PFL 4 Odds, Picks and Betting Preview – Shields vs Elkin
- Undefeated multi-division pro boxer, Claressa Shields makes her MMA debut at PFL 4
- Lightweights and featherweight have their second and final regular-season fight on Thursday
- See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full 2021 PFL 4 main card, below
The Professional Fighters League returns after a brief hiatus for their fourth event of 2021. The promotion has one of their biggest signings in history in Claressa Shields who’s a two-time Olympic gold medallist in boxing and a three-division boxing champ. She’s heavily favored in the PFL 4 odds against MMA veteran Brittney Elkin in the main event.
For those that might not know, PFL is a regular-season and playoff format like stick and ball sports. A decision win nets you three points, a first-round finish gets you six, a second-round finish gets you five, and a third-round finish nets you four. The winner also gets $1 million at the end of the year.
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PFL 4 main card airs live on ESPN2 at 9 PM EST on Thursday, June 10th, 2021, from Atlantic City, New Jersey. The table below shows odds for the main card at DraftKings followed by best bets.
PFL 4 Odds
| Fighter | Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Claressa Shields | -335 |
| Brittany Elkin | +240 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Anthony Pettis | -200 |
| Alex Martinez | +160 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Bubba Jenkins | -305 |
| Bobby Moffett | +225 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Brendan Loughnane | -286 |
| Tyler Diamond | +215 |
Odds as of June 8
How Will Shields Look in Her MMA Debut?
Claressa Shields is arguably the best female boxer in the world, but she’s transitioning to MMA due to the fact she believes female boxers don’t get paid what they are worth compared to the men and don’t get as much of an opportunity. In her debut, she’ll face nine-fight MMA veteran Brittany Elkin in a very intriguing bout.
Shields & Elkin Recent Fights
| Marie Eve Dicaire, win by decision (boxing bout) | Fight 1 | Bobbi-Jo Dalziel, loss by submission |
| Ivana Habazin, win by decision (boxing bout) | Fight 2 | Kayla Harrison, loss by submission |
| Christina Hammer, win by decision (boxing bout) | Fight 3 | Amanda Bell, loss by TKO |
| Femke Hermans, win by decision (boxing bout) | Fight 4 | Kola Shippentower, win by TKO |
Although Elkin is just 3-6 in MMA she has fought a lot of tough fighters like Amanda Bell in Bellator and fought Kayla Harrison’s MMA debut back in 2018. She also has a win over Bellator featherweight fighter Gabrielle Holloway, so she has fought high-level opponents, but there is no question she has not faced a striker like Shields.
The big question in the fight, to no surprise, is how will Shields’ grappling be. Although Elkin is more of a striker herself, she actually retired from MMA and has just been doing grappling matches until this opportunity came. If she can get Shields down, she can have success.
Shields & Elkin Stats
| 26 | Age | N/A |
| 5’8″ | Height | 5’11 |
| 68″ | Reach | N/A |
| 2 (Boxing) | Career finishes | 1 |
Although Shields is new to MMA, I do expect her grappling to be good enough to stuff the takedowns of Elkin and then just pick her apart on the feet. Shields will be too fast and strong on the feet and use her footwork to eventually hurt Elkin and finish her in the second round to make good of her MMA debut. I do think it will take at least the first round for her to get comfortable in the smaller gloves and no shoes.
Pick: Claressa Shields (-335)
Will Pettis Get Back Into The Win Column?
Anthony Pettis was shockingly upset in his PFL debut to Clay Collard and now he needs a win and possibly a finish to advance to the playoffs when he battles undefeated Alex Martinez.
Pettis & Martinez Recent Fights
| Clay Collard, loss by decision | Fight 1 | Loik Radzhabov, win by split decision |
| Alex Morono, win by decision | Fight 2 | Christopher Ramirez, win by submission |
| Donald Cerrone, win by decision | Fight 3 | Anas Siraj Mounir, win by TKO |
| Diego Ferreira, loss by submission | Fight 4 | Anas Siraj Mounir, No Contest |
Although Martinez is undefeated he hasn’t fought the highest level of completion, and I don’t expect him to be able to get the fight to the ground.
Assuming the bout remains standing, Pettis should be too technical for Martinez as I expect him to use his jab and kicks to piece up Martinez for a decision win. I doubt Pettis will be able to get the finish, but he should get the decision win.
Pick: Anthony Pettis (-200)
Other PFL 4 Picks:
- Bubba Jenkins (-305): Jenkins should be able to take Moffett down at will and eventually get a submission or ground, and pound TKO win.
- Brendan Loughnane (-286): Loughnane is my pick to win the featherweight tournament, and I expect him to get a TKO win over Tyler Diamond who’s too hittable for an elite striker like Loughnane.
This article contains links to external sports betting services. SBD may receive advertising revenue from these links, however editorial has hand-picked each individual link based on relevance to the article, without influence on the coverage.
Cole graduated from Sheridan College in April of 2019 with a diploma in journalism. He now is a full-time freelance writer, focusing on MMA for sites like BJPENN, while also covering the Toronto Blue Jays as a credentialed media member. At SBD, Cole covers the four major sports and MMA.
