Former WEC champion and UFC fighter Jamie Varner is sticking to his position that UFC commentator Laura Sanko knows nothing about MMA and should be replaced by a woman who’s actually competed in the promotion. It’s an opinion that has half of X (formerly Twitter) roasting him mercilessly, but Sanko has decided to take the high road in her response.
“Jamie Varner, you and I actually fought on the same card in 2011 for Titan FC,” she tweeted. “We warmed up next to each other in the basement of the Memorial Hall building in KCK. My best friend braided your hair because you couldn’t find anyone to do it. I remember thinking how cool it was at the time to be on a card with you. I had followed your career in the WEC and was a a little star struck to be honest.”
“It’s OK that you don’t like my commentary,” she continued. “But respectfully, I’ve been a part of this game and training since 2006. I’m a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu and while I can’t compare my career to yours, I have in fact fought. And if UFC had a 105 division I would have fought a lot longer.”
Sanko didn’t just fight for Titan FC, she also ended up doing color commentary for the promotion. It’s that decade plus of experience on the mic that helped her claw her way up the UFC commentary ladder from Contender Series and Road to UFC shows all the way to UFC Fight Nights and international pay-per-views. But no matter how much experience a woman may have, there’ll always be someone to say they don’t deserve their position.
In this case it’s Jamie Varner, who continues to dig his hole on social media.
“I do remember that night, and appreciate your friend for doing what she did,” he replied to Sanko. “However when you rewatch the fights do you think you are doing a good job? You don’t feel like you are forcing it too much? Feels like overcompensating. There are fighters in my DM’s that agree w/me.”
“You’re high if you think she knows anything,” he argued with another X user. “She’s the worst I’ve ever heard in my life. Holly Holm should have that job.”
When another Sanko fan declared “she is a bigger name in the MMA community than you,” Varner brought up his Jakks UFC Collection action figure.
“Hahaha ok, how many belts and actions figures does she have?” he asked. “How about this how many Fight of the Night bonuses does she have? Last one, how many fight of the year awards does she have? I’ll wait for you to count them lol.”
Those who were around in 2010 may remember Varner’s career high notes, but that was a long time ago. These days, UFC fans see Laura Sanko at all the events, on the weigh-in shows, and during the broadcasts. There’s literally hundreds of hours of her doing mic work for the UFC, and if she knew nothing like Varner suggests she would have been exposed by the fanbase several times over by now.
Calling Laura Sanko an annoying try-hard is an opinion someone can have. But an unqualified know-nothing? Factually incorrect, sir.
