Fitz and a Fighter

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Laura Sanko is a UFC broadcaster who works as the backstage reporter for UFC broadcasts and has served as the reporter for every episode of Dana White's Contender Series through the first four seasons. 

While many reporters in the sideline role come from a broadcasting background, Laura was in the world of MMA long before considering TV work as a possibility.  In this episode, Fitz and Laura chat about working on Dana White's Contender Series and get into her journey into MMA, leading her to be a member of the UFC broadcast team.

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Laura Sanko
Twitter: @Laura_Sanko
Instagram: @laura_sanko

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Max Griffin is a UFC veteran of 10 fights coming off his biggest win, a TKO victory over Ramiz Brahimaj that produced a gruesome ear injury that went viral. 

While he's been getting attention because of that, there is, of course, a lot more to his story.  He was into martial arts as a kid before suddenly giving it up at the age of 13.  Years later, he had an epiphany in which he realized he needed to be a pro fighter and be the best in the world.  After weighing in as high as 237 pounds after working at a pizza restaurant, he has changed his life and won his way to the UFC.  Follow Max on social media below and lookout for him in the Octagon in 2021 and beyond!

Here is the water video Max was referencing in the show:  https://www.gaia.com/share/ckh6vkn8n001a0io2aaw69bhd?rfd=rR54yS&language%5B%5D=en

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Max Griffin
Twitter: @maxpaingriffin
Instagram: @maxpaingriffin

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Instagram: @brendanfitztv

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Casey Kenney is a UFC bantamweight is having quite a year in 2020, winning his last 3 in a row, including two fights in less than a month on Fight Island in October. 

Always an athlete, combat sports drew his interest like no other.  He was a judo national champion as a kid and started wrestling at a young age, but after he was bit by the MMA bug, he left a college wrestling scholarship on the table and wanted to pursue being a fighter above all else.  Despite some disagreement from his father, all is good now and it's hard to argue with his results thus far.

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Casey Kenney
Twitter: @CKMMA135
Instagram: @ckmma135

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Instagram: @brendanfitztv

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Angela Hill is a UFC strawweight contender and has established herself as one of the sport's busiest fighters and friendliest personalities.  It might be surprising to hear she grew up shy and not into sports, but after taking up Muay Thai with her husband Adam in their 20s, she immediately was drawn to combat.  She was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, which led to several UFC appearances before being cut, winning and defending an Invicta FC championship, and returning to where she belongs as one of the UFC's best. 

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Angela Hill
Twitter: @AngieOverkill
Instagram: @angieoverkill

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Alex Perez is a UFC flyweight contender and will next fight for the 125-pound title at UFC 255 in November.  At first, he was a boxing fan, but after his older brother experienced success wrestling, it became the family sport.  After his high school career ended, he still wanted to compete and found mixed martial arts.  He was busy on the regional circuit in California and expected to be in the UFC sooner than his arrival in 2017, but the long road prepared him well for a run at a championship. 

We talk about what got him into MMA, why he almost retired and worked at a cheese factory, and what he thought about after getting the UFC title shot.

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Alex Perez
Twitter: @alexperezMMA
Instagram: @alexperezmma

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Robbie Fox is a blogger at Barstool Sports and the host of the podcast "My Mom's Basement."  He wanted nothing more than to work for Barstool Sports as a young teenager and he made it happen right out of high school.  He frequently interviews Dana White and has interacted with Conor McGregor after he appeared outside the courthouse in support of McGregor in New York City. 

We talk about what got him into Barstool Sports, why he became such a big UFC fan, his interactions with Dana White and Conor McGregor and a whole lot more.

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Robbie Fox
Twitter: @RobbieBarstool
Instagram: @thatrobbiefox

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Brandon Royval is the UFC's newest contender in the flyweight division.  He burst onto the scene in May with a submission win over Tim Elliott, followed by another submission win over Kai Kara-France at UFC 253.  He won a Fight of the Night bonus in each of his first two fights!

We talk about the whirlwind ride over the last four months and his journey to finding martial arts and joining the UFC.

Follow Brandon below and look out for him as he jumps right back in the Octagon in November against Brandon Moreno.

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Brandon Royval
Twitter: @brandonroyval
Instagram: @broyval

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John Morgan is the lead UFC reporter for MMAJunkie.com.  He was awarded the MMA Journalist of the Year award back in 2009 and is nominated basically every year.  Fans know him for seemingly always asking the first question to Dana White at UFC press conferences, and for his noticeable blue polo shirt on press row next to the Octagon.

We talk about the Return to Fight Island and what will be a 5-week stay for him, why he started covering MMA after a successful career in the restaurant business and all that goes with covering MMA and the UFC.

Follow John below and always check out MMAJunkie.com for the latest in MMA news.

John Morgan
Twitter: @MMAjunkieJohn
Instagram: @johnmorganmma

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The show is back!  I just could not stay away from the podcast game.  I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about why I wanted to start a podcast originally and what I get out of it.  I truly missed the long form interviews with fighters, coaches and others in this UFC world.  What started as Fitz & A Fighter then turned into my solo project the Brendan Fitz Podcast.  Well, I've combined the two ideas.  The Brendan Fitz Podcast is back, but with the focus being back on interviews with guests.  I'm really excited to get back on this project and it was good to check in with my friend and MMA coach Tyson Chartier.

We talk about what Fight Island was like for him and his team when Calvin Kattar was in Abu Dhabi for a main event back in July, how he got into martial arts in the first place, and his chance meeting with Dana White to ultimately steer him toward MMA and the UFC.

Follow Tyson below and there's also a link for New England Cartel march if you want to support their team.

Tyson Chartier
Twitter: @TysonChartier
Instagram: @tyson_chartier
New England Cartel march: https://teespring.com/stores/new-england-cartel

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Instagram: @brendanfitztv

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Hey folks... just wanted to upload a quick thank you and goodbye (in this format).

The most valuable resource we all have is time.  Time makes us decide what to do with it... and right now, I have other things more important.  As a veteran broadcaster, I love working on high quality productions, and while I'm proud I gave this a go as a solo project, it's not up to the level that I am used to.  It was becoming a chore... so rather than dread it or do it in a way I wasn't proud of, it's on to other things.

Will still be busy with the UFC and on my social media channels!  Thank you again for the feedback and support.  

- B. Fitz

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