Tag: Jon Anik

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 […]

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.

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” […]

Continue Reading Jon Anik Talks Difficulty Of Avoiding Bias While Commentating On ‘Family’ Belal Muhammad: ‘People Just Fixate Upon This…’ at MMA News.

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.

Continue Reading Jon Anik Talks Difficulty Of Avoiding Bias While Commentating On ‘Family’ Belal Muhammad: ‘People Just Fixate Upon This…’ at MMA News.

UFC Commentator Heaps Praise On Umar Nurmagomedov: ‘He’ll Be Favorite Against Sean Or Merab’

The biggest fight of Umar Nurmagomedov’s career led to his most impressive performance to date in the main event this past weekend. There’s been hype surrounding him for a long time now but in an opponent like Cory Sandhagen, he was facing his most skilled, dangerous, and experienced opponent. Nurmagomedov got his hand raised at […]

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The biggest fight of Umar Nurmagomedov’s career led to his most impressive performance to date in the main event this past weekend.

There’s been hype surrounding him for a long time now but in an opponent like Cory Sandhagen, he was facing his most skilled, dangerous, and experienced opponent.

Nurmagomedov got his hand raised at the end of five rounds in Abu Dhabi and could have leapfrogged the rest of the division with this win.

He may have been holding the #11-ranking in the division but the writing has been on the wall for some time now in terms of his ranking not reflecting his ability.

UFC commentator Jon Anik believes that even with Sandhagen being his first big win, he would expect Nurmagomedov to be a betting favorite over the two men that are set to fight over the bantamweight title next month.

Jon Anik Believes That Umar Nurmagomedov Will Be A Betting Favorite When He Fights For The Title

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Anik was asked about Nurmagomedov’s win and who he thinks he will end up fighting for the bantamweight title which is set to be contested between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, in September.

The UFC commentator didn’t pick a winner in that fight for obvious reasons, but he did say that Nurmagomedov could be the oddsmakers pick in either match-up.

He started by complimenting the undefeated contender both for his skills inside the Octagon and his conduct outside of it.

“Umar is like one of the most impressive human beings, fighters, that I’ve met in any walk of life. His ability to connect with people in English already is insane relative to what it was like 24 months ago and he’s always banging on himself in terms of his ability to speak English. He’s fantastic. He’ll be favored against Sean or Merab, I feel pretty convicted in saying that. I just don’t think a lot of guys would be able to dominate Cory Sandhagen in that way. With respect to Cory, and my kids distracting me, I gave Umar all five rounds so impressed doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

Judge Mike Bell agreed with Anik’s viewpoint, awarding all five rounds to Nurmagomedov on the scorecards whilst Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby both gave Sandhagen one of the five.

Read also: VIDEO: UFC Champ Sean O’Malley Reacts To ‘Close Fight’ Between Umar Nurmagomedov & Cory Sandhagen

Continue Reading UFC Commentator Heaps Praise On Umar Nurmagomedov: ‘He’ll Be Favorite Against Sean Or Merab’ at MMA News.

MMA News Today: Dan Hooker Reveals Israel Adesanya Has Bulked Up To 230 Pounds Ahead Of Dricus Du Plessis Fight, Jon Anik On Staying Impartial While Calling Friend Belal Muhammad’s Title Fight At UFC 304, & More

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 15, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Dan Hooker Says Israel Adesanya Is Hitting Too Hard For Them To Spar One Another When Israel Adesanya returns at UFC 305 to try and recapture the middleweight […]

Continue Reading MMA News Today: Dan Hooker Reveals Israel Adesanya Has Bulked Up To 230 Pounds Ahead Of Dricus Du Plessis Fight, Jon Anik On Staying Impartial While Calling Friend Belal Muhammad’s Title Fight At UFC 304, & More at MMA News.

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 15, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

  • Hooker says Adesanya sparring isn’t on his wish list right now
  • Anik never lets his relationships affect his commentary
  • Blaydes says he’s keeping things simple ahead of Aspinall rematch

Dan Hooker Says Israel Adesanya Is Hitting Too Hard For Them To Spar One Another

When Israel Adesanya returns at UFC 305 to try and recapture the middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis, he will do so off the back of his longest break between fights since signing with the promotion.

“The Last Stylebender” decided to take some much-needed and well-earned time to regroup before jumping back inside the Octagon, following his loss to Sean Strickland.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, his City Kickboxing teammate Dan Hooker spoke about how Adesanya has been bulking up outside of training camp.

The lightweight contender, who has sparred with the former middleweight champion for a long time, said that his fellow New Zealander is starting to pack too much of a punch for him to trade shots with.

“I can’t even be bothered sparring him at the moment like the way he’s hitting. I think he’s like 105 kilos [around 230 pounds], I’m just like f******, kicked me in the leg and I was like ‘get f*****!’. He’s had some time off, he was carrying some injuries, he spent a lot of time just packing on some size and like a lot of strength bro and he’s hitting like a truck man. I can’t even be bothered sparring him… like he’s hitting too hard.”

Jon Anik Says Relationship With Belal Muhammad Won’t Affect His UFC 304 Commentary

It’s only natural for UFC commentators to have relationships and friendships with some of the fighters that are signed to the roster.

This is especially difficult in a sport like MMA where the highs are so high and the lows are so low but Jon Anik always looks to separate his work from his personal feelings.

At UFC 304, Anik’s friend Belal Muhammad will finally get his first shot at welterweight gold when he challenges Leon Edwards on July 27.

Anik spoke in a recent interview with InsideFighting about how he always looks to serve the moment and both fighters as best as he can, regardless of whether he has personal connections to them.

“No, I feel like once the athlete hits the tunnel, any of those types of feeling or emotions go away. As I’ve said repeatedly, Dominick Cruz is probably the guy I’m closest to, I mean Belal’s obviously right there on his heels as are other athletes.

“you establish a lot of interpersonal relationship and you can’t help that but it certainly doesn’t affect the call. I can assure you and everybody else if Leon Edwards head kicks Belal Muhammad into oblivion, my call is going to reflect that and there was nothing hard about me screaming with veins popping out of my mouth, ‘Stipe gets his revenge’, even though he did it against Daniel Cormier.”

Curtis Blaydes Isn’t Adjusting His Approach For Fighting Tom Aspinall At UFC 304

In the co-main event in Manchester, Tom Aspinall’s interim heavyweight title will be on the line when he faces Curtis Blaydes in a rematch.

Blaydes, who is now a 22-fight veteran, has faced the majority of the top names at heavyweight at this stage.

He spoke in an interview with the media during this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night in Denver, about how his approach to this fight is the same as always.

Rather than working specifically on his opponent’s approach, Blaydes simply looks to bring the best version of himself to England in order to come away with the win.

“Conditioning (has been the focus in camp). That’s the same old,” Blaydes said. “I don’t adjust for anyone. I have prepared for this fight the same way I prepare for everyone. I don’t like to add extra adjustments, extra things to think about. There’s already a whole lot, we don’t need to add anything else.

“Just a normal, standard fight camp,” Blaydes continued. “Eight weeks of sparring, drilling, running, icing; normal stuff.”

Read more on the story here.

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Jon Anik: Celebrated Former UFC Champion Is ‘First Guy That Comes To Mind’ When Discussing Fighters Who Will Never Be Replicated

Jon Anik recently remarked that Khabib Nurmagomedov reigns supreme in the world of combat sports as a truly irreplaceable fighter, citing the former UFC lightweight champion’s unparalleled fighting style and unyielding mindset. “The Eagle” soared through the annals of UFC history with a career that was nothing short of extraordinary. Widely regarded as arguably the […]

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Jon Anik recently remarked that Khabib Nurmagomedov reigns supreme in the world of combat sports as a truly irreplaceable fighter, citing the former UFC lightweight champion’s unparalleled fighting style and unyielding mindset.

“The Eagle” soared through the annals of UFC history with a career that was nothing short of extraordinary. Widely regarded as arguably the greatest MMA grappler ever, his legacy is cemented by an impeccable fight record that speaks volumes to his unmatched Octagon prowess.

In the MMA world, few fighters epitomize universal admiration quite like Nurmagomedov. The 35-year-old Dagestani announced his retirement from active competition after a decisive second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020.

Despite stepping away from the Octagon, Nurmagomedov continues to captivate a legion of die-hard fans and remains a constant presence on every list of GOAT MMA fighters. UFC play-by-play commentator Anik firmly believes that “The Eagle” is truly one of a kind…

Anik Confident No One Can Rival Nurmagomedov’s Mentality

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Anik was posed the question of which fighter’s greatness is irreplaceable. The 46-year-old UFC broadcaster responded by highlighting Nurmagomedov, praising his unparalleled combat technique and indomitable spirit as qualities no other fighter could ever match.

“I think Khabib Nurmagomedov had a uniqueness to him,” Anik said. “And I think a lot of that is rooted in his mentality, but even just in terms of not wanting to maybe hurt Justin Gaethje or the way he would talk to his opponents in a different way than Kevin Holland would.”

Anik further noted that while many former UFC champions, such as Daniel Cormier, Demetrious Johnson, and Dominick Cruz, possessed their own distinctive and superior fighting attributes, none could compare to the exceptional prowess of “The Eagle”.

“My guy Daniel Cormier, I think, is supremely underrated in terms of his ability to inflict and impose his wrestling and his rear naked choke on really world-class fighters. But I guess Khabib’s that comes to mind… All roads eventually for me lead to Khabib.”

Nurmagomedov now devotes his time to mentoring the next generation of fighters and is frequently seen training with his close friend and reigning UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev.

However, the UFC Hall of Famer is reportedly under scrutiny by the Russian Federal Tax Services for allegations of over $3 million in tax fraud.

Continue Reading Jon Anik: Celebrated Former UFC Champion Is ‘First Guy That Comes To Mind’ When Discussing Fighters Who Will Never Be Replicated at MMA News.

MMA News Today: Former UFC Middleweight On How He Defeated Opponent Using Technique Learned From Hollywood Star Michael Jai White, Tom Aspinall’s Training Partner Outlines Potential Issue For Alex Pereira If He Moves To Heavyweight, & More

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 11, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Uriah Hall Says Michael Jai White Deserves Credit For His Finish Over Gegard Mousasi Back in 2015, UFC middleweight Uriah Hall secured one of his greatest ever wins […]

Continue Reading MMA News Today: Former UFC Middleweight On How He Defeated Opponent Using Technique Learned From Hollywood Star Michael Jai White, Tom Aspinall’s Training Partner Outlines Potential Issue For Alex Pereira If He Moves To Heavyweight, & More at MMA News.

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 11, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

  • Hall tells interesting story behind highlight reel finish
  • Parkin says Pereira may struggle with bigger grapplers
  • Anik suggests Poirier vs Diaz

Uriah Hall Says Michael Jai White Deserves Credit For His Finish Over Gegard Mousasi

Back in 2015, UFC middleweight Uriah Hall secured one of his greatest ever wins when he stopped Gegard Mousasi in Japan.

Hall spoke about the way he was able to secure this second-round finish during a recent episode of the Jaxxon Podcast, where he revealed an interesting story behind this win.

He stated that when watching Mousasi’s previous fight with Lyoto Machida, he noticed a tell where the Dutchman dipped his head whenever Machida feinted with his hips.

Hall then combined this with a technique that he learned during his final preparations that came courtesy of Hollywood star Michael Jai White.

“Two weeks before that fight, I was hanging out with Michael Jai White, that m*********** is legit by the way, and he was showing me how to throw techniques without no fat, no tell, no telegraph. It was the hardest s*** ever, I’m still working on some of it. He was showing me the spinning back kick and I think I was this close to him and he was like, ‘You can do it from here’ and I was like what?! He showed me how to move my body that way so when I did that jump spinning back kick, I took away the fat a little bit because I expected him to move a certain way and it just lined up perfectly.”

UFC Heavyweight Mick Parkin Says Alex Pereira May Struggle At Heavyweights With Keeping Opponents Off Him

Following another defense of his UFC light heavyweight title, fans want to see whether Alex Pereira can move up another weight class to try and win a third title.

“Poatan” went from middleweight up to 205-pounds seamlessly and with his ferocious power, he clearly has the ability to put anyone out cold.

Heavyweight contender Mick Parkin believes that Pereira may encounter one issue if he does decide to compete with the big boys on the roster.

Parkin, who regularly trains alongside the interim champion Tom Aspinall, is looking to match the longest active win streak in the division when he returns at UFC 304.

He spoke in a recent interview with Violent Money TV about how despite Pereira’s improving grappling defense, this could become an issue for him against larger opponents.

“It’s a lot different, the size. I think he’s amazing, he just keeps taking these fights and knocking everybody out. He hits so hard that he could definitely hit as hard at heavyweight and knock any heavyweight out in the world. His defensive wrestling is actually looking good but with a bigger guy it’s a lot harder so it might be a bit harder for him to get a bigger guy off on top of him. He might come up and get huge, he’s still got a big frame for it.

“But yeah, the bigger guys, I don’t know if he’s that confident as well that he would just walk the big guys down and think I’m knocking you out or if he’d be a bit more, ‘oh I don’t want to get taken down by these guys’. I don’t know how his mindset is but I definitely feel he could do good.”    

Jon Anik Believes That Nate Diaz Makes A Lot Of Sense For Dustin Poirier’s Farewell Fight

There aren’t too many options out there right now that make sense for Dustin Poirier following his lightweight title fight loss at UFC 302.

“The Diamond” recently said that he was leaning towards this being his last outing because at this stage, what is he fighting for if he isn’t trying to become the champion.

One match-up that UFC commentator Jon Anik believes would be a great way to close out his career is one of the few big names in and around his weight class that Poirier is yet to face.

He was booked to fight Nate Diaz in what would have been a massive fight at Madison Square Garden back in 2018 but it never took place due to Poirier withdrawing due to an injury.

Anik spoke in an interview with MMA Junkie about how following Diaz’s win over Jorge Masvidal in boxing, now could be the perfect time to put them back together.

“Nate Diaz is a massive superstar and that is among a myriad of reasons why Dustin Poirier is of an appetitive nature for that particular fight and match-up and part of the reason we talked about this in context was not just Nate Diaz suggesting that he wants to come back to the UFC and pursue a championship but also because I was with Dustin Poirier recently and there aren’t that many fights that make sense for him and even some of the match-ups that have been suggested have some relative downside.”

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Continue Reading MMA News Today: Former UFC Middleweight On How He Defeated Opponent Using Technique Learned From Hollywood Star Michael Jai White, Tom Aspinall’s Training Partner Outlines Potential Issue For Alex Pereira If He Moves To Heavyweight, & More at MMA News.