Shauna Bannon aka ‘Mama B’ is in the limelight now as the Irish UFC fighter is back for her UFC 304 bout against Alice Ardelean (9-5) in the Strawweight category. As a single mother, she effortlessly balances her family life and her professional commitments in MMA. The former kickboxing and taekwondo Olympic aspirant previously talked about the pressure of parenthood and being a combat sports athlete but she never complained. Backed with the support of fellow Irishman Conor McGregor, Bannon is ready to take on the world of UFC.

Let’s take a look at Bannon’s family background and ethnicity and how she made her way into the world of combat sports. Her journey is filled with adventure and hardships, but also a lot of accomplishments.

Shauna Bannon’s nationality and background

Bannon is one of Ireland’s greatest combat fighters who has cemented her spot in the UFC. Apart from having a world championship title in jujitsu, the single mother also has pre-existing kickboxing and MMA credentials. The 30-year-old athlete is from Tallaght, Dublin. She made her debut against Bruna Brazil at the O2 and is the second Irish female to enter the octagon after Aisling Daly.

Shauna Bannon’s unique nickname ‘Mama B’ has a backstory as well. She was supposed to debut in 2020, however, COVID-19 ruin her plans. Round about the same time, she also found out that she was pregnant. She had spent more than five years working hard towards her aspiration of being a UFC fighter, but she had to wait more.

Surprisingly, unbeknownst to her, Bannon was punching grappling, and kicking Dakota Ditcheva in the initial days of her pregnancy in February 2020. She was dating Dean Barry at that time who is also a fellow UFC fighter. However, after her son Jacey’s birth, they separated and she has been raising her son alone.

The Dubliner had not expected to have a kid all of a sudden, especially during the pandemic. She admitted that the isolation inside Ireland due to the lockdown and the suddenness of the pregnancy was hard to handle. While speaking to Gript, she disclosed her struggles about being pregnant at a young age. However, now Jacey has become her strength and she wants to show him that he can achieve anything he wants just like his mama.

Apart from her son being her inspiration, Bannon attributes much of her characteristics and aspirations to her dad Martin who’s an instructor at Tallaght Martial Arts. So let’s get to know more about her family background and how she grew up.

Bannon’s family and childhood

Shauna Bannon has a sister named Nicole who is also a fighter and won positions in the women’s Light Contact Kickboxing at 60KG category in the European Games in Poland. Nicole is as ambitious as Shauna and is looking forward to competing for Ireland at the Paris Olympics.

Shauna always thanks her family, her son, and her team for all the success in both her joys and failures. Although she lost against Bruna Brasil, she made a vow to return stronger and thanked her team on Instagram. “To have the worst performance on the night that means the most is the hardest pain in the world, but I will be back,” Bannon wrote. “Thank you so so much to my team, friends, family, and all my sponsors I am beyond grateful for every one of you,” she added. Bannon also added that her healing comes from her son Jacey who gives her the strength to continue.

Another person who has been a constant support to Bannon is Conor McGregor. ‘The Notorious’ often comments on her achievements on social media. Bannon was once seen with McGregor holding a glass of Forged Irish Stout. It was a picture posted by McGregor on Instagram and was captioned “2 Gorgeous Irish Blondes, hard to beat”. 

Now the Irish native is set to be back into the octagon. Do you think she will win and make her son proud? What do you think about her life and challenges? Tell us in the comments below.