Shauna Bannon made a life-changing decision six years ago, and she hasn’t looked back since.Bannon, 31, left a high-paying financial role at Deloitte in 2019 to pursue her dream of reaching the UFC.Bannon survived a huge head kick at UFC London in her last fightGettyShe submitted Indian fighter Puja Tomar to close the show in round twoGettyThe decision left her — as she described in a conversation with talkSPORT.com — broke, as only a matter of months later ‘Mama B’ fell pregnant with her first child, Jayce.Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was forced to juggle raising her newborn boy while working part-time at a local MMA gym with full focus on transitioning into a professional fighter.Fast forward to 2025 and one $50,000 bonus later, Bannon is thankful that everything worked out in the end.“I found out I was pregnant, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m actually leaving a really good job. Now, I’m having a baby and I have to provide for a child,” she told talkSPORT.com following a recent partnership with OnlyFans.“I thought, ‘Did I make the right choice?’ We went into lockdown, and it was a mad time for the two or three years that we were in that period.“But I do believe that everything happens for a reason, and maybe if I didn’t leave, I’d still be there now, and I might not have gone for it.“Maybe because I was at that position where I was like, ‘Right, well, this is what I have to do now.’ “I was committed, and even though it was tough or whatever, I just went for it, and it worked out well in the end, thank God.”Bannon made a statement in her last bout in March by overcoming a lethal head kick to submit Puja Tomar at UFC London.Her fight came before Leon Edwards suffered the first stoppage defeat of his career to Sean Brady, who is now in contention for a UFC welterweight title shot.Bannon told talkSPORT she’s grateful every single day for her jobGettyWho is Shauna Bannon and what is her UFC record?The Dubliner is gearing up for her return to the sport on September 6 as she faces the experienced American Sam Hughes at UFC Paris.A lifelong martial artist with a background in kickboxing and Taekwondo, Bannon entered the UFC in 2023 with a perfect 5-0 record after a successful stint in Invicta FC.Upon signing with MMA’s premier promotion, she landed a sponsorship deal with fellow countryman Conor McGregor.However, her July 2023 debut didn’t go to plan, as ‘Mama B’ dropped a unanimous decision to Bruna Brasil.One year later, she returned to face Romania’s Alice Ardelean in Manchester at UFC 304, winning via split decision.The victory over Tomar then moved Bannon to 2-1 inside the octagon, and it was that $50K Performance of the Night bonus from UFC higher-ups that has since instilled a confidence like no other.Shauna Bannon's UFC recordNext. Sam Hughes at UFC Paris in September 2025Def. Puja Tomar via second-round submission at UFC London in March 2025Def. Alice Ardelean via split decision at UFC 304 in July 2024Loss. Bruna Brasil via unanimous decision at UFC London in July 2023“All my friends and family went to an Italian restaurant, and we were watching the fights there because when you’re finished fighting, they kick you out,” Bannon concluded, describing the moment she found out about winning that special bonus.“We were watching it together, and then we were watching the post-fight press conference.“I’m sitting there like that, and your man just comes on and he’s like, ‘It was the biggest gate sell and they made the most money from any fight night previous blah, blah, blah.’“Then he said, ‘Shauna, Alexia [Thainara] — and I can’t remember who the other two were (Kevin Holland and Brady), casually, just casually —50K bonus.“Then, he swiftly moves on to the next thing as if it’s nothing! 50K to them is probably nothing, but to me, I’m like, ‘Oh my god.“I’ve been practising martial arts since I was three. I used to pay to fight in kickboxing.Bannon returns to the octagon at UFC Paris in SeptemberGetty“I’d pay for the tournaments, I’d pay to make it to be a world champion multiple times. “But now, for all that to come back and be getting paid for it and to be able to call this my job. Like I’m super grateful.“Like every day, I’m grateful for what I get to do. It’s the best job in the world. “I’d be doing it if I weren’t getting paid anyway.”UFC Paris takes place at the Accor Arena in Paris, France on September 6, 2025.The event is headlined by a top middleweight bout between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho, while Brits Mason Jones and Paul Craig also feature on the card.