For her first seven years training<\/a>, Sanko was usually the only woman in the gym. The men around her weren\u2019t always sure she belonged there. \u201cThe hardest part was figuring out how to fit in with the team without making it about being different,\u201d she told BBC Sport in December. She didn\u2019t ask for respect, she earned it by showing up every day, grinding, and never letting them see her quit. \u201cIt was about showing up consistently, putting in the effort, and not demonstrating any weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n After seven amateur fights and a stint with Invicta FC starting in 2013, Sanko left the cage to raise a family. But that didn\u2019t mean leaving MMA behind. She saw an opening and took it. Shannon Knapp, president of Invicta FC, was the one who opened that door with a phone call out of nowhere. \u201cI really need to credit Invicta FC\u2019s president Shannon Knapp for starting my broadcast career. She called me out of the blue and asked me to do a live sideline interview during an upcoming show.\u201d Sanko had no broadcast experience, but Knapp believed in her.<\/p>\n The real opportunity came with Dana White\u2019s Contender Series. \u201cI got a call from the UFC, \u2018We\u2019re thinking of launching this new show,\u2019 and I knew when they approached me that it was a really special opportunity,\u201d Sanko recalled. She started on the sidelines doing post-fight interviews, but she wanted more. \u201cI immediately had my eyes set on what\u2019s the most I can achieve. My ultimate goal was commentary. I knew I could do it. I just started asking for more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n September 2023 at UFC 293 was the moment. Sanko became the first woman in the modern era to call a PPV when she commentated Sean Strickland\u2019s shock win over Israel Adesanya<\/a> for the middleweight title. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t because I was rooting for anyone in particular, but being able to be part of that moment, and being the first woman to call a PPV in 30 years, it was and is a big deal,\u201d she told BBC Sport. Kathy Long, a kickboxing champion, had done it at UFC 1<\/a> in 1993. That was almost three decades ago.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a different standard for the fans. I feel like I have to get it right, and not just for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI have to get it right because if I suck, then all women<\/a> suck. That\u2019s just how it is.\u201d It\u2019s a brutal truth she\u2019s accepted. The social media pile-on hits harder. The bar sits higher.<\/p>\n \u201cOn one hand, you want to celebrate it and it is special, but on the other, I look forward to the day when it is not unique and it\u2019s not news,\u201d she said in the BBC interview. Her real goal is simple: she wants women in MMA broadcasting to become so common that nobody writes about it anymore.<\/p>\n Contract talks are part of the game now that she\u2019s proven herself. In December 2025, Paul Felder<\/a> signed a five-year commentary deal with the UFC. Fans online suggested that both Felder and Sanko represent where UFC broadcasting is headed. No official word has come out about Sanko\u2019s contract situation as of late 2025, but her track record speaks for itself. The UFC clearly values what she brings to the booth.<\/p>\n When she talks to young girls interested in sports or fighting, she keeps it direct: \u201cFirst, even though you\u2019re young and it\u2019s hard to do when you\u2019re young, try and think about long-term success and your goals. Second, put in the effort. It\u2019s not glamorous for a long time, and that\u2019s OK.\u201d <\/p>\n![\"Laura](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Collage-Maker-05-Sep-2023-01-04-PM-9011-1024x536.jpg\")
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari \u2013 Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n![\"Laura](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/laura-sanko.jpg\")
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