When Joe Rogan predicted Laura Sanko's UFC fate after she replaced him on massive PPV card

Veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan predicted Laura Sanko's UFC future when she replaced him on a high-profile pay-per-view (PPV) card. Rogan addressed Sanko's potential and also spoke on the work she had done in the past.

UFC 293 (Sept. 10, 2023) transpired in Sydney, Australia. In recent years, Rogan's UFC commentary schedule has seen him serve only at PPV events that take place in the United States of America. With Rogan not traveling to Australia, Laura Sanko replaced him on the commentary desk for UFC 293.

During his JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) podcast's UFC 293 Fight Companion episode, Rogan and his friends (Brendan Schaub, Bryan Callen and Sam Tripoli) spoke on UFC 293 event's live broadcast, which at the time, was underway. Rogan acknowledged Sanko's presence on the UFC commentary team and stated:

"Yo, they've got Laura Sanko. She's great. She's very good at this. She's a nice person, too ... She's very pretty. She's super nice, too, like, when you're around her. She's, like, a very, very nice person."

Joe Rogan and the others seemingly concurred that Laura Sanko wasn't added to the desk just because she's an attractive person, but due to her martial arts knowledge. Predicting a bright future for Sanko, Rogan said:

"She fought. She had one MMA fight. She trains a lot. She's very good. So, that's good for her that she got this gig. And she'll shock a lot of people. She's very good at it."

Lightheartedly mimicking people who criticize Sanko's inclusion as a UFC commentator, Rogan added:

"You know, a lot of people look at her and they go, 'Oh. Great. You brought in a chick.'"

Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (5:40-6:34):

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When Laura Sanko recalled Joe Rogan's words of wisdom

In the UFC's modern era, Sanko is regarded as the first female UFC commentator. The former MMA fighter started her UFC commentary journey in 2021, and was known to work DWCS events. Her main roster commentary debut came in Feb. 2023 at a UFC Fight Night card, whereas her UFC PPV commentary debut materialized at UFC 293 last September.

On The Sessions with Renee Paquette in 2022, Laura Sanko notably expressed her appreciation for Joe Rogan. Sanko indicated that she'd only had short conversations with Rogan in the past. However, in the summer of 2021, they were waiting backstage at the weigh-ins for a Conor McGregor fight. Apparently, she believed Rogan was unaware of her commentary work.

Recalling their conversation, she asserted that Rogan alluded that he'd never competed in MMA, but still became a UFC commentator. Revisiting Rogan's words of wisdom, Sanko said:

"He was incredibly gracious. And he said, 'Listen. There's gonna be a lot of people that tell you that you can't do it.' But he's like, 'I didn't have any fights, and look at me.' So, he said, 'You're killing it.' He said, 'I hope we get to call fights together one day.' So, it meant a lot."

Check out Sanko's comments below (42:43):