Tag: Jon Anik

‘If Sean O’Malley Had Won…’ – Jon Anik’s Unique Argument To Defend Jon Jones In Pound-For-Pound Rankings

Jon Jones last fought in the UFC in March 2023, when he submitted Ciryl Gane to win the promotion’s heavyweight title. Stipe Miocic was supposed to be his first title defense but a shoulder injury compelled the champion to take time off from training. While Jones has been inactive, Islam Makhachev has defended his UFC […]

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Jon Jones last fought in the UFC in March 2023, when he submitted Ciryl Gane to win the promotion’s heavyweight title. Stipe Miocic was supposed to be his first title defense but a shoulder injury compelled the champion to take time off from training.

While Jones has been inactive, Islam Makhachev has defended his UFC lightweight title twice and sits comfortably at the top of the company’s pound-for-pound rankings. The community is divided on the matter though, especially after Dana White bluntly dismissed the rankings and called Jones the undisputed pound-for-pound best fighter.

Although Jon Anik believes Makhachev to be the P4P best, he might not be in favor of Jones being excluded from the rankings because of inactivity…

Jon Anik Imagines How Sean O’Malley’s Pound-For-Pound Rank Would’ve Changed Due To Injury Like Jon Jones

Anik recently appeared on the official MMAFightingonSBN YouTube channel to discuss all things UFC. When asked for his two cents on the endless P4P debate, the UFC commentator made a clear distinction between Jones being the greatest fighter of all time and Makhachev being the best skill-to-skill fighter in the world right now.

“jon Jones is the greatest mixed martial arts athlete for me. Pound-for-pound in the world, today, I think it’s pretty consensus that Islam Makhachev is the guy. But yeah, when Jonny Jones is in an active competition cycle and given body of work, yeah, he’s the guy. But right now, Islam for me, is you know, skill-for-skill, and given activity, number one.”

Anik was then informed about MMA Fighting’s criteria for removing fighters who haven’t competed in over 18 months from the P4P list. As a result, Jones is not even in their top 20 men’s pound-for-pound fighters, let alone fighting for the top spots.

This is when one of UFC’s most familiar play-by-play voices brought up Sean O’Malley, who’ll be out of action because of requiring hip surgery. While not targeting MMA Fighting specifically, he suggested that it would’ve been interesting how MMA media would’ve handled O’Malley’s pound-for-pound rank had he beaten Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 and then taken a year or more to recover from the hip injury as the active champ.

Anik also pointed out that the UFC bantamweight division is stacked with talented contenders, which would’ve made O’Malley’s case even more intriguing.

“It really would’ve been interesting if Sean O’Malley had won and had to get his hip prepared, you know. And you don’t see him for a year, you know, because there’s so many 35ers but there’s a new world order and it’s Merab Dvalishvili. You know, and, exciting times buddy.”

Continue Reading ‘If Sean O’Malley Had Won…’ – Jon Anik’s Unique Argument To Defend Jon Jones In Pound-For-Pound Rankings at MMA News.

Jon Anik Labels Noche UFC At The Sphere The ‘Sickest S*it’ He Has Ever Seen

Jon Anik is now hyped for Noche UFC after witnessing the impressive production quality of the upcoming pay-per-view event at The Sphere. UFC 306, known as Riyadh Season Noche UFC, is scheduled for September 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, in ho…

Jon Anik amazed by Noche UFC production quality

Jon Anik is now hyped for Noche UFC after witnessing the impressive production quality of the upcoming pay-per-view event at The Sphere. UFC 306, known as Riyadh Season Noche UFC, is scheduled for September 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, in honor of Mexican Independence Day. The landmark event will represent a significant […]

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Jon Anik Defends UFC Champion Against Ducking Allegations

There has been a lot of talk of late regarding who will be Belal Muhammad’s first title challenger, after winning the welterweight belt at UFC 304. The undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov is quite clearly the most deserving contender but there has been some debate over whether former champion Kamaru Usman should also be in the discussion. […]

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There has been a lot of talk of late regarding who will be Belal Muhammad’s first title challenger, after winning the welterweight belt at UFC 304.

The undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov is quite clearly the most deserving contender but there has been some debate over whether former champion Kamaru Usman should also be in the discussion.

Rakhmonov recently said in an interview that he had already been offered the title shot for UFC 307, which takes place in Salt Lake City on October 5.

He claims that Muhammad turned the fight down because he couldn’t make that turnaround, which isn’t surprising considering he fought five rounds at the end of July.

A long-time supporter of the champion has come to his defense after some fans tried to accuse Muhammad of dodging what many believe will be a big challenge for him.

Jon Anik Says That Belal Muhammad Isn’t Ducking Shavkat Rakhmonov, Explains Motivation Behind Potential Usman Fight

In a series of posts on X, UFC commentator Jon Anik gave his thoughts on the current layout of the welterweight division.

Anik stressed that Muhammad shouldn’t be criticized for talking about what would be a big fight against Usman and that he certainly isn’t trying to avoid Rakhmonov at the same time.

“1) For his legacy, not at all surprising Belal Muhammad would want the chance to defend his title against one of the all-time welterweight greats in Kamaru Usman but the notion he is somehow trying to sidestep Shavkat Rakhmonov is straight fake news.”

Anik then went on to explain how everyone, including the UFC, knows that Rakhmonov is the next rightful contender, stating that Muhammad’s willingness to fight the unbeaten contender isn’t a barrier in the way of making that fight happen.

“2) Shavkat Rakhmonov is 18-0 w/ 18 finishes. 6-0 in the UFC. Whether he has the No. 3 or No. 1 ranking matters not. Most of us see him as the largely unquestioned, rightful, next title challenger. And I think the UFC concurs! But the champion ain’t the f*cking problem. Trust.”

Read also: Demetrious Johnson Gives Stamp Of Approval To UFC Champion

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Jon Anik Says Israel Adesanya will Unleash the Beast Against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305

Jon Anik Israel Adesanya Unleash Beast Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis will be a middleweight title match for the ages, says UFC commentator Jon…

Jon Anik Israel Adesanya Unleash Beast Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305

Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis will be a middleweight title match for the ages, says UFC commentator Jon Anik. The UFC 305 main event is set to be a bad-blood showdown between the current champion facing the former king of the division.

Jon Anik Talks Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis is on an impressive nine-fight win streak with his most recent bout being a title win against Sean Strickland. Along the way to UFC gold, ‘Stillknocks’ has also defeated Derek Brunson, Darren Till, and Robert Whittaker, among others.

‘The Last Stylebender’ Israel Adesanya, the Nigerian-Kiwi athlete, captured the UFC middleweight title by knockout against Robert Whittaker in 2019. he was able to defend this throne in five bouts overall. Lost and won the crown to Alex Pereira before losing it to Strickland.

Adesanya is from Nigeria originally and grew up in New Zealand. Along the way to UFC 305, he has taken great offense to Dricus Du Plessis calling himself an African champion. While Du Plessis is from South Africa, Adesanya says that Du Plessis is not African due to his heritage of being a white guy.

Israel Adesanya
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – JULY 03: Dricus du Plessis – UFC middleweight champion and Israel Adesanya – No.2 UFC middleweight stare off during the UFC 305 On Sale Press Conference on July 03, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/Zuffa LLC)

This bad blood has likely inspired and given a flair to Adesanya says UFC commentator Jon Anik, who will be in the booth at UFC 305. Breaking down the match with Submission Radio, Anik explained:

Now, that’s just the nature, I think, of MMA, and a lot of Championship-level athletes would tell you that if you need that extra motivation at that level, then maybe you should find a different sport. But my gosh, you can be sure that this has unleashed the best type of beast when it comes to Israel’s preparation.

And yeah, on the other side, Israel Adesanya is fighting a dude who’s just like a truck and not a human being who just seemingly won’t be denied because maybe he’s more like a machine than a man. You know, Du Plessis is a fascinating champion. I also think that the nature of this matchup is gonna have him just completely locked in. I’m getting excited just talking to you about it. This is the first time I’m really talking about UFC 305, so when you set it up, I’m just getting all this energy.

It’s just going to be an electric MMA atmosphere when you have an MMA championship matchup like this, with friction and skill upon skill. It just doesn’t get any better.

Jon Anik Differs From Dana White On Jon Jones’ Future: ‘If I Could Get A Betting Line On Jones vs. Aspinall Never F*cking Happening…’ 

Unlike UFC CEO Dana White, Jon Anik isn’t confident that Jon Jones sticks around to fight interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Not many topics have remained at the surface of the mixed martial arts community in 2024 quite like the UFC’s heavyweight title picture, which currently boasts two champions but uncertainty regarding whether they will […]

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Unlike UFC CEO Dana White, Jon Anik isn’t confident that Jon Jones sticks around to fight interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

Not many topics have remained at the surface of the mixed martial arts community in 2024 quite like the UFC’s heavyweight title picture, which currently boasts two champions but uncertainty regarding whether they will ever face each other.

That problem arose after an injury to Jones late last year saw his planned defense against Stipe Miocic canceled and an interim titleholder crowned in his absence. And when Aspinall captured that belt, talk turned to a unification showdown.

However, both Jones and the UFC have other plans, remaining firm on rearranging the Miocic fight for the Madison Square Garden event this November. In the meantime, Aspinall has recorded the first successful defense of his gold, knocking out Curtis Blaydes in quick time at UFC 304 last month.

While the Brit — as well as plenty of fans and analysts — has expressed doubt over his dream fight with Jones reaching the Octagon, White recently predicted that the all-time great will delay a possible retirement should he defeat Miocic in order to face the challenge of Aspinall.

But the man who would be tasked with calling that monumental heavyweight clash doesn’t have high hopes…

Anik Doesn’t Share White’s Confidence On Jones vs. Miocic Coming To Fruition

During the latest episode of his podcast alongside ex-fighter Kenny Florian, Anik gave his take on the current status of the championship conversation at heavyweight.

The longtime play-by-play commentator shared White’s sentiment when it comes to Jones wanting to challenge himself against the division’s highly regarded interim champ. Anik doesn’t, however, believe that feeling will be stronger than the Rochester native’s desire to protect his legacy on MMA’s biggest stage.

“I would agree with Dana White in so far as that Jon Jones, if he beats Stipe Miocic, would want to challenge himself against someone like Tom Aspinall,” Anik said. “And what better way to put a capstone on your career as the consensus greatest MMA fighter of all time than to beat a guy in Tom Aspinall who is all the rage at present, and a guy who many forecast to be the greatest mixed martial arts heavyweight of all time. I think he wants the challenge — not at the expense of his legacy.

“If he can beat Stipe Miocic as a -350 betting favorite and ride off into the Albuquerque sunset, I am expectant that that is what he is going to do,” Anik continued. “I know Dana and others have said they’d be surprised if Jon doesn’t bite off that Aspinall challenge if he beats Stipe. I would, with respect, go the other way. If I could get a betting line on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall never f*cking happening, I would ask my wife if I could, you know, spend several figures on that.”

For now, Jones appears to be ramping up his physical activity as he prepares to make his way back from injury later this year. What comes after a potential victory over the returning Miocic, however, remains to be seen.

Continue Reading Jon Anik Differs From Dana White On Jon Jones’ Future: ‘If I Could Get A Betting Line On Jones vs. Aspinall Never F*cking Happening…’  at MMA News.

Jon Anik Talks Difficulty Of Avoiding Bias While Commentating On ‘Family’ Belal Muhammad: ‘People Just Fixate Upon This…’

Jon Anik recently opened up about the challenge of maintaining impartiality while commentating on the fights of his close friend, Belal Muhammad. Muhammad clinched a resounding unanimous decision victory over reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards in their highly anticipated rematch last month at UFC 304 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Ever since “Remember the Name” […]

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Jon Anik recently opened up about the challenge of maintaining impartiality while commentating on the fights of his close friend, Belal Muhammad.

Muhammad clinched a resounding unanimous decision victory over reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards in their highly anticipated rematch last month at UFC 304 in Manchester, United Kingdom.

Ever since “Remember the Name” ascended to the UFC 170-pound championship, Anik, who typically upholds a veneer of neutrality regarding UFC fighters, has been fervently expressive on social media.

In a recent post on Instagram, Anik professed that his favorite aspect of the job is witnessing a title challenger triumph and rise to championship glory. When Muhammad achieved this milestone at UFC 304, the play-by-play commentator confessed that his bond with the Palestinian-American fighter, coupled with Muhammad’s grueling path to the title, made the victory exceptionally poignant for him.

However, calling a fight involving a dear confidant presents Anik with a distinct array of professional difficulties in the commentary booth…

Anik Explains He Separates Personal Bonds When Fighters Enter The Octagon

During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Anik delved into the complexities of sustaining emotional equanimity and navigating personal affiliations when commentating on fights involving athletes he knows well, particularly Muhammad.

The UFC broadcaster explained that once a fighter steps into the Octagon, he sets aside any personal relationships and strives to limit his commentary to what is necessary.

“Well, they’re all different. I mean, certainly, when the athlete hits the tunnel, I try to remove a lot of that from the equation,” Anik said. “If you look at the way I was, ‘sucking Jan Blachowicz’s d*ck’ when he won the title, it’s not dissimilar to the way I’m celebrating Belal Muhammad now. I think people just fixate upon this because of his relationship with my twin brother. Yes, there’s a lot of personal connection there.

Yes, Belal is like family, but once he hits that tunnel, that relationship is thrown out the window. This one just had a lot of interpersonal connections because of my twin brother, but I do believe I’m able to compartmentalize and throw those things out and objectively call these fights.”

Anik went on to mention that if he ever makes any biased or unnecessary comments during fights, UFC executives on the production team promptly remind him of the impropriety.

“You can be sure the day that I’m not able to do so, I’ll get a call from Craig Borsari, my boss, or Zach Candito, one of my other bosses, or Dana White will get word to me in an indirect way. So, word hasn’t come in yet. I stand by the call, as I do most of these, and I love both the athletes. Oftentimes, there’s a relationship on both sides of the fight, and that was certainly the case at UFC 304.”

Anik and Muhammad developed a close rapport when he signed “Remember the Name” to his podcast network in 2020. Since then, Muhammad has co-hosted Remember the Show on YouTube alongside Jason Anik, the identical twin brother of the UFC commentator.

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