Shauna Bannon gives a lot of credit to her mam in allowing her to chase her dream
Irish UFC fighter Shauna Bannon is back in the Octagon this weekend, and has lauded her mam for helping her ‘chase her dream.’
The Dublin native takes on Brazilian mixed martial artist Nicole Caliari on Saturday night, and confirmed she is ‘feeling good.’
It will be Shauna’s eighth professional UFC fight, and comes off the back of a loss in September.
Pic: Instagram/ Shauna Bannon
Speaking to Extra.ie, Shauna revealed her last fight wasn’t weighing on her, and she had ‘processed it.’
‘I know why I lost that night,’ she said, ‘I actually kinda accepted that pretty quickly. I know what happened, so it was a bit easier to accept.
‘I’m just focusing on the future, I don’t really think about the past.’
Shauna Bannon. Pic: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Shauna’s final big training session took place on Wednesday, with the fighter sharing she would chill on Thursday before her cut and weigh-in on Friday.
As the second-ever Irish female to compete in the UFC, Shauna shared that it doesn’t have to be ‘just a hobby.’
‘Me being here shows that it is possible, and hopefully it gives people a bit of hope to keep going and pushing, and you can pursue a career out of it,’ she told Extra.ie
Shauna Bannon of Ireland. Pic: Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
‘Some people think it’s just a hobby, or just something you do on the side, but you can have a career out of it and make a living out of it, that’s what I’m doing.’
Shauna entered the professional ranks three years ago, but admits the arrival of her son, Jayce, put a question mark on her sporting career.
Having still been an amateur during her pregnancy, Shauna shared how there were stages when she thought her career was ‘over.’
She explained: ‘I know how much time it takes to be successful in MMA, like the time you have to give in training and stuff.
‘I didn’t know whether that would be possible with being a mother as well, because obviously that takes so much time too.’
The UFC star credits her mam, whom she said is ‘such a big support.’
‘It wouldn’t be possible without my mam,’ she confirmed, ‘It genuinely wouldn’t.
‘She gives up her everyday for me to be able to go out and chase my dream.
‘I’m super grateful for her. Every day, I just praise that I have her in my life because she’s amazing for both of us.’
