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Jon Anik Explains Why Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 1 Is Not Good Indicator Of UFC 304 Rematch: ‘Largely, I Have To Throw Out Most Of The First Fight…’

It has been over three years since Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad first met inside the Octagon, back in March of 2021. As is always the case ahead of a rematch, one of the big questions heading into UFC 304 is how much we can learn from the first time that these two men squared […]

Continue Reading Jon Anik Explains Why Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 1 Is Not Good Indicator Of UFC 304 Rematch: ‘Largely, I Have To Throw Out Most Of The First Fight…’ at MMA News.

It has been over three years since Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad first met inside the Octagon, back in March of 2021.

As is always the case ahead of a rematch, one of the big questions heading into UFC 304 is how much we can learn from the first time that these two men squared off.

Edwards will be looking to secure the third defense of his welterweight title in the main event on July 27, which he went on to claim after his fight with Muhammad ended in a no contest.

For Muhammad, who took that fight on short notice and was unable to continue fighting after an eye poke, he then produced five consecutive wins over fellow contenders in order to earn this rematch.

Whilst the fight only lasted just over one round, “Rocky” was on top for the majority – but Jon Anik isn’t putting too much stock on what he has seen from this match-up in the past.

Jon Anik Says That Both Men Have Improved Too Much For Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad 1 To Impact The Rematch

In a recent interview with InsideFighting, UFC commentator Jon Anik said that he doesn’t believe you can look too much into how the first fight between Edwards and Muhammad played out when previewing the rematch.

Edwards started uncharacteristically fast on that night at the UFC Apex but as Anik goes on to state, Muhammad didn’t have the same kind of preparation ahead of time.

“It’s hard not to toss it out completely, it was a short notice circumstance really for both athletes but Leon was to face Khamzat Chimaev, one of the three times those individuals were scheduled to have fought and Belal was the guy that stepped up.

“Obviously he did show a lot of heart and toughness when he did have compromising spots in that fight, one of the hardest eye pokes I think to watch back just in terms of seeing the combination of a human being’s physical and emotional pain because Belal was not wrong in thinking that when that opportunity against Leon went away with an eye poke, that it was going to be hard to come by again.

“But, they’re just different athletes at this point in time. So I know they’ve both leveled up, Leon levelling up maybe has been easier for someone like me with a more amateur eye to see but I give him a lot of credit for certainly those two wins over Usman.”

Due to the time elapsed since their initial meeting, Anik came to the conclusion that both men have changed too much for the first fight to have much impact on this high-stakes rematch at UFC 304.

“I’m fascinated to see [the rematch] but largely I have to throw out most of the first fight. Even though Leon had more success, I just think Belal’s a totally different physical animal than he was and I think Leon is 25% better than he was.”

Continue Reading Jon Anik Explains Why Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 1 Is Not Good Indicator Of UFC 304 Rematch: ‘Largely, I Have To Throw Out Most Of The First Fight…’ at MMA News.

Jon Anik Names The Biggest UFC Storyline Of 2022

The UFC’s lead play-by-play commentator Jon Anik has given his pick for the promotion’s biggest storyline of 2022. This year has witnessed a host of exciting pay-per-view headliners, a number of which reached the Octagon with intriguing nar…

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Joe Rogan Names Best UFC Commentator Of All Time

Longtime UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has named which of his peers is the best at calling the action inside the Octagon. Rogan, a successful podcaster and stand-up comedian, has been an ever-present on UFC pay-per-view broadcasts for the best part o…

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Jon Anik Lends His Prediction For Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva

Jon Anik has made his pick for the upcoming boxing match between Jake Paul and Anderson Silva. There is an interesting boxing match that has just been announced. Jake Paul will be taking on former UFC champion Anderson Silva in October. This fight fits…

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Jon Anik believes victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 278 could earn Luke Rockhold a title shot: “There’s no doubt”

Ahead of one of the more anticipated cards of the year, Jon Anik revealed he could see a world where a victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 278 is enough to earn the returning Luke Rockhold a title shot. A sentiment that Rockhold shares himself. Having not competed inside the octagon since 2019, Rockhold will […]

Having not competed inside the octagon since 2019, Rockhold will be looking to propel himself back into the winning column as well as title contention if he can best ‘Borrachinha’ at UFC 278. Rockhold returns to the octagon on the back of two defeats at the hands of Yoel Romero and former light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz.

Speaking to MMA Fighting, Jon Anik revealed he could see a world where the former middleweight champion earns himself a shot at the title he once held with an impressive performance over the 6th-ranked middleweight Paulo Costa.

“It’s a great question and there’s no doubt about it, certainly Adesanya has business to attend to with Alex Pereira, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that those guys fight twice in a row if Alex is able to get him. There’s a lot of different balls in the air, but absolutely [Rockhold can earn a title shot].”

“Izzy is a champion that wants the stiffest challenges, and two names that he wants on his resumé, on his Wikipedia page with green stripes is Darren Till — a name he’s injected in the mix every chance he gets — and Luke Rockhold as a former undisputed champion, and a guy in Luke Rockhold that a lot of us put on a pedestal, and who a lot of us projected to be one of the greatest middleweight champions of all-time. He didn’t defend the belt successfully a singular time, but in terms of potential for greatness, I think some people would argue it’s still engrained in Luke Rockhold.

“It would absolutely be an appetizing fight — not just promotionally, but for the champion as well.”

Jon Anik says there is an ‘Avalanche of pressure’ on Paulo Costa ahead of UFC 278

Both men will be looking to snap a two-fight losing streak when they enter the octagon and despite having not competed since his KO loss to Blachowicz Anik believes the pressure is firmly on Paulo Costa ahead of this middleweight clash given it is the final fight on the Brazilians contract.

“There’s so much pressure on both of these athletes big picture,” Jon Anik told MMA Fighting.

“Luke Rockhold is 37, so the time really has to be now, even though he’s the guy — unlike Paulo Costa — who has the UFC undisputed championship belt on the mantle at home. This is very interesting because both guys have lost two consecutive fights, and I think you can argue that Paulo Costa has underachieved a little bit relative to the expectations coming in — even though he’s just getting going in a lot of respects, when it comes to his career, the championship performance against Adesanya was very underwhelming, and obviously, the follow-up act against Marvin Vettori wasn’t great either.

“I think there’s an avalanche of pressure on Paulo Costa as the more primed, and primal athlete right now to get the job done and try to prove that he’s somebody they can really count on to carry the torch for Brazil and this middleweight division.”

There’s immense pressure on both fighters to succeed, but when it comes to the questions being asked in regards to this highly anticipated matchup, the longtime lead voice of the UFC feels that the most glaring questions are towards the Rockhold side of things.

“With Rockhold, I don’t really know what we’re getting,” Jon Anik said. “If social media is an indicator, then clearly the hay is in the barn, a lot of hard work has been done on the strength and conditioning side. You see in terms of Rockhold’s physical recovery, he has put a lot of resources and finances into making sure that he is ready to go.

“Some people will tell you that chins never recover. I don’t know if that’s necessarily the case, but where is Luke Rockhold’s chin? What is his ability to take a shot from Paulo Costa?”

“I think that’s the rub for a lot of people in this fight: if Luke Rockhold can take a shot or two, work his game, and potentially creating some grappling transitions because we know how good he is on top with his ground and pound, we’ll see. I just don’t know where Rockhold is at mentally, and where his chin is physically. I just feel like there’s a lot more variables on the Rockhold side and that’s why he’s a +250 [or higher] as the betting underdog this weekend. I can’t wait for that fight.” (Transcribed by MMAFighting).

Do you agree with Jon Anik’s comments?

Video: UFC Commentator Jon Anik Hilariously Commentates A Lizard vs A Rat In Singapore

UFC Lead Commentator Jon Anik is having a blast in Singapore, as he commentated a fight between a lizard and a rat while walking down the street. Anik is currently in Singapore for UFC 275’s first event in the country. It looks as if Anik had stumbled upon a fight in the streets of Singapore. […]

UFC Lead Commentator Jon Anik is having a blast in Singapore, as he commentated a fight between a lizard and a rat while walking down the street.

Anik is currently in Singapore for UFC 275’s first event in the country. It looks as if Anik had stumbled upon a fight in the streets of Singapore. He was surrounded by a few other people, as he was watching the two animals go at it.

“Aw man, it looked like the rat was trying to get the hooks up. It looked like the rat had a window to escape, but now, it doesn’t’ look so good.” Anik said about the two animals going at it.

The group started going crazy when the rat escaped for a second, but unfortunately for the rat it didn’t work out in its favor.

Jon Anik will once again be the lead commentator this weekend at UFC 275

Anik will also share the booth with former UFC champions Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping. Longtime time commentator Joe Rogan unfortunately (or fortunately for some) will not be calling the fights this weekend.

UFC 275 is headlined by title fights in the Light Heavyweight division between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira and a Women’s Flyweight bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Taila Santos. Shevchenko looks to extend her dominance reign over the Flyweight division, as Teixeira looks to make his first title defense.

In his last fight Teixeira became the oldest fighter to win their first title belt ever. He won the belt at 42 years old against Jan Blachowicz. He submitted the hard hitting fighter in the second round. Teixeira has a big challenge in front of him. Many have already crowned Prochazka s the best and most dangerous fighter in the Light Heavyweight division. It only took the young fighter two fights before he was granted a title shot.

Are you excited for UFC 275 this Saturday?