BY RYAN BEVINS, ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER) @BEVOIS
In 1993, Kim Campbell became the first and so far only female Prime Minister of Canada. “The Right and Honourable” pioneer of female politicians in “The Great White North” then famously said, “People ask me, ‘Are you proud of the fact that you were Canada’s first woman prime minister?’ I respond, ‘Yes, but I’d be prouder still to say I was Canada’s tenth woman prime minister.'”
That is the exact mentality that top undefeated prospect Shannon Clark shares as she prepares to build on the legacy that Canadian women have built competing for the LFA, which is the premier developmental organization for MMA prosects looking to reach the pinnacle of the sport by competing in the UFC.
“I think people overlook Canadian female athletes. There aren’t nearly as many of us as there are in the States or other countries,” Clark told LFA.com. “There aren’t nearly as many big name gyms either, so we all have to fight really hard to prove to the world we exist.”
Fighting really hard to gain the world’s attention is a tall task for anyone competing in MMA, but the success rate of Canadian women in the LFA has been staggering. In fact, Clark is set to become the fifth Canadian woman to fight for an LFA world title following in the footsteps of Lupita Godinez, Jamey-Lyn Horth, Melissa Croden, and the late great Ashley Nichols. Canada saw these women challenge for LFA championships in all three weight divisions with Godinez and Horth both receiving UFC contracts after capturing their LFA world titles. Meanwhile, Croden’s title fight was nominated for the LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Fight of the Year in 2023 and Clark has enjoyed training and sharing knowledge with her fellow Albertan standout.
“I’ve known Melissa for awhile now! We keep in touch and when she’s around here we train together, Clark explained. “She’s living in the States now, so it’s not as frequent as I’d like, but we have different styles so it’s always a pleasure to train with her… we getta switch things up a bit!”
Get your tickets for LFA 177: Smyth vs. Magomedov
Shannon Clark was a collegiate soccer player at the University of Lethbridge.
Clark was able to transition to MMA with greater success than most after developing her elite athleticism and competitive mindset on the soccer pitch.
“I played sports my entire life. All the sports I could possibly play in elementary school all the way to high school,” stated Clark. “My two focuses were volleyball and soccer. However, in grade 12, I had to make a decision and I went with soccer, so in university I played on the soccer team! I still play soccer with my alumni team. It’s just a women’s league though! I mostly go just to see the girls.”
While playing as a forward for the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s soccer team in her hometown of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, Clark was already laying the groundwork for a professional career in MMA. The Pronghorns are a founding member of the elite Canada West conference and Clark turned to martial arts to supplement her training throughout college. Upon graduating with a finance degree and beginning a career as a financial advisor, Clark soon set her focus fully on developing all of the skills needed to compete successfully in MMA.
“I started kickboxing when I was 19. I just did the regular kickboxing class to keep me in shape during my university soccer career,” Clark explained. “I started doing BJJ classes when I was 25, but I didn’t start training more intensely, focusing on MMA, until I was about 26. I dated a guy who was a fighter. He brought me to the gym and introduced me to kickboxing classes. It was the first time I’ve ever punched anything in my life. After we broke up, we remained friends, so I continued going to the gym. Once my career in soccer was done, I still wanted to be a competitive athlete so eventually I started training more. I took one fight to see if I was good enough or if all my training was worth it. Now my competitive side is still there and I try to beat my old self every fight!”
Shannon Clark was nominated for the LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Female Fighter of the Year in 2023.
The first MMA gym that Clark started at happened to belong to Lethbridge’s most famous fighting family, the Mein family. Lee Mein is a WSOF veteran and Canadian MMA pioneer. He is also the father of UFC veteran Jordan Mein, who is a veteran of 45 professional fights with a dozen of those fights taking place in the UFC and Strikeforce. It was there that Clark met her current head coach Joel Odorski.
“I started at Canadian Martial Arts Centre under Lee Mein,” Clark explained. “We go there sometimes, but now I train mostly out of Lethbridge Police Station and my main coach is Joel Odorski.”
Clark is also a student of the game and looks up to two of MMA’s top female fighters for motivation. These two women also happen to be mothers, like Clark, which further inspires the Canadian prospect.
“I have a few fighters that I really look up to,” stated Clark. “Amanda Nunes is for sure one of them. I think as a female fighter, everyone wants to be like her. She’s one of the best out there and she’s tough as shit! Mackenzie Dern is another. She’s a great role model. She is an incredible fighter, but she is also a mother. I have two babies myself… so it inspires me knowing others can do it all as well.”
Watch LFA 177: Smyth vs. Magomedov
Shannon Clark earned a big win against Nejra Repp at LFA 170.
Clark would begin her professional MMA career in 2022 after enjoying an undefeated amateur MMA career. The former soccer star would continue her success domestically by defeating fellow Canadian fighters Jackie MacLean, Jo Maisonneuve, and Tanya Nijjar.
Clark finished all three women via TKO and soon caught the eye of LFA Vice President Mark Bieri, who heads up the promotion’s matchmaking and scouting departments. Bieri signed Clark to a multi-fight deal and she would make her highly-anticipated international debut against the popular and at the time undefeated Bosnian prospect Nejra Repp. Repp had won her first two fights of 2023 in the LFA Octagon via TKO and was the betting favorite headed into their high-stakes showdown at LFA 170.
Clark seized the moment and defeated Repp via Unanimous Decision. The win over Repp was the biggest of Clark’s career and earned her a nomination for the LFA Fans’ Choice Awards: Female Fighter of the Year. More importantly, it earned her a shot at the LFA Women’s Flyweight World Title that became vacant at the end of 2023, when reigning champion Sabina Mazo vacated the title after deciding to move up to the bantamweight division.
The win over the “Bosnian Bombshell” also brought attention to another catchy nickname emerging in women’s MMA, right as a movie with the same name was making over a billion dollars at the Box Office and was nominated for eight Academy Awards. Yes, we are talking about the “MMA Barbie”.
“My best friend Mel Magill gave me my nickname,” Clark explained. “She knew me before I took my first fight. She would always say, I’m too much of a Barbie to be a fighter. Then after my first fight… she said, ‘Never mind that. You’re an MMA Barbie.’ It’s stuck ever since to everyone around here. I did watch the movie ‘Barbie’. It wasn’t what I was expecting. I know lots of people loved it, but I truly didn’t think it was the best out there *laughs*.”
Shannon Clark with Brody Gader and Joel Odorski.
Clark fights for the LFA Women’s Flyweight World Title at LFA 177.
Once the LFA title shot was officially offered to Clark, she quickly jumped at the opportunity to fight for her first world title. In fact, she accepted the title fight before realizing that she would be fighting in Niagara Falls, New York, which is a worldwide destination located on the international border of the United States and Canada. The news of where she would be fighting excited her as she now knows she will likely enjoy the support of many Canadian fight fans that will be there live in attendance at LFA 177.
“Honestly, it didn’t even occur to me that there would be Canadians that would come out,” stated Clark. “That would be amazing to have people in the crowd cheering for me!”
That boost of Canadian fan support will certainly come in handy as she gets ready for the toughest fight of her career. Thaiany Lopes, like Clark, is an undefeated prospect that is a regional champion in her home country. The Brazilian contender also holds the rank of black belt in BJJ and the rank of black pra jiad in Muay Thai. This is setting up an epic clash between the top female flyweight prospects from Canada and Brazil, which are nations possessing two of the largest MMA fanbases in the world. Clark and Lopes will kick off a Championship Doubleheader at LFA 177 in what will be MMA’s most high profile women’s title fight in February 2024. Clark understands what is at stake and she is ready to rise to the occasion once again.
“I think Thaiany is going to be my hardest opponent yet,” Clark exclaimed. “She’s way more experienced on the ground than I am and truthfully I haven’t really been to the ground that much. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for me to test my ability on the ground and see where I need to improve. My goal is to win this fight and see what happens afterwards!”
You can watch Shannon “MMA Barbie” Clark face Thaiany Lopes for the LFA Women’s Flyweight World Title in the Co-Main Event of LFA 177. The event takes place this Friday, February 23rd and it will be available worldwide on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
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About LFA:
LFA is a professional Mixed Martial Arts promotion that was formed by the powerhouse merger between RFA and Legacy FC in 2017. It has launched the careers of over 300 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. LFA presents live Mixed Martial Arts events on a monthly basis around the world including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. Based in Las Vegas, NV, LFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. The promotion owns and operates LFA FIGHT NETWORK™, a premium YouTube channel that features live combat sports events alongside live LFA Prelims and historical fights.
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