UFC fighter Shauna Bannon is paving the way for other women to compete in the sport as she vowed: “I’m going all the way to the top.”
The 29-year-old, from Tallaght in Dublin, will make her UFC fighting debut against Brazilian Bruna Brasil on July 22 at the O2 in London.
Shauna, who is trained by Paddy Holohan, will become the second Irish female to enter the octagon and the first since Aisling Daly, aka Ais The Bash, in 2015.
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The fighter, known as Mama B, who started kickboxing at the age of three and turned professional just last year, said she wants to make her two-year-old son Jayce proud.
Shauna told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “I planned on going professional in 2020 but then we went into lockdown and I got pregnant so that put a delay on it.
“It’s a dream come true, really. They watched my fights and liked my style and offered me a contract straight off the bat.
“The UFC has always been my goal since I started in MMA. I have spent the last five years working towards that.”
Shauna, who trains twice daily, six days per week, thanked her family and friends, admitting that without their support she would not have made it to the professional ranks.
She said: “I’m a single mam so it’s go, go, go. I drop Jayce to creche in the mornings and I get my morning session in... then I spend the afternoon with him.
“I then go and train every evening so between my mam and my friends, they help out. It’s a huge team effort, without them it wouldn’t be possible.
“I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for them, especially my mam.
“I want to make Jayce proud and show him what I can do. I want him to know he can do whatever he wants, anything is possible.
“Some people say to me, ‘Ah you’re only from Tallaght’ and I hate that, it doesn’t matter where you come from.”
Shauna’s family is celebrating on the double after her younger sister Nicole, 25, won bronze in the Women’s Light Contact Kickboxing 60kg category at the European Games in Poland last week and is set to compete for Ireland in Paris next year.
Shauna added: “I will always be based in Ireland. My team has been with me since the start and have always had my best interests at heart.
“I’m following in Aisling’s footsteps. She is a legend... she paved the way for me.”
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