The Story Megan Olivi Almost Didn’t Tell: “I Finished the Report and Then Burst Into Tears”
Megan Olivi has been a core part of UFC broadcasting for well over a decade, and her recent interview with Fighters Only offers a rare look at how she approaches the job, the pressure of the new Paramount+ era, and the personal line she walks between being a mother, a reporter, and a visible female figure in sport.
Megan Olivi Talks The shift to the Paramount+ era
As the UFC’s U.S. rights moved from ESPN to Paramount+ and CBS, many fans expected major changes in presentation and production. Olivi said that, from the inside, the day‑to‑day workflow and team structure feel familiar, but the level of support and investment from the new partners has been immediately noticeable.
A clear addition has been the regular hour‑long pre‑show on Paramount+, a format Olivi is comfortable with from the Fox years, and a more prominent role for Kate Scott at the host desk alongside former champions like Michael Bisping, Dominick Cruz and Chris Weidman. “The support from Paramount from day one has really been a breath of fresh air,” Olivi said.
On the field, Olivi’s role has expanded slightly as the UFC experiments with more host‑style duty. For numbered events she remains the primary reporter, but for many Fight Nights she is also hosting the weigh‑in show, the pre‑show, and the post‑show, which lets her shape the narrative around multiple fights rather than just one main event.
She credited head producer Zach Handido with driving many of the creative changes, from in‑cage pre‑fight analysis segments to more integrated sponsor features that sometimes place her on top of the Octagon with commentary coming in from other hosts. One of the more subtle but meaningful shifts is the use of coaches and training partners in the locker room, which she feels gives viewers deeper insight than standard fight‑day interview tropes.
“I really enjoy talking to the coaches. Greg Jackson was the first guy I talked to in a locker room and I think: who better for a general fan to hear from than someone like Greg Jackson as to why he thought his athlete was going to win.”
Why coaches and team‑mates matter
Olivi has long made it a point to speak with coaches and training partners, not just fighters, because athletes are often exhausted, emotionally drained, or still in the space of “punching the clock” on fifth‑day media. For someone like Morab “Vet” Gvern, that means leaning on John Wood, whose honest camp assessments historically line up with what happens in the Octagon.
She pointed out that fighters also tend to be more understated about themselves, which is where coaches and teammates can share stories the athlete would not. “That’s an angle that always has to be uncovered,” she said. “It’s extra insight and genuinely great conversation.”
Being a woman in the broadcast spotlight
She stressed that the UFC has led the way in putting women in central roles: female fighters headline cards, and women like Laura Sanchez, Kate Scott and herself are part of the main broadcast team not as tokens but as credentialed voices. “I think we’re really fortunate that the athletes set the example,” she said. “We see women headlining cards, and there is equality across the board for male and female in the UFC.”
She also acknowledged that, whether male colleagues feel the same or not, she feels she must “earn” the job every single week. For her, that means more research, more creative pitches, and a constant effort to be the best storyteller in the room, regardless of gender or background.
“I just feel like I have to earn that every single week… I’m not resting on laurals. It’s every single week, whether it’s a massive card or a Fight Night in the Apex, the amount of effort is still the same.”
The emotional weight of two “good guys” in a title fight
When the topic turned to the upcoming Charles Oliveira vs. Max Holloway title fight, Olivi was candid about how hard it feels to watch two fighters she genuinely likes go head‑to‑head. She admitted that the only time she truly cared about fight outcomes was when her husband, Joseph Benavidez, was competing.
Now, when she watches two respected fighters like Oliveira and Holloway, what stands out is that they are both “good guys,” dads who are consistently professional with the crew. “I’m going to have a hard time watching it,” she said. “Someone’s not going to get their hand raised and it’s devastating for them, no matter how it looks from the outside.”
Working through pregnancy and setting an example
Olivi worked her last UFC show about 10 days before giving birth, and she has said publicly that she entered the third trimester healthy enough to keep going, with her doctor’s clearance and UFC’s blessing. She described those late‑pregnancy events as long and physically demanding, but also empowering.
She added:
“I’ve had people try to lick me when I was pregnant. I was actually super scared, completely by accident. At one event in Miami, a security guard sort of pressed his hand against my pregnant stomach, and I just remember being so shocked. I somehow finished the report and then burst out crying off‑camera. There’s a lot of stuff happening around my vision as I’m trying to deliver that memorized report into the camera with as much respect for each athlete as I can.”
Arena rehearsals for big cards often start at 10 a.m., and she frequently spent 13 hours on site for a single fight night. When one of the main events went long, she simply handed her last interview to colleague Brett Okamoto and went home.
For her, the experience was also a quiet statement to younger women and girls who look up to her. She wants them to know that a career in sports broadcasting is possible without compromising integrity, but it requires a long, step‑by‑step process: college, then a master’s, then years of grunt work in smaller roles.
“I went to college, then I got my master’s because I realized I wanted to work in broadcasting and should have a degree to back it up. Then I started by getting people coffee and printing out scripts at 4:30 in the morning.”
Responsibility, visibility, and the future
Olivi said she feels a responsibility to her own nieces and nephews, and to young women to be an example of someone who climbed into a high‑visibility role the “right way” and still retained her identity. She pushed back on the idea that the path is quick or easy, especially when social media makes careers look overnight.
Her message is plain: it is possible to be in a position of authority, to be visibly pregnant on big stages, and still be taken seriously if the work is done consistently and respectfully.
“I want young girls to know it’s possible and you don’t have to lower your standards or compromise your morals. You can still be very much you and find success. It’s just going to take a lot of hard work.”
