Tom Aspinall, Jon Anik, Kayla Harrison, and Others React to Laura Sanko Earning Her Black Belt

UFC commentator, analyst, and former Invicta FC fighter Laura Sanko has earned her black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu after nearly two decades of dedication.

Sanko revealed the update on social media and was showered with love and appreciation by fellow combat sports personalities.

UFC Community Celebrates Laura Sanko’s Achievement

Laura Sanko announced the achievement on April 22 via Instagram, expressing her gratitude for the journey and the people who supported her.

“Welp…now I can use this emoji 🥋! Feels amazing to join the black belt club… a 19-year journey that is just beginning,” Sanko wrote. “So many people have played a role in getting me here. I won’t attempt to name them all, but to all the coaches who poured their knowledge into me and every training partner who swapped blood and sweat with me over the years… THANK YOU. IYKYK.”

“Special thanks to @pauluvian_necktie (Paul Kolenda) for being a consistent friend and teacher. As you can see from the pics, he’s been in my corner a long time, and I’m grateful.”

Fellow fighters and commentators flooded the post with congratulatory messages.

Olympian and two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison left a heartfelt comment: “A black belt is a white belt who never quit. ❤️❤️❤️”

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall joined the chorus, writing, “Congratulations! 🥋🔥”

Longtime UFC broadcaster Jon Anik responded with fire emojis, while former strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk simply added, “👏 congrats.” Fellow flyweight Miranda Maverick chimed in with, “😍😍😍congratulations lady! Well deserved.”

 

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Laura Sanko Reflects on Her Brief Fight Career

Before becoming one of the most respected voices in MMA broadcasting, Laura Sanko had a promising but brief fight career. She compiled a 4-1 amateur record before making her pro debut at Invicta FC 4 in 2013. That night, she submitted Cassie Robb via rear-naked choke in the second round — a performance that hinted at far greater potential.

However, her MMA career stopped at 1-0.

Despite believing she could have had a “solid run” if the UFC had introduced an atomweight division, Sanko chose not to continue fighting. In a recent conversation with Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick, Sanko shared why she stepped away from active MMA competition.

“It’s always a problem to a degree,” she said when asked about the difficulty finding atomweight opponents. “But by that point, I was fighting for Invicta. They were gonna do all the work and had a handful of good atomweights.”

“That was the top of the mountain. If you’re an atomweight, this is it. You were there, so that was the vibe. I’m here. I’m gonna make the most of this.”

She explained that her focus wasn’t on fame or fortune, but on the love of the sport itself.

“It’s not like I thought I was gonna be some superstar. I knew what it was, but I loved it. It was never about making money or being known because that wasn’t even a possibility back then when I was fighting.”