Shauna Bannon is set to steal the show in her UFC debut on Saturday evening in London, and she has the support of the promotion’s biggest star.
During fight week, the 29-year-old strawweight, who has a 5-0 professional record, received a tweet from Conor McGregor that fueled her ambition to outperform Brazillian Bruna Brasil.
Last month, she became the third Irish fighter on the roster, after McGregor, who also sponsors her through Forged Stout, and Ian Machado Garry, who have since been joined by the returning Rhys McKee.
Bannon has since released her official media photo, captioning it “Scary Irish mama.” Two days before the bout, McGregor responded with an Irish flag emoji: “Let’s go Ma.”
Bannon, who goes by the moniker Mama B and raises her two-year-old son Jayce as a single parent, fought while seven weeks pregnant.
She is only the second female Irish fighter in UFC history, following Aisling Daly, and she has impressed throughout spells with Cage Legacy and Invicta FC following a strong amateur career.
Bannon has a large social media and in-person following, receiving a standing ovation during her ceremonial weigh-in at The O2 on Friday afternoon, as well as likes from her 50,000 Instagram followers.
