Shauna Bannon used UFC 304 fight week as a chance to take a break from hectic life
MANCHESTER, England – [autotag]Shauna Bannon[/autotag] beat Alice Ardelean with a split decision Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC 304 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
Take a look inside the fight with Bannon, who got back in the win column after a year on the sidelines.
Shauna Bannon def. Alice Ardelean
Result: Shauna Bannon def. Alice Ardelean via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27
Updated records: Bannon (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Ardelean (9-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stats: Although Ardelean had more than a round's worth of control time, Bannon dominated the striking with a 151-80 advantage.
Bannon on the fight's key moment
"My last spar last Tuesday, I spit my eye open, so I kind of had a different tactic, I suppose, going into this. I wasn't really able to stand and bang, as such. That's not really my style, anyway, but I knew what she was going to bring. I had to be careful because I didn't want my eye to be cut open and fight to be stopped. I had to be super careful about that, and it did reopen slightly, but I didn't feel that. I did feel like it took me a while to get into the fight."
Bannon on being away from home
"Fight week was actually a break. My life is so hectic at home. I have a 3-year-old boy and I train full time, so it's go, go, go. Literally every minute of my day is penciled in for something, so when I landed in Manchester, I kind of took a step away from the media so I didn't have to do as much as normal this time. This fight week was literally a break for me. It was a bit of time for me. I was in my bedroom, on my own for most of it and it was lovely."
Bannon on what she wants next
"(My cut) was only a little nitpick with two stitches. I heal fast, so I'd like to go again before Christmas. ... I'd love to be in before the end of the 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 304.
UFC 304
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Shauna Bannon def. Alice Ardelean at UFC 304: Best photos
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UFC 304: Official scorecards from Manchester
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Shauna Bannon used UFC 304 fight week as a chance to take a break from hectic life