The UFC is set to bounce back to business with three events in just eight days, and backstage reporter Laura Sanko can’t wait to get back into the swing of things again.
Chatting during a live MMA Junkie Q&A session, Sanko explained that the UFC’s decision to get things rolling again with a triple-header fight week in Jacksonville may be a tough task, but she has every confidence in the team’s ability to make it happen.
“I love it, personally. I understand that some people have reservations about this whole thing, but if anybody can put on an event of that magnitude, that quickly, it’s this group of people,” she explained. “I’m constantly amazed by what they’re able to pull off on a day-to-day basis. As anybody in this business knows, there’s never a card that doesn’t have something go wrong with it logistically, or with the fights themselves. So these guys are used to dealing with those types of hurdles.”
Sanko said that, after a period of enforced downtime that saw six UFC event dates come and go without a show, she just can’t wait for the schedule to get underway once again, starting with UFC 249 on May 9.
“I’m excited, more than anything, to be honest with you,” she enthused. “I’m ready to have work back, I’m ready to have some fights to talk about and some research to do. And, as much as I hate to travel all the time, I’m looking forward to getting on a plane, as crazy as that sounds!”
The UFC’s announced return has prompted some to question the UFC’s decision, while others have doubted the UFC’s ability to make their plans a reality. On the latter point, Sanko has no doubts whatsoever.
“Not really,” she said. “Anybody that spends time around the brass of this company – namely Dana White – knows, that’s the name of his game. He’s a very ambitious, very driven guy. As soon as the last date was canceled I know he was on the phone with Disney and ESPN – I’m sure within 48 hours – already talking through the logistics of, ‘OK, if we can’t do it in California. Where’s the next place we could find a home for some fights?’
“So really I’m not that surprised that they’re trying to do three fights in one week. It kinda reminds me of International Fight Week a little bit. They’ve done three fights in one week before. It’s not fun for the production crew, generally. The person I feel the most for is Jon Anik, because that’s quite the load, to have three fights in one week!”
With the decision made to come back, event dates set and a venue locked in, things are coming together for the UFC to bring live sport back to people’s screens, and that’s something Sanko says could prove to be a big win for the UFC during a time when sports fans have been left with no live action to enjoy.
“In a time when I know ESPN, I’m sure, is starving for content (and) from a business perspective, it’s a time where you can make a lot of headway, right?” she suggested. “Sports fans in general are dying for content, so I think it’s a time when fans who maybe won’t normally tune in might tune in, and you can expand your audience there.
“So I’m not that surprised (that it’s happening). I guess surprised only in the sense that anything right now feels difficult – the logistics of life, in general, feels difficult. But, as I said earlier, if anybody can pull it off, it’s this group of people.”