Story byLaura Sanko has worked as a reporter, analyst and commentator []Paul Battison - BBC Sport journalistSat, December 6, 2025 at 8:11 AM UTC·5 min readLaura Sanko does not need to think for long when she is asked which fight has been her favourite to commentate on. At UFC 293 in 2023, she became the first woman in the modern era to cover one of the promotion's pay-per-view broadcasts. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFormer kickboxing champion Kathy Long was the last to do so at UFC 1 in 1993. Just under 30 years later, Sanko guided fans through American Sean Strickland's stunning win over Nigeria-born New Zealander Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title."It wasn't because I was rooting for anyone in particular, but being able to be part of that moment, and the first woman to call a PPV in 30 years, it was and is a big deal," Sanko tells BBC Sport. For as long as she can remember, the American has been breaking down barriers for women. Before her broadcasting career, Sanko started training in MMA in 2006, where she faced barriers in convincing men she belonged in the gym. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHow his mother's murder steeled Duncan for UFC's toughest fightsUFC announce London show in MarchWith no women being signed to the UFC until 2012 when Ronda Rousey debuted, many did not see MMA as a viable career path. For seven years, Sanko says she was usually the only woman at her gym. The 42-year-old pauses before revealing the challenges that brought as she adds: "Probably the toughest challenge was finding the right way to be accepted on a team and go about it the right way, and not make it about being different to them."It was about not sticking out, and not making it about being a woman. It was about almost doing whatever I could to prove that didn't matter."Yes I was smaller, yes I was female and yes there were certain things that would be different for me because of that, but it was about showing up every day, working super hard, not complaining and not showing them I was weak."AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSanko fought seven times before leaving the sport after becoming pregnant. She turned to broadcasting afterwards, but the obstacles as a woman during her fighting career remain.'It's special, but one day I hope it's not unique'Sanko commentated on Tom Aspinall's heavyweight title bout against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 last month []Sanko has held a number of roles during her UFC broadcasting career, working her way up from a reporter to an analyst and commentator. But she adds: "The challenge was earning the respect of the guys I worked with, not demanding it and not expecting it to happen overnight. I had to prove I belonged there, not because I was a woman."Unlike her male commentator peers, which includes former UFC champions Michael Bisping, Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz among others, Sanko carries a bigger weight when she is on air. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCiting criticism from fans on social media, she doesn't just represent the UFC and martial arts, but women as a whole."It's a different standard for the fans.
