Although she had covered UFC events as a freelancer and for the website Heavy, her first show as an official member of the team was UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3 in October 2013.
“It was all a blur,” she recalls. “I remember being very nervous all the time. I remember everybody on the staff being as helpful as they possibly could be. But it was an overwhelming thing because, you know, a UFC event is so massive behind the scenes that maybe you don’t really know until you’re in the bowels of it. Just realizing I’m now part of this giant moving circus, it was like, ‘Whoa, this is a lot.’
“But I think I just remember taking it one moment at a time and one interview at a time and that’s how I navigated it.”
Back then, her content mostly appeared on the UFC’s website. But in her ethos of taking it one interview at a time, her profile and her contributions continued to expand to where she is today: a shining persona indivisible from all facets of the live UFC experience.
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“Megan’s voice has become a big part of our pay-per-view and big event broadcasts,” says UFC Supervising Producer Michael La Plante. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to every assignment, big or small. Her reports are always incredibly informative and unique because of the research she does and the time she spends talking to the fighters. The result is an added level of storytelling and depth on each fighter, which is a tremendous boost to the broadcast.”
Backstage interviews gave way to a bevy of pre- and post-fight show platforms over the years where her finely crafted storytelling and athlete insights not only endeared her to MMA fans worldwide, but repeatedly confirmed her as one of the most authoritative voices in the sport.
UFC Vice President and Coordinating Producer Zach Candito has worked alongside Olivi for much of her tenure and has witnessed her evolution firsthand.
“Megan is motivated and passionate about the UFC and her broadcast role,” he says. “She’s developed into an excellent broadcast reporter. She’s well-studied, insightful, and has a rare ability to get the best out of fighters in interviews. As a producer, we need talent adept at taking things as they come and being able to adjust on the fly. Due to Megan’s maniacal preparation and intimate understanding of the sport, there is never a situation that she isn’t prepared for. Her ascent from digital reporter to the preeminent insider on our signature events has been a joy to witness, and her contributions to the sport and the live event should be lauded.”
Jon Anik, her comrade on the pay-per-view broadcast, concurs.
“There is no one I’d rather be on this wild UFC circus ride with than Megan Olivi,” he says. ”It has been amazing to have a front-row seat to watch her career trajectory. She has worked hard at her craft for many years to become what I believe is the best television reporter in the game. Our careers have sort of been intertwined with the UFC and I’m just absolutely thrilled to see her realize all of this success. And for the record, she’s still underrated.”
As we get set to close out 2021, UFC.com was thrilled to finally sit down with Olivi and talk about her journey to date and what lies ahead.