Laura Sanko (born December 7, 1982) is an American

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

commentator who currently works for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). She competed in

Invicta Fighting Championships Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is currentl ...

Background

Sanko adopted the nickname "Fancy" during her brief fighting career after an acquaintance told her she was too fancy to actually fight, rather than just train in mixed martial arts. In 2021, Sanko became the first female commentator to work on a broadcast in the Zuffa or Endeavor era of the UFC when she provided color commentary for the

Dana White's Contender Series season 5 Season 5 of Dana White's Contender Series will commence in August 2021 and in the US would be exclusive to ESPN+, ESPN's new over-the-top subscription package. Week 1 - August 31 Contract awards The following fighters were awarded ...

. In January 2023, Sanko became the first female

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...

to appear on a UFC broadcast since

Kathy Long Kathy Long (born April 21, 1964) is an American kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and actress. Kathy Long Biography">USA Dojo >> Kathy Long BiographyURL accessed on October 7, 2010from the original on August 16, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. She ha ...

UFC 1 ''The Ultimate Fighting Championship'' (later renamed ''UFC 1: The Beginning'') was the first mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), held at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, United States, on November ...

in 1993 when she joined the broadcast booth at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivak. On September 10, 2023, Sanko made her UFC pay-per-view commentary debut at UFC 293.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align="center" , 1–0 , Cassie Robb , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt , , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 1:07 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, United States , , -

References

External links

*
Laura Sanko ("Fancy") , MMA Fighter Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanko, Laura 1982 births Living people American female mixed martial artists Atomweight mixed martial artists Mass media people from Chicago American color commentators William Jewell College alumni