For most people, becoming one of Arizona’s most influential business leaders would be enough. For Dr. Sarah Shell, it is only part of the story.
Shell — founder of Shell Medical Hormone Health & Wellness and one of Az Business magazine’s Most Influential Women in Arizona for 2025 — is preparing for one of the biggest moments of her athletic career: a shot at the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) Strawweight World Title against reigning champion Britain Hart on July 3 in Philadelphia.
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“My dream isn’t just to win a title—it’s to use that spotlight to promote real solutions to chronic disease and health disparities,” Shell says. “I believe that when people see a physician winning world titles and still making time to advocate for patient health, it challenges the status quo and invites real change. That’s my mission.”
It is a matchup that feels almost cinematic: a physician, entrepreneur and mother of three stepping into one of combat sports’ toughest arenas against one of bare-knuckle fighting’s most dominant champions.
But for those who know Shell, the juxtaposition is less surprising than it sounds.
By day, Shell runs a thriving integrative medical practice in Chandler focused on hormone health, wellness and helping patients optimize performance and longevity. Her professional reputation as a physician has earned her statewide recognition, including being named among Arizona’s most influential women in business. Yet outside the exam room, she has built another identity — one forged through discipline, resilience and competition.
Shell, known in BKFC circles as “TNT,” enters the title fight after steadily rising through the ranks of bare-knuckle boxing. A former MMA competitor and accomplished physique athlete, she brings a striking-heavy style, imposing physicality and relentless work ethic to the squared circle. BKFC officials describe her as mentally strong, technically sound and unusually disciplined — qualities likely sharpened by balancing medicine, family life and elite-level competition.
Her opponent, however, represents the sport’s gold standard.
Hart is the inaugural and reigning BKFC Strawweight World Champion and the first woman to hold the title, having successfully defended it multiple times against elite challengers. With a reputation for toughness, fight IQ and relentless pressure, Hart has become one of the organization’s most recognizable stars.
Yet Shell’s path to the title fight has been fueled by ambition from the beginning. According to BKFC officials, winning a world championship has been her stated goal since her debut in the promotion. Her opportunity now comes on one of the organization’s biggest stages, in a fight many see as a defining moment for women’s bare-knuckle fighting.
“You don’t have to fit anyone else’s mold,” Shell says. “As a mother of three, a physician, clinic owner, and professional athlete, I’ve learned that you truly can create a life that aligns with every piece of who you are. It takes grit, purpose, and the courage to believe in yourself when others don’t. The most important habit you can develop is speaking to yourself with strength and encouragement—your internal voice will either be your biggest cheerleader or your biggest barrier. Choose faith in yourself every time!”
