Claressa Shields Slapped Baumgardner at the Netflix Card and Got Banned

The biggest MMA card of the year happened Saturday night and somehow the most talked about moment didn't even happen inside the cage. It happened in a VIP room backstage at the Intuit Dome when Claressa Shields reached across and slapped Alycia Baumgardner in the face on camera.

Both of them are boxing champions. Neither of them was fighting that night. They were just guests. But one of them slapped the other while cameras were rolling and security was standing right there.

Like bro you cannot make this stuff up.

What Actually Happened

Claressa Shields (18-0) is the undisputed women's heavyweight boxing champion. Five weight classes, three divisions. Arguably the most accomplished women's boxer alive. Alycia Baumgardner (18-1) holds unified titles at super featherweight. WBO, WBA, IBF, and The Ring belts. Both of them were at the Intuit Dome for the Rousey vs Carano card as VIP guests.

They ended up in the same room. And they have history.

The beef between Shields and Baumgardner has been going on for years. It started as a "who's the better women's boxer" debate and got personal when Baumgardner made comments about Shields' relationship with rapper Papoose. That crossed a line for Shields and apparently she'd been waiting for a chance to address it in person.

She addressed it with an open hand lol.

The video went viral within minutes. You can see Shields and Baumgardner in a heated back and forth, voices raised, people standing around watching, and then Shields just reaches across and slaps her. Security stepped in immediately. Baumgardner didn't swing back. The whole thing lasted maybe ten seconds from slap to separation.

But ten seconds was enough. By Sunday morning it was the most viewed clip from the entire Netflix card and that's saying something considering Rousey armbarred Carano in 17 seconds on the same night.

MVP Dropped the Ban

On Monday, Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions put out an official statement.

"Most Valuable Promotions is aware of the incident during MVP's Rousey vs. Carano event on Saturday night involving physical contact by Claressa Shields toward Alycia Baumgardner. MVP maintains a strict zero tolerance policy for hostile, threatening, or aggressive behavior toward fighters, staff, media, or guests at any of our events. Physical altercations outside the ring or cage are unacceptable in any MVP environment."

Then the ban.

"Effective immediately, Claressa Shields is banned from all MVP events until further notice."

They also added that the incident "reflects poorly on MVP and women's sports, which we have worked tirelessly to uplift." That last part is important because MVP has been positioning itself as a promotion that elevates women's combat sports. Rousey headlined the entire Netflix card. The co-main had a women's bout. The messaging has been "we support women fighters." And then one of the most prominent women in boxing slapped another one backstage at their inaugural event.

Not a great look for anybody.

Shields Came Back Swinging

Claressa Shields has never been the type to take something quietly and Shields fired back within hours.

She posted a second angle of the confrontation that shows the verbal exchange before the slap. Her point was that "what circulated online does not tell the full story." In the new video you can hear Baumgardner talking before the slap. Shields' argument is that Baumgardner was being disrespectful first and the slap was a response, not an unprovoked attack.

Then she went directly at MVP.

"Now to MVP, y'all tried to sign me, I declined! You can not ban me from a place I didn't want to be! I can go fight anywhere in the world tomorrow! So anyone who thinks this weak a** ban matters it don't."

She wasn't done...

"Those false statements will be addressed too. Y'all fighter threatening me and then playing victim is insane. MVP y'all lying on me is NOTHING NEW! Since you guys came out the gate, nothing but disrespect! Calling y'all fighters 'the Real GWOAT', overlooking my accomplishments, trying to erase my hard work in women's boxing and constantly trying to assassinate my character with LIES!"

That's the five weight world champion saying she was never interested in MVP to begin with and that the ban is meaningless because she didn't want to be there in the first place. She also accused MVP of propping up their own fighters at her expense by calling them "the Real GWOAT" which is Shields' personal branding.

Whether you agree with the slap or not, Shields is clearly not losing any sleep over the consequences.

Baumgardner Is Going Legal

Baumgardner took a completely different approach. She didn't fire back on social media with insults. She didn't challenge Shields to a fight. She lawyered up.

"When your purpose is to elevate, there will always be people who attempt to pull you down to the level from which they operate," Baumgardner wrote on X. She didn't mention Shields by name but made it clear the situation "will continue to be handled legally and professionally."

She also accused Shields of "repeated hostility against fellow women and instigating fights." That framing positions Baumgardner as the mature one who showed restraint (she didn't slap back even though she easily could have) and Shields as the aggressor who couldn't control herself at someone else's event.

And honestly from a pure strategy standpoint Baumgardner is winning this exchange. Shields got banned. Shields is on camera throwing the slap. Shields is the one who has to explain her behavior. Baumgardner just has to sit there, say "see my lawyer," and let the public decide who looks worse.

The Bigger Picture

Here's the part I keep coming back to. Saturday night was supposed to be about Rousey, Ngannou, Diaz and Perry. About the Netflix card proving that MMA can work outside the UFC. And it DID prove all of that. Rousey made $2.2 million for 17 seconds. Ngannou KO'd Lins. Perry destroyed Diaz. The card delivered.

But the most viral moment wasn't any of those fights. It was two boxing champions who weren't even competing slapping each other in a VIP room while an MMA event was happening on the other side of the wall.

Tsarukyan also jumped a barrier backstage at the same event to confront a fighter. Jake Paul responded to that one by saying "let's run it." So in one night, MVP had its main event end in 17 seconds, a boxing champion slap another boxing champion in the VIP section, and a UFC lightweight contender scale a barrier to start a confrontation backstage.

The first MVP MMA event was supposed to prove that life outside the UFC can be professional and well run. And in the cage it was. But backstage? Backstage was pure chaos.

Shields says she doesn't care about the ban. Baumgardner says she's calling her lawyer. MVP says zero tolerance. And the rest of us are sitting here watching two of the best women's boxers in the world blow up their reputations at an MMA event neither of them was supposed to be fighting at.

Combat sports man. There's never a boring week.

Thanks for riding with CageLore. Stay locked in!

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened between Claressa Shields and Alycia Baumgardner?

Shields slapped Baumgardner in the face backstage at the MVP MMA 1 event at the Intuit Dome on Saturday, May 16. Both were attending as VIP guests. The incident was caught on camera and went viral on social media.

Why did Shields slap Baumgardner?

The beef stems from a long running rivalry over who is the better women's boxer. It became personal when Baumgardner made comments about Shields' relationship with rapper Papoose. Shields posted a second angle of the incident saying the original video "does not tell the full story" and that Baumgardner was being disrespectful before the slap.

Was Shields banned from MVP events?

Yes. Most Valuable Promotions issued an official statement on Monday banning Shields from all future MVP events "until further notice." The statement cited a zero tolerance policy for "hostile, threatening, or aggressive behavior."

How did Shields respond to the ban?

Shields said "you can not ban me from a place I didn't want to be" and revealed that MVP had previously tried to sign her but she declined. She accused MVP of "overlooking my accomplishments" and "trying to assassinate my character with LIES."

Is Baumgardner taking legal action?

Baumgardner said the situation "will continue to be handled legally and professionally" and accused Shields of "repeated hostility against fellow women." She did not retaliate physically during the incident.

Who are Claressa Shields and Alycia Baumgardner?

Shields (18-0) is the undisputed women's heavyweight boxing champion who has won world titles in five weight classes across three divisions. Baumgardner (18-1) holds unified titles at super featherweight including the WBO, WBA, IBF, and The Ring belts. Both are among the most prominent women's boxers in the world.