Carrying a child isn’t the best preparation for taking on one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA.
One fighter, who is set to make her return at UFC Paris this weekend, found this out the hard way early on in her career.
Shauna Bannon is the only female Irish fighter on the roster, and in her three previous Octagon appearances, she has shown off her striking skillset and improving overall game.
Her last fight at UFC London in March quickly changed from a nightmare to a dream when Bannon pulled off a remarkable comeback win against Puja Tomar.
‘Mama B’ has faced plenty of challenges both in and out of the cage but in one fight, she encountered multiple different hurdles all at the same time.
Shauna Bannon battled a rough weight cut ahead of fighting Dakota Ditcheva because she didn’t know she was pregnant
In recent years, one of the sport’s breakout stars has unquestionably been the undefeated Dakota Ditcheva.
The 27-year-old’s rise in the PFL has earned Ditcheva praise from the likes of Conor McGregor, with many believing that she is one of the best fighters in her weight class.
Back in February of 2020, she faced Shanna Bannon in an amateur bout at UK Fighting Championships 13 in Preston, England.
Ditcheva got the win via a decision but when Bannon was asked about what she recalls about this fight in a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, it wasn’t necessarily her opponent that first came to mind.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
“With the Dakota fight, I was obviously pregnant with Jayce [Bannon’s son] and I didn’t know. So, my weight cut for that was crazy. I just wasn’t sweating, obviously Jayce was like, ‘Give me the liquid’. That weight cut was a bit of a disaster.
“I was like 0.3 over and I was like, ‘Right, I’ll get back in the sauna.’ It was for the belt so if I didn’t make the weight, it wasn’t for the belt so I was like, ‘I’ll get back in the sauna.’ That 0.3 took so long to come off, it was crazy. So, when I weighed in, I just had no energy and I slept for like hours but I didn’t refuel.”
Bannon recalled that it was not until the day of the fight that she found out that the matchup was scheduled for five rounds, with title fights in Ireland taking place over three.
“In that fight, I feel like I didn’t give it my all. It went to a decision and she won the majority decision, but I just felt so flat in that fight and I definitely remember her leg kicks were sore. My leg was huge after the fight.”
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCShauna Bannon believes that she’s starting to hit her stride in the UFC ahead of her Paris return
After suffering the first loss of her pro career on her UFC debut, Shauna Bannon has turned things around with back-to-back wins inside the Octagon.
The Irish star has always connected with fans by sharing her unique path in the sport, which she has continued to do through her sponsorship with OnlyFans.
Bannon told Bloody Elbow that she believes she’s found her feet in the UFC ahead of her Paris matchup with Sam Hughes this Saturday.
“Every fight, you learn so much. When you’re in there, under the bright lights, and you get dropped like that and then you can come back and get a finish a couple of seconds later, I think that gives you a lot of confidence then going forward. I feel like, it’s my fourth fight in the UFC now. It’ll be my ninth professional fight so I just feel like I’m really starting to feel at home there.”
Dropped… and came back with the finish… 🔥
Shauna Bannon is just finding her rhythm in the UFC and she aims to prove that at UFC Paris pic.twitter.com/M3bm4Mb7xg
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) September 3, 2025
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Bannon and Hughes are currently set to open the card on September 6 in a strawweight clash.