Laura Sanko has received near-universal praise as a great addition to the UFC commentary team since her broadcast debut, but no one in this job is immune to criticism.
Rarely does a UFC card end without the broadcaster taking aim at fans and fighters for what they said during the often seven- to eight-hour television broadcast. At UFC Vegas 89 this past weekend, former WEC champion Jamie Varner took issue with Sanko's commentary in two since-deleted tweets. Varner asserted that Sanko is “very bad at commenting” and “he talks about things he knows nothing about.”
Varner was also critical, saying, “Leave the commentary to the people who have actually fought,'' but Sanko responded to this, saying that he actually worked with her when she was still active in her MMA career. It reminded me that we were sharing a card.
@jamievarner You and I actually fought on the same card at Titan FC in 2011. We warmed up next to each other in the basement of the KCK memorial building. My best friend braided your hair because you couldn't find anyone to do it for you. I remember thinking how cool…
— Laura Sanko (@laura_sanko) March 24, 2024
Alain Jouban, who is a color commentator for LFA and also works as an analyst for the UFC, understands that in doing that job it is inevitable that you will eventually face negative comments. That being said, Jovan disagrees with Varner's assessment, particularly regarding Sanko's knowledge of the sport and lack of experience as a fighter.
“Varner, I think he's focused too much on the wrong things,” Djouban explained on the latest episode of the TV show. Fighter vs. Writer. “What do you know about Blast Doubles? How many times has she shot a Blast Double? She knows! She wrestles. Maybe that's not what she's supposed to do, but she knows that.” Educated enough to talk about the facts, I think he went a little off track. Everyone has people they like more or hate more, but coming out in public… It's Jamie's bad behavior to be so harsh about it.
“She's very well-educated, very well-spoken and has the history to back it up. The problem is that maybe Jamie Varner is getting too much attention because she wasn't a blast-double type of fighter. But it was still fought. That doesn't mean we can't know what it's like. [have] An educated opinion on how long this sport has been around. I wasn't a blast double person either. But if you watch Explosive Kagemusha, I know how to talk about it, and that's what Laura does. ”
Jovan accepts that no one can avoid harsh comments when they get into a fight, whether it's with Varner or someone else. Fans have their favorites, and what calms one person may annoy another.
Jovan knows from personal experience that it's impossible to please everyone in the crowd, but unlike in his martial arts career, he takes those comments a little more to heart.
The same would be true for Sanko. She continues to learn and grow as a commentator of color, and she is currently the only woman working in that capacity in the UFC.
“You're going to get criticized every time,” Jouban said. “You can't charm every fan. Many fans have favorites, and if you don't have a favorite, [and] One of their least favorite players ends up commentating and criticizing, and that happens a lot in this sport. The best thing to do is to distance yourself from such topics, but you can't help but see things like this, especially when you're talking about your career. It was much easier as a fighter. If someone criticizes me about a fight and says, “Oh, this guy sucks, he's going to get wiped out, this guy's going to get knocked out,” that means they don't like me. It's from.
“But when you go out and study and train and call the fights, your job is to build these fighters and make this event less about you and more about the fighters and make this exciting. , give what you're educated on.'' Opinions about a particular field are what help guide your audience through your battles, and you're telling a story, and you want them to follow that story. We hope you will join us. But the focus is always on the stars of the show, the fighters. That's all we're trying to do, but these things don't necessarily make everyone happy. ”
Beyond his work as a color commentator, Jovan also praised Sanko's accomplishments in other areas since joining the UFC broadcast team. Sanko originally started out as a backstage interviewer and now works in a variety of roles, including her most recent job as a color commentator.
Juban believes it will make his promotion even more valuable.
“Laura is a unicorn in the UFC,” Jouban said. “That's why they love her. That's why [executive producer] Zach Candito gives her so much work. This is because some of the people who do this job can do color commentary, do office posts, do pre-game shows, do side job reports, and do backstage interviews, and they're amazing. How many people have character? [She] You can go to the weigh-in show with me. [Daniel Cormier] And have your own opinions and hold your own against former champions drinking beer in a very male-dominated environment. She can do all these tasks and get along with everyone.
“She's like a utility knife in this kind of work. They can put her anywhere and she'll do a great job. That's why she's always on TV. Because she can do anything. She really can.”
As for Varner, Jovan won't tell anyone how he should feel. He just believes the UFC and WEC veteran had the wrong shot against Sankoh last weekend.
Mr. Jouban cannot promise that he would have reacted the same way, but he is grateful that Mr. Sanko responded so politely.
“Obviously Laura wasn't one of Jamie Varner's favorite commentators,” Jouban said. “He caught an incident and just grabbed her phone and said, 'I'm going to beat her up.' That was the wrong move. That was bad behavior on his part.
“She chose a very classy path. It was tough. It's a credit to her. I'll see if I can take the high road someday when I get that kind of criticism.”
