Laura Sanko’s dream is coming true this weekend (Sat., Feb. 4, 2023).
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced today (Mon., Jan. 30, 2023) that Sanko is set to fill the color commentator role for UFC Vegas 68. Sanko has done commentary in the past for Invicta Fighting Championship, Dana White’s Contender Series, and Road to the UFC, but never an actual UFC event itself.
“Taking the next step to join the UFC commentary team has been a goal of mine since I began my broadcast career,” Sanko said via press release. “It is an honor to walk in the footprint of Kathy Long 30 years after her appearance on UFC 1. I consider it a true privilege to be part of the team that is a voice to our incredible fans, communicating the fighting art of each man and woman who steps inside the UFC Octagon.”
It only seemed like a matter of time before Sanko’s time came as part of the booth alongside Jon Anik or Brandon Fitzgerald. The promotion didn’t specify who would be on play-by-play alongside the former Atomweight competitor, or if there would be an additional color commentator with the pair.
Sanko went 1-0 as a professional fighter and 4-1 as an amateur.
“I can’t think of anyone better to be the first female color commentator for the modern UFC era than Laura,” UFC President, Dana White said. “She has worked incredibly hard to prove herself and get to this position and I couldn’t be prouder to have her calling the action.”
UFC Vegas 68 is headlined by a Heavyweight clash, pitting Derrick Lewis against Sergey Spivak. The event begins at a special start time of 10 p.m. EST with the prelims before the main card gets underway at 1 a.m. EST.