Shauna Bannon on her ‘whatever it takes’ moment at UFC London after Puja Tomar’s head kick

Shauna Bannon picked up a $50,000 bonus, the first of her UFC career, for a comeback submission of Puja Tomar.

LONDON – [autotag]Shauna Bannon[/autotag] beat Puja Tomar with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 255 at The O2 in London.

Take a look inside the fight with Bannon, who picked up a $50,000 bonus, the first of her UFC career.

Shauna Bannon def. Puja Tomar

Result: Shauna Bannon def. Puja Tomar via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 3:22
Updated records: Bannon (7-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), Tomar (9-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
Key stats: Bannon’s submission was the first of her career and first stoppage since her second pro fight.

Bannon on the fight’s key moment

“I was just thinking whatever it takes (after I got dropped with the head kick). I knew I got dropped and I was on my back, but I’m quite comfortable on my back. I’ve spent hours there in jiu-jitsu drilling and stuff, and the armbar is my thing. When I had the arm, but she wasn’t tapping, I could feel it in her. She was kind of giving up, and then I just inverted under and I had the arm and the finish was there.”

Bannon on activity increase

“I understand (staying active for better mental health). I really do understand that. I think sometimes people find that they don’t know what their identity is other than being a fighter. But I am kind of grown from that because I’m a mother, as well. There’s a lot more going on in my life. But I do understand that mentality. I’m 31, so I want to give it a good go for the next couple of years and make a run for it. I don’t want gaps in between. That’s more my purpose of wanting activity.”

Bannon on what she wants next

“I would love (to get into the rankings). I would love to fight another three times this year – start of the summer, September and December. That would be the dream for me because I think I work well with momentum. My first 12 professional fights were in the space of five months. I like when I don’t kickbox and I competed every other weekend. I work well with that. Having a year gap in between was obviously out of my control, but that that’s not something that I would prefer. I prefer to keep going and stay active. Activity is something I’m looking at this year.”

To hear more from Bannon, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.

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