumgardner released a lengthy statement of her own on Monday, writing that she was "physically assaulted without provocation" while attending the event as a guest. She described the incident as part of a continued pattern of hostility from Shields and made clear she's weighing her options regarding legal action.

What Does This Mean for a Potential Shields-Baumgardner Fight?

It’s never going to happen, which makes this entire thing silly.

The slap and the X thread mean nothing for a real bout. Shields is too big for Baumgardner, and thus they’re both wasting time arguing with each other when their differences can’t be settled in a ring or even properly monetized.

Shields competes near 168 pounds while Baumgardner holds titles at super featherweight, a roughly 30-pound gap that makes a sanctioned fight virtually impossible to book.

The bigger picture is that Shields has spent the last year criticizing the MVP women's roster while sitting outside that promotional structure.

Shields has already run out of legitimate opposition in her weight region. She has spent the last several years beating up women who are nowhere near her pedigree — with the exception of Franchon Crews-Dezurn — whom she beat in her last fight.

If Baumgardner were closer to her size, perhaps this would be going somewhere. But she’s not, so it’s going nowhere.