Shafir Marina

About

She is a professional wrestler from Moldova and a former mixed martial artist. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a member of the Death Riders. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH). She also makes appearances on the independent circuit - predominantly for DEFY Wrestling, where she is the current DEFY Women's Champion in her first reign. Shafir previously competed for the Invicta Fighting Championships MMA promotion in the featherweight division. After retiring from MMA, she pursued a career in professional wrestling and signed with WWE, where she performed on their NXT brand. She was released by WWE in June 2021 and signed with AEW in December of this year. She is the first and, to date, only Moldovan to have ever competed for either promotion. Shafir moved from Moldova to the United States when she was five years old. Her father, a mechanic, and her mother, a teacher, settled in Latham, New York, with Marina and her two older brothers. Shafir began practicing judo at the age of six and started competing at a high level in the sport at age 12. However, she quit judo competitions in her late teens. Shafir is a graduate of Shaker High School. Shafir began her mixed martial arts career at the amateur level in 2012. Over a two-year period, she was undefeated, winning all five of her fights by submission (four by armbar and one by triangle choke). She turned professional in early 2014. Shafir's first professional fight was against Chandra Engel on April 12, 2014, where she won by submission in the first round. Later that year, Shafir suffered her first loss in the first round to Amanda Bell. The following year, she signed with Invicta Fighting Championships. Her first bout in the Invicta promotion was against Amber Leibrock on July 9, 2015, which was Leibrock's professional debut. Shafir was defeated in the first round.