Laura Sanko details words of wisdom shared by Joe Rogan at UFC backstage - "I didn't have any fights, and look at me"
UFC and ESPN analyst Laura Sanko has revealed the words of wisdom Joe Rogan gave her when the two spoke backstage at an event. Sanko had expressed her desire to be the UFC's first female color commentator. The analyst praised Rogan for the advice he gave her and admitted it meant a lot to her.
While speaking on The Sessions with Renee Paquette, Sanko revealed the advice that Joe Rogan gave her last year.
"I had a really nice conversation with Joe last summer. To be honest, I wasn't really sure if he knew who I was. It just so happened we got stuck behind the stage waiting for Conor (McGregor) to come out. It meant alot. I didn't realise he knew what I was trying to do, to be the first female color commentator... He was incredibly gracious. He said, 'Listen, there's gonna be a lot of people who tell you who can't do it. I didn't have any fights, look at me. You're killing it. I hope we get to call fights together someday'."
In the same interview, Sanko disclosed how close she is to Dana White and how a big supporter of her's he is. The analyst made it clear to her fans that her reasons for not being an official commentator yet are not m in natureisogynistic and she is confident she'll get there.
"You know, honestly, he’s probably been the most supportive person of this from the get go... People just automatically assume the UFC is mysognistic when it's not that. It's not that. It's a host of other factors and it's the people above me that make the decisions for a lot of reasons and very good reasons."
You can listen to Laura Sanko talk to Renee Paquette here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sessions-with-ren%C3%A9e-paquette/id1540850188?i=1000560732877
Laura Sanko was a professional fighter before becoming a UFC analyst
UFC fans may not have known that before Laura Sanko appeared on our screens as an analyst for the UFC and ESPN, she had a short career as an MMA fighter. Between 2010-2013, Sanko took part in five amateur fights and one professional bout. The American only suffered one defeat in her MMA career and was something of a submission specialist.
Her first and only professional fight was at Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyat. Sanko defeated Cassie Rovv via a rear-naked choke in the second round. In the lead up to her second professional fight, Laura Sanko announced she was pregnant. During her time away from the sport, she slowly transitioned into becoming an analyst and commentator and thus moved into MMA media full-time.