The UFC’s 2022 schedule kicks off on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 32 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there to help guide viewers through the experience.
Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.
There are a lot of unknowns going into the new year, but MMA Junkie has eight bold predictions for 2022.
2021 was another year of challenge and change in the MMA world, but with that chapter of the calendar about to expire, there’s a chance to start anew going into 2022.
There are a lot of unknowns going into the new year, but without further ado, here are eight bold MMA predictions for the next 12 months …
Laura Sanko looks back at her commentating debut at Dana White’s Contender Series.
[autotag]Laura Sanko[/autotag] is living the dream.
The former fighter and UFC correspondent finally got her long-desired chance to debut as a commentator on Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 37. Sanko, who typically conducts pre or post-fight interviews and serves as a roving reporter, sat on the commentating booth alongside retired UFC veteran Paul Felder and Dan Hellie.
It was goal that Sanko had in mind for a long time and she’s ecstatic it finally came to fruition. Sanko commentated the event, plus she did the in-cage results announcements as well as post-fight interviews backstage. It was a dream come true for her.
“It was awesome, it was over the moon,” Sanko told MMA Junkie Radio on Wednesday. “I’m still floating on air. I still have gosh, so many people to respond to who have said so many kind things, and a laundry list of people to thank for helping me get to that moment.”
Dana White praised @Laura_Sanko after her commentary debut at #DWCS.
"I think tonight was the beginning of a great career for her."
Sanko was offered the opportunity by UFC president Dana White the night before the event. She was told she could wait until the following week’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Series since it was on short notice, but she didn’t hesitate on taking the last-minute opportunity.
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Sanko has been working with Dana White’s Contender Series since the launch of the show 2017. Sanko hopes to one day make it to UFC broadcasts for UFC Fight Night and pay-per-view events, but is happy to have made her debut in the show that’s been her home for many years.
“It felt perfect and it was the right way to introduce me to fans in this way because listen, we all know UFC can be a tough lot,” Sanko said. “I’m well aware of that. This is a show where I have built-in credibility. I’ve been on every episode since Day 1.
“Originally it was the UFC Fight Pass crowd before it was on ESPN+. It was a die-hard-fan crowd, so most of them knew me from Invicta or knew I had fought or seen other work I’ve done. So their reception had always been positive. It was the perfect place to (debut). It was kind of like, ‘Let’s put her out here, it’s kind of her home and I was happy it happened there, but I’d be lying if I said I that one day I hope to be able to do more. It feels greedy to talk like that because I’m over the moon and loving this moment for what it is, but my competitive nature, my driven nature doesn’t allow me to revel on this moments for too long.”
Laura Sanko gets her wish, as she makes commentating debut at Tuesday’s Dana White Contender Series.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Laura Sanko[/autotag] got her wish.
The former fighter and UFC interviewer got her chance to commentate fights live at Dana White Contender Series 37 on Tuesday night. Sanko had expressed interest in stepping in the commenting booth several times in the past and she finally got her chance.
Sanko joined the commentary team alongside former UFC fighter [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] and Dan Hellie.
In addition to commentary duties, Sanko also did the post-fight interviews and ring announcing for the event. She’s previously worked doing post-fight interviews with Invicta FC, the UFC’s former broadcast partner FOX, and now ESPN.
“I’m ridiculously excited to be here,” Sanko said at the beginning of the broadcast. “I’ve been a part of every episode of this show, so to be an even bigger part of it, sign me up every day of the week.”
Sanko hopes to one day make it on the UFC commentating team and the DWCS is a good step towards that goal.
“My dream would be to eventually be part of that booth,” Sanko told MMA Junkie back in April. “One of the things that’s kind of allowed me to succeed in this job despite no broadcasting training whatsoever, is I do really understand the fight game. Over the years, I feel like behind the scenes, in production meetings and even just hanging out, I’ve been able to kind of demonstrate to all of the guys, whether it’s Paul (Felder) or Dominick (Cruz) or (Michael) Bisping, that I really do what the hell I’m talking about. My hope is that one day I can have a little bit, even more of a voice there. But any amount of time I can spend there talking to those guys is pretty awesome.”
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!
On Episode 3,159, the fellas welcome in guest [autotag]Laura Sanko[/autotag] to discuss her now role with Wimp 2 Warrior, as well as her work with UFC, LFA and Invicta FC. Additionally, the guys will discuss all the biggest stories in the sport, including Anderson Silva’s latest comments, Charles Oliveira’s return to Brazil and Cody Garbrandt’s lofty aspirations.
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
Laura Sanko enjoys her position as a reporter on UFC broadcasts, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have grander aspirations.
[autotag]Laura Sanko[/autotag] greatly enjoys her position as a reporter on UFC broadcasts, but she has grander aspirations.
Sanko, a former MMA fighter who has broken into the media side of the game through Invicta FC, the UFC’s former broadcast partner FOX, and now ESPN, said she dreams of doing more as her non-fight career progresses.
At this point, Sanko’s obligations consist largely of backstage interviews, roving reporter duties, social media, and more. She’ll find herself in the commentary booth for small portions of time, too, assisting those in the booth with information on fighter walkouts.
Sanko hopes the latter could ultimately mark a transition into a full-time color commentator role.
“My dream would be to eventually be part of that booth,” Sanko told MMA Junkie. “One of the things that’s kind of allowed me to succeed in this job despite no broadcasting training whatsoever, is I do really understand the fight game. Over the years, I feel like behind the scenes, in production meeting and even just hanging out, I’ve been able to kind of demonstrate to all of the guys, whether it’s Paul (Felder) or Dominick (Cruz) or (Michael) Bisping, that I really do what the hell I’m talking about. My hope is that one day I can have a little bit, even more of a voice there. But any amount of time I can spend there talking to those guys is pretty awesome.”
Sanko understands that breaking into the tight-knit group of UFC commentators will be a difficult challenge, but she believes it’s attainable.
It’s a long-term goal for Sanko, but she feels it would be possible to overcome any hurdles that may be in her way.
“I would love that,” Sanko said. “That is definitely a goal. I don’t think it’s one that’s necessarily going to happen anytime soon, but it’s one I’m working toward and I hope one day to make that come to fruition. It’s tough, though. The hurdles that are in my way are not necessarily one people would assume, like, ‘Oh, they don’t want a woman.’ That’s not the case. I think they really like to have former UFC fighters there and they I think they really like to have higher profile UFC fighters there, so that’s one thing that doesn’t happen on my resume.
“I like to think that over my years with the UFC, with Contender Series I’ve shown my fight knowledge over the interviews I do. I can tell that over time people have started to realize I do really understand the game and can provide on the spot analysis of what’s happening in a fight.”
UFC backstage reporter Laura Sanko says she has every confidence that the UFC team can deliver three events in just over a week in Jacksonville, starting with UFC 249 on May 9.
UFC backstage reporter Laura Sanko says she has every confidence that the UFC team can deliver three events in just over a week in Jacksonville, starting with UFC 249 on May 9.
