Laura Sanko is soon to be making history as the first ever female color commentator in the UFC, and the beloved mixed martial arts analyst sees it as an incredible honor.
A longtime commentator on Dana White’s Contender Series, Sanko will be the first female color commentator in modern UFC history when she takes the mic this Saturday night at UFC Vegas 68.
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While its a huge moment for Sanko herself as well as the women in the MMA industry, she emphasizes that such an opportunity has to be earned, no matter the gender.
“It’s surreal, and it’s awesome,” said Sanko, “I’m incredibly honored to be here, and I’m just grateful that the UFC had the belief in me to give me this opportunity in an elevated role. Simultaneously, I’m glad that they made me earn it because as cool as it is to break the mold, or I guess make a new mold, the UFC is very much a meritocracy. Everything here is earned and nothing is given, regardless of gender.”
A former fighter herself with a 1-0 pro record which she earned at Invicta FC 4, Sanko started her commentary journey in 2016, first being a backstage reporter, followed by joining the DWCS commentary panel.
“I am a very goal-oriented person, but truly right now I’m focused on what’s right in front of me,” she went on, “because now that I want into this new arena, I have a lot of proving here now too, and that’s all I’m thinking about. Of course, I have goals to continue to elevate my role, but that’s way, way down the line and I want to earn my stripes.” [H/T MMA Junkie]
UFC Vegas 68 Fight Card
Main Card
- Heavyweight Main Event: Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac
- Light Heavyweight: Da Un Jung vs. Devin Clark
- Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura vs. Blagoy Ivanov
- Featherweight: Doo Ho Choi vs. Kyle Nelson
- Welterweight: Yusaku Kinoshita vs. Adam Fugitt
Preliminary Card
- Road to UFC Lightweight Final: Jeka Saragih vs. Anshul Jubli
- Road to UFC Featherweight Final: Jeong Yeong Lee vs. Zha Yi
- Road to UFC Bantamweight Final: Toshiomi Kazama vs. Rinya Nakamura
- Road to UFC Flyweight Final: Seung Guk Choi vs. Hyun Sung Park
- Women’s Flyweight: Ji Yeon Kim vs. Mandy Bohm
- Middleweight: Jun Yong Park vs. Denis Tiuliulin
- Flyweight: Tatsuro Taira vs. Jesus Santos Aguilar
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Watch Anshul Jubli in Road to UFC – Finals LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 2 channels from 8:30 am IST on 5th February 2023
