Laura Sanko will make history later today (Sat., Feb. 4, 2023) as she becomes the first-ever female broadcaster to call a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event live. She will do so this evening at UFC Vegas 68 from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sanko, who made her debut for UFC back in 2016, has been working hard over the years to earn her respect around the combat community and put her name on the map. From her role as color commentator on Dana White’s Contender Series to her appearances on UFC pre-fight shows, Sanko has been exceptional across the board.
Much like anyone in her position, especially a female in a sport dominated by men, Sanko has had to work hard to get to where she is today. Unfortunately, Sanko has had to push through a ton of negativity around the combat community which includes sexiest treatment on social media.
The newest member to the UFC broadcast team discussed this with reporters on Friday.
“I’ve been sticking my head in the sand a little bit because social media is a double-edged sword,” said Sanko. “I’m thankful that the reception has been so warm and I’m glad I was able to work my way into it. Whether it was fans who saw me call Invicta, and then LFA, and then the Contender Series for a few years, at least some core of the fanbase has been on this ride with me.
“You’re always going to have detractors. I think woman in particular get commented on in a particular vein that even men who are new to a role would never get. Any time you do something for the first time people are going to have something to say about it. I’m incredibly thankful that the reception has been overwhelmingly good.
“But on the way up there is a lot of questioning. I’ll just say it. The number of people I’ve supposedly slept with is just endless. It’s so long. And it would be exhausting if it was true. I don’t see other well-respected voices in the sport get that.”
Despite what people may say on social media Sanko deserves to be in this position. She is well-educated about the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) and has become an entertaining addition to the Contender Series booth. Sanko will look to add UFC color commentator to her resume this weekend at UFC Vegas 68.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 68 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 10 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 1 a.m. ET early Sunday morning.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 68 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Lewis vs. Spivac” fight card and ESPN+ line up click here.