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

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

LONDON – Shauna Bannon 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, 3:22Updated 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.”

THE HEADKICK 💥

This one is heating up! #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/RJQeLrg13a

— UFC (@ufc) March 22, 2025

COMEBACK COMPLETE 🤯@ShaunaBannon5 gets the armbar submission at #UFCLondon! pic.twitter.com/yvClc3NCAq

— UFC (@ufc) March 22, 2025

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.”

Oficial, con barra de brazo @ShaunaBannon5 somete a Tomar 👏 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/ApMa33kLuK

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) March 22, 2025

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.”

“Everyone thinks I’m a kickboxer but I’d like to think I’m a mixed martial artist now.”

Shauna Bannon (@ShaunaBannon5) stops Puja Tomar via armbar at #UFCLondon to earn her first-ever submission win.

Results, Interviews & More ➡️ https://t.co/IVjfbzNNeF

— UFC News (@UFCNews) March 22, 2025

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.