In the last few years, Laura Sanko has gained prominence as a vital member of the UFC’s broadcast team. Moreover, the 42-year-old also owns the crown for being the first female color commentator in the modern era for Dana White’s promotion. But like many of the other broadcast members, Sanko was also a fighter first, and her recent post about her fighting career has drawn a lot of attention from UFC stars, including Conor McGregor and Sean Strickland.

Laura Sanko’s MMA career did not last too long, as she only fought inside the cage for just a single competitive professional matchup. However, she had five reported amateur fights to her name, with a 4-1 record. Going by the moniker ‘Fancy’, the UFC commentator opened her amateur career with a win, but she claims that things were really looking bad for her when the fight took off.

Conor McGregor & Sean Strickland react to Laura Sanko’s story about her MMA career

Laura Sanko claims that her first-ever MMA fight was not the kind of experience she imagined prior to entering the cage. She was in deep water, but was able to show some grit and get herself composed. It was then her turn to return the favor to her opponent, who did not last long. “The day I got addicted for life. First amateur fight 2009 …got my a– beat early and then decided today was NOT the day and she tapped verbally to strikes. Fancy that,” Sanko wrote on Instagram as she posted an old picture of herself.

Well, after a 4-1 amateur career, Laura Sanko would fight just one time professionally before hanging up her gloves. A curious fan commented on her post, wondering what led her to stop competing. Well, the first reason is that Sanko is expecting a baby, so she had to take leave from fighting. But even if she continued fighting post-pregnancy, the UFC commentator would have struggled in the UFC.

Laura Sanko competed as an atomweight fighter, which is a weight class with a limit of 105 lbs. And as we all know, this division does not exist in Dana White’s promotion. ” I got pregnant with my son, and UFC doesn’t have atomweight, so not a lot of upside,” she replied to the fan’s comment. Well, Conor McGregor seemed to have been impressed with Sanko’s moment of grit, acknowledging the UFC commentator with a like on her post.

Meanwhile, Sean Strickland‘s attention was all on the picture Laura Sanko shared. He appears to recognize the background and the promotion where she fought in, and guess what? Sanko told him that his guess was on point. As Strickland wrote, “Lmao i feel like ive seen this at a trailer park fighting over Bubba,” the 42-year-old replied, “It was pretty much exactly what you think.”

Well, despite the setbacks as a fighter, Laura Sanko continued to work in the MMA world, but in a different role. But her decision to stop fighting is possibly something fans might talk about. How would she have fared if the UFC had an atomweight? Back in the day, it wasn’t possible, but for the atomweight fighters in the current MMA landscape, there is a possibility that they will get their chance to fight in the UFC soon.

Dana White hinted at a possible atomweight division in the UFC

There have been several world-class fighters emerging in the WMMA scene, and some of them have competed in Dana White‘s Contender Series as well. While some of them met the weight class requirements, others did not, even though they impressed the 56-year-old head honcho. But for those who could get in, as they were smaller than the existing female weight classes, there is nothing to worry about because the UFC CEO could end up creating the atomweight division.

“As you start to talk about South America and you start to talk about Asia, whether it is China or Japan or Korea, as we keep cultivating talent in these places, we might end up creating another division,” Dana White stated last year. “Yeah, that’s [the atomweight division] what I just said.” Well, it’s only a matter of time before that becomes a reality since MMA is growing at a rapid pace around the world.

Well, Laura Sanko may have missed her chance, but there is hope for the current and next generation of fighters. Regardless, what do you make of her MMA career and the fact that it had to end early? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.