Irish strawweight Shauna Bannon is preparing to make her UFC debut, backed by Ireland’s original MMA trailblazers, including Conor McGregor as a sponsor, and Paddy Holohan as head coach, as she looks to continue the momentum of Irish fighters in the UFC.
In 2014, at the beginning of his rise to fame in the UFC, Conor McGregor coined the phrase, “If one of us goes to war, we all go to war”. This phrase was a testament to the support for Irish MMA. Almost ten years later, that sentiment continues to hold weight. Irish strawweight fighter, Shauna Bannon is set to make her UFC debut at UFC London this coming Saturday. She does so having the full support of some of Ireland’s original MMA trailblazers, including UFC veteran Paddy Holohan, who is her head coach, and McGregor as one of her main sponsors. In fact, McGregor is even planning to host a watch party at his restaurant, the Black Forge Inn in Dublin, where he will cheer on Bannon in her fight against Bruna Brasil.
Bannon, in her interview with The MMA Hour, expressed immense happiness about receiving McGregor’s support. She pointed out that McGregor had been supporting her even before her UFC days by sending her congratulatory messages after each success. Bannon also expressed hope for a comeback from McGregor and added that she believes a new era is on the horizon for Irish fighters in the UFC. She firmly believes that the future holds many Irish fighters as there are currently four on the roster and she expects more to come. Bannon looks forward to being part of this wave, as she states that Ireland has ‘unbelievable athletes’.
Before entering the UFC, Bannon already boasted an impressive 5-0 professional record with a background in martial arts, specifically kickboxing and Taekwondo. Her coaching has been led by Holohan, who is known for his performances in the UFC between 2014 and 2015. Bannon has the special distinction of being the first student from Holohan’s gym to make it into the UFC and she speaks very highly of him. She remarks that he genuinely cares about her as a person, not just as an athlete and she appreciates the guidance he has provided on and off the cage. Besides Holohan, Bannon also receives support from other pioneers in Irish MMA, including Aisling Daly, who was the first-ever Irish woman to compete in the UFC. She believes Daly’s support is unwavering and that Daly was a trailblazer for Irish women in MMA before it was commonplace.
In line with the current Irish fighters in the UFC such as McGregor, Ian Machado Garry, and Rhys Mckee, Bannon hopes to achieve similar success in her debut against Brasil. When asked about her plans for the fight, Bannon confidently predicted a knockout in the second round. She decidedly stated, “Foot to the mush and I want the bonus off Dana [White].”