LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Laura Sanko, an American mixed martial arts commentator, is presently affiliated with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She also had a career as a professional MMA fighter and competed in the Invicta Fighting Championship.
Notably, Joe Rogan, a widely recognized commentator and podcaster, was not part of the recent UFC 293 pay-per-view commentary team in Sydney. Rogan typically doesn't participate in international MMA events, nor does he cover stateside 'Fight Night' cards.
In Rogan's absence, the promotion turned to former UFC headliners, sparking speculations on X about the possibility of Laura Sanko stepping in as his replacement.
Laura Sanko's invite to be a commentator at UFC
As Joe Rogan is away, the promotion consistently relies on ex-UFC headliners such as Michael Bisping, Dominick Cruz, and Paul Felder. Typically, play-by-play duties are led by Jon Anik, with Daniel Cormier providing expert analysis.
At UFC 293, the promotion achieved a significant milestone by appointing Laura Sanko, a former Invicta FC fighter and seasoned broadcaster, as the first woman to provide commentary on a UFC PPV card.
Sanko shared her viewpoint with MMA Junkie about taking on the role of commentator in ‘Road to UFC' and 'Fight Night’.
“It feels awesome. You say it’s a long time coming, but to be honest with you, it was a big surprise. I’ve known about it for a few months, but when the call came, it was a massive surprise to me,” said Sanko.
“I didn’t feel like this particular goal would get checked off probably for a few years if I’m being honest, So I’m surprised, excited, elated now that’s it here, and I’m just ready to go. Honestly, I treat 'Road to UFC', 'Contender Series', and 'Fight Nights' the same as a Pay-Per-View. I don’t think it would be possible for me to prepare more. I have more things going on,” Sanko added.
Fans praise Laura Sanko's skills: 'She is great!'
After Sanko revealed her call to commentate in ‘Road to UFC' and 'Fight Night’, an X user shared a post saying, “well, I think we know who is gonna replace Joe Rogan in the DC and Anik PPV commentary trio when Rogan decides he’s done. #UFC293”
After reading the post on X, fans flocked to the comment section and shared their perspectives. One fan commented, "Honestly I dont think shes doen a good job tonight. kinda akward IMO."
Another fan wrote, "She did well but it’s really not the UFC without Rogan announcing IMO."
The third fan wrote, "@laura_sanko killed it tonight! Those beefy grunts when the guys were banging was EPIC!"
The fourth user commented, "She did a fantastic job and was super knowledgeable about everything id be for it."
While another one said, "Shes great! Tons of knowledge, meshes well with D.C. Like a referee, you know someone is killing it when youre not thinking about them."