‘I Was In A Heightened Emotional State’

Jon Anik has backtracked his comments about quitting UFC after being attacked by some angry Sean Strickland fans.

Earlier this week, Anik spoke on his podcast and discussed the social media backlash he received from Strickland’s followers after the conclusion of UFC 297. Anik helped call Strickland’s middleweight title loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 and some fight fans didn’t enjoy his commentary. They thought many of his comments during the fight were bias.

In turn, that left Anik in an emotional state and on the cusp of walking away from his UFC commentary duties.

Luckily, cooler heads have prevailed. Anik released the below statement on Saturday via Instagram apologizing to any fans he may have upset and reassuring his followers that he still loves what he does:

Last week on my podcast, I was in a heightened emotional state following myriad allegations of bias at UFC 297 and I made some regrettable comments relating to the MMA fan base. While I was surprised at the extend to which my comments were re-purposed and sensationalized, I need to be more responsible on an open microphone. So much work goes into the execution of just one UFC pay-per-view so it can be tough when my integrity on broadcast is called into question. That doesn’t excuse my retort. I am just a fiery, passionate, flawed, empathetic guy and sometimes my emotions lead the dance. To those MMA fans whom I’ve offended, I am sorry. That was not my intention. For 12 years, I’ve prided myself on being accessible to the fan base and that will continue. I’ve learned a lot over the last 48 hours. On to Anaheim…

This comes one day after Strickland took to social media to support his own followers and suggest that maybe Anik does move on from UFC. Strickland wasn’t his usual brash self, but he certainly didn’t mince words. See below:

What I’d say to Jon Anik calling mma fans” The lowest common denominator”

These people are way you have a paycheck, and you make way more than most… Maybe the NFL is a better choice for you than MMA….

Also you guys are a bunch of savage cunts.. I’m here for it…..

As of now, Anik is back on track to resume his commentary duties at the upcoming UFC 298 pay-per-view (PPV) card on Feb. 17 from Anaheim, Calif., which will feature a featherweight title fight between current UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated contender Ilia Topuria. It will be interesting to see if Anik receives any backlash from his commentary on that card, or any other UFC event moving forward.