Dana White praises Laura Sanko after first night on Contender Series commentary team

UFC President Dana White isn’t always the easiest critic to satisfy.

Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series officially got underway on Tuesday night and it made history in multiple ways. Concluding with five UFC contracts handed out despite there only being four fights, fan-favorite broadcaster Laura Sanko also made her commentary debut on a UFC program.

“She was running around like a lunatic tonight,” White laughed when speaking to the media following Contender Series. “When I walked in there she seemed a little frazzled. I said, ‘Here ya go. Be careful what ya wish for, kid.’ But congratulations to her. She’s earned it, she deserves it, she belongs there and she’s as educated and as good at talking about fights as anybody else in the game. So I think tonight was the beginning of a great career for her.

“Little miss ‘I don’t have enough to do’ has plenty to do now, okay? So I guarantee I won’t be getting any text messages or phone calls from her that she doesn’t have enough to do anymore. Like I said, be careful what ya wish for.”

Sanko originally got involved in MMA as a fighter competing in the 105-pound atomweight division. Her pro career began and ended in 2013 when debuting in Invicta FC. A second-round rear-naked choke submission victory would be her only outing as her pregnancy later that year ultimately led to retirement.

Eventually, Sanko returned as a mainstay on Invicta’s screens doing broadcast and analyst work for the all-female promotion. This slowly led to working with the UFC and the rest as they say is history.

The 38-year old “Fancy” has teased a potential return to MMA if the UFC were to create an atomweight division. However, that doesn’t appear to be in the works anytime soon.