Ireland's Shauna Bannon to face Sam Hughes as UFC returns to Paris
IRISH UFC STAR Shauna Bannon will return to the Octagon in Paris on Saturday, 6 September, when she squares off with American Sam Hughes at the Accor Arena.
Dublin's 'Mama B' (7-1), who showed remarkable powers of recovery to earn a second-round submission victory over India's Puja Tomar at UFC London in March, will seek to climb the strawweight rankings against the equally in-form 'Sampage' (10-6).
Bannon, the second Irishwoman to fight under the UFC's banner after Aisling Daly, will meet Dallas native Hughes on a card headlined by France's top middleweight Nassourdine 'The Sniper' Imavov and fellow top-10 contender Caio 'The Natural' Borralho.
Imavov-Borralho will mark the UFC's return to Paris for a fourth consecutive year, with tickets going on general sale at 8am Irish time this Friday, 4 July.
Advertisement
Bannon and Hughes both enter their strawweight contest off the back of two wins on the spin.
Prior to Bannon's comeback victory over Tomar (previously 9-4) in March, she earned a split-decision win over Alice Ardelean (previously 9-5). The relentless Hughes, meanwhile, has earned back-to-back splits over Victoria Dudakova (previously 8-0) and Stephanie Luciano (previously 6-1-1).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
43 minutes ago
- The 42
Carla Ward's Ireland feel the heat during Stateside slog
AFTER A SECOND heavy defeat to USA in three days, Ireland boss Carla Ward spoke about 'dangerously hot' conditions in Cinicinatti. Temperatures soared over 30 degrees as the depleted Girls In Green shipped another 4-0 drubbing yesterday. They lost on the same scoreline at altitude in Denver. Anna Patten also blasted the 'ridiculous' heat and humidity after another difficult outing against the world number one, who were also understrength. 'I actually don't think words can describe it,' Patten told RTÉ. 'To play with only a two-day break against the quality of players they have, in that temperature at this time of day, to be honest, it's a bit ridiculous.' The defender gave an insight into how hard it was to play in it, with high heart-rates unable to drop as bodies were overworked. Players were 'unwell' and 'begging to come off,' Ward explained, giving the sideline perspective. 'On 22 minutes, there were a couple of players asking to come off. We couldn't make those changes,' she told Tony O'Donoghue. Advertisement 'Then, at half time, we unfortunately had three enforced changes physically, due to fatigue, and a couple of them were unwell at half time. Even through the second half, players (were) almost begging to come off and we couldn't do anything about it.' Katie McCabe, Denise O'Sullivan, Megan Campbell, Aoife Mannion, Leanne Kiernan and Heather Payne were among the Irish absentees due to unavailability and injury. Others who travelled were on limited minutes, the overwhelming majority out of season. While Ward has talked up the merits of the trip, most will feel that it was a rather pointless endeavour. The timing was challenging, with the Championship contingent out of action since late April. The WSL finished on 10 May. Bar the NWSL and League of Ireland players, most have been holidaying and recharging the batteries in recent weeks after long, tough seasons. This was always going to be a mismatch, made more so by the loss of key Irish players, particularly star duo McCabe and O'Sullivan. The US were also down some big names, with Emma Hayes opting to rest all bar one of her European-based crew, Chelsea's million dollar defender Naomi Girma. But a young, domestic selection — all in season — made their mark, eager to impress and secure their future with the serial winners. Alyssa Thompson, Olivia Moultrie and Emma Sears were among those to dazzle across the double-header; Ireland outplayed and outmuscled twice, the gulf in class as wide as it has ever been. Albeit in very different circumstances, Ireland's pre-World Cup friendlies Stateside two years ago finished 2-0 and 1-0. Along with the same result in 2008 at Giants Stadium, a one-goal loss is as good as it has ever gotten in an abysmal record of friendlies in the US: 17 meetings, 17 defeats, 59 goals conceded, one scored. While the games themselves are tricky to assess, and won't be read into too much, it has all added to a sense of drift. 2025 has been testing: that much was inevitable after the Euros qualification heartbreak, the raft of retirements, and a change of management. Right now, it's hard to see that these friendlies, the first of Ward's mixed reign, have done more good than harm. While they will point to the opportunity of playing against one of the best teams in women's football, the Nations League promotion/relegation playoff against Belgium in October is the next big focus, and this didn't seem like appropriate preparation. Granted, when initial plans were in place, Ireland likely held aspirations of automatic promotion. Still, there must have been scope for experimentation and blooding new players, such as the U19 Euros stars of last summer, as 2027 World Cup qualifying looms large. Ellen Molloy, Hayley Nolan and Izzy Atkinson were the only different, yet familiar, faces in the squad; all used sparingly. Erin McLaughlin and US-born Dee Bradley were called up mid-camp; neither featured. The back-up goalkeepers remained unused. Ward deployed a 4-5-1 formation for the most part — Chloe Mustaki getting a real chance at left-back in the absence of McCabe and Campbell, Jessie Stapleton again covering on the right amidst a lack of options — but reverted to a back three/five for Sunday's second half. (Nolan and Lucy Quinn played out of their preferred positions.) While we at home didn't learn much from the exercises, that was one on-field positive the manager pointed to in her TV interview. 'We've looked at two different systems, we've looked at two different ways of playing. We've added a couple of other layers to what we want to try and do. 'I think overall as a camp, it's been a powerful one in terms of learning and educating in various ways.' Sometimes, the benefit of these trips — and difficult games — are seen only in hindsight. Soundings from the camp were positive through a whistle-stop tour, the social media dispatches underlining a tight-knit squad bonding further. Right now, it might seem pointless and meaningless to some, but the hope is that further spirit has developed and that the extended period together has been purposeful on the training pitch and in the classroom. The Belgium playoff is almost four months away, 116 days to be precise, but it will roll around quickly. The Red Flames, in Euro 2025 action over the coming weeks as Ireland watch from afar, will bring plenty more heat.
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Wimbledon star bursts in to tears as she suffers shock 6-0 6-0 defeat in first round
YULIA PUTINTSEVA burst into tears as she suffered a brutal 6-0 6-0 defeat to Amanda Anisimova at Wimbledon. The Kazakh star reached the fourth round in SW19 last year, even dumping out then-world No1 Advertisement 4 Yulia Putintseva cried into her towel Credit: BBC 4 The Kazakh was trailing 6-0 5-0 at the time Credit: BBC 4 Amanda Anisimova and Putintseva shared a brief handshake Credit: BBC Her Wimbledon stay was to be a much shorter one this time around, as she fell to Anisimova in just 45 minutes without winning a game. During the changeover at 6-0 5-0, Putintseva cried into her towel. Anisimova, 23, was ruthless from there, winning the next game to complete the drubbing. The pair then engaged in a brusque handshake before Putintseva swiftly left the court . Advertisement READ MORE WIMBLEDON Anisimova won 51 points to Putintseva's paltry total of 21. The American also struck 18 winners to 10 unforced errors. Her opponent, meanwhile, hit just ONE winner throughout the entire contest, in addition to 14 unforced errors. Anisimova, seeded 13th at this year's Championships, will face Renata Zarazua in round two on Wednesday. Advertisement Most read in Tennis Live Blog Putintseva was Greek star Sakkari had just prevailed 7-5 7-6 when the flashpoint occurred. 'Nobody likes you' - Fiery moment tennis stars clash on court after player's sarcastic gesture Tempers flared when the pair shook hands at the end of the match as both Advertisement She also slammed her for the lack of eye contact during their frosty hand shake. Putintseva responded by sarcastically curtsying in front of Sakkari and then reportedly telling her to go "go f*** herself". In her on-court interview, Sakkari joked: "I don't think she's going to invite me for dinner for the rest of our lives. "But I don't care to be honest. I have very good friends." Advertisement Putintseva then went on write on Instagram: "By the way - not that I care - I shook her hand as most women do. "Clearly not according to the 'hugging protocol' some men seem to follow." 4 Putintseva was involved in an on-court spat with Maria Sakkari Credit:
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Cobh Ramblers closing on new investor to replace FC32
Cobh Ramblers are on the verge of securing an investor to replace FC32, the multi-club group which took the Cork club out of member ownership last October. Fears grew over their sustainability just six months into the regime when FC32 withdrew funding from another club, Austrian outfit SKN St Polten. Cobh distanced themselves from that international setback for the holding company but sought fresh backers to maintain what's been their strongest First Division campaign since returning to the LOI in 2013. Player wages have been unaffected by the ownership uncertainty and manager Mick McDermott has the backing of the hierarchy to strengthen in the window opening on Tuesday. Despite missing the chance of going top of the table on Friday by losing 1-0 at leaders Dundalk, the manager believes the four-point gap is surmountable over the remaining 15 games. That confidence is hardened by renewed blood in the boardroom. Cobh's custodians were in negotiations with a few suitors when exploring the prospects of private ownership and the interest levels didn't disappear once they settled one party. 'FC32 are in the process of handing ownership over to another investment group,' explained McDermott, a Belfast native previously assistant to Carlos Queiroz during Iran's 2018 World Cup appearance. 'The process has been ongoing for a month and I believe will be completed imminently. 'I'm not privy to the details other than knowing that new people are taking over. That's a good thing for the club.' McDermott's last job was a near four-year spell at the helm of Glentoran. He admitted he was part of a Northern-Ireland consortium that pitched to buy Dundalk from Peak 6 in late 2021. It was eventually offloaded to a company led by former co-owner Andy Connolly and Statsports but financial trouble soon brewed. That deepened after Brian Ainscough took control at the end of 2023 and the current owner, John Temple, stepped in late last year as relegation loomed. He cited Dundalk's demise as a cautionary tale about the precarious nature of the league he joined in December. Mystery surrounding the set-up at the oldest club in the country, Athlone Town, anchored to the basement of the second tier, consolidates his viewpoint. 'I'm surprised to see in my short time here how volatile the league is,' he confessed. 'You have the Athlone Town situation, Dundalk has changed owners and you hear stories. 'When a major American investor like Peak 6 withdraws, like it did from Dundalk, it shows how quickly a team can fall from the high of Premier champions. 'It is an uncertain industry but there are investors looking to buy football clubs – especially in Ireland. I'm not sure of all the reasons why but they are. 'Hopefully ours get over the line in the next few days to give that added stability.' McDermott assembled a team hardwired with players from Cork City and Waterford teams that gained promotion in the past two years. His Dundalk counterpart, Ciarán Kilduff, is adding two Premier Division stalwarts in JR Wilson and Declan McDaid for the final lap of the title race and there'll be activity at St Colman's Park too. 'Coming into the job so late in December, we knew how crucial the July transfer window would be to promotion,' explained the 51-year-old. 'Our objective was to be high up the table by now and we're in a great position. 'Four points of a lead at this stage of the season is nothing. There's 45 points to play for and a transfer window. 'We've been light of players for a few weeks from losing seven for various reasons but hopefully we get some signings over the line this week. 'There's no point waiting until the end of the window. You can't survive a 36-game season with 15 players. Quantity is important as well as quality.' Being within touching distance of the one automatic ticket to the 2026 top-flight is good enough for the manager. He doesn't want to settle for the arduous playoffs. 'People think you need to beat Dundalk twice or three times to win the title but it's about beating all the others,' he noted. 'Up until last Friday, we had the most wins, clean sheets and goals, so we're doing something right. 'I've been in this situation before. Sometimes it's good to be chasing. It can be tough at the top because the air gets thin up there. 'It's a credit to see Dundalk celebrating so vigorously after beating Cobh Ramblers. I don't think they'd feel that way a year ago so it's nice to see that respect for us. 'We had to build our squad and staff within a month but my time since has gone in a blink of the eye. The players, committee and fans have been superb. 'My family are back in Belfast while I'm here full-time but I've been welcomed since coming to Cobh. I'm really looking forward to seeing where these last 15 games bring us.'
