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Jon Anik expects Conor McGregor to make UFC return this year: ‘I feel like he’s chasing further greatness’

Conor McGregor expected to make UFC return this year Jon Anik chasing greatness Despite continued uncertainty regarding his fighting future, Conor McGregor has been backed to make good on an expected return to active competition before the end of the year – as he chases “further greatness” according to UFC play-by-play lead, Jon Anik. McGregor, a former undisputed lightweight and featherweight champion, has been sidelined since he headlined […]

Despite continued uncertainty regarding his fighting future, Conor McGregor has been backed to make good on an expected return to active competition before the end of the year – as he chases “further greatness” according to UFC play-by-play lead, Jon Anik.

McGregor, a former undisputed lightweight and featherweight champion, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 264 back in July of 2021, suffering a fractured left tibia and fibula en route to a first round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss against former interim gold holder, Dustin Poirier.

Sidelined in the time since, Crumlin striker, Conor McGregor has featured as an opposing coach on The Ultimate Fighter 31 this year, coaching opposite one-time lightweight title challenger, Michael Chandler – with the duo expected to feature at the welterweight limit before the close of this year.

Suggesting his return may come before the end of the year – potentially at an earmarked UFC 296 event in December, Conor McGregor’s comeback had been cast into further doubt by promotional leader, Dana White, who claimed it was proving difficult to “reel” the Dubliner back in.

“We have a massive roster fo people that want to come in and people that are ready to fight and people that want to be Conor McGregor,” Dana White told assembled media following UFC Vegas 74. “And be at that level. It’s like for the last 20 years everybody said, ‘Oh my God, what are you guys going to do when Chuck Liddell retires? You guys are f*cked. Oh my God. GSP. Anderson Silva. This and that.’”

“First of all, Conor called me a couple of days ago and loved the first episode of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and saying how happy he was to be a part of it,” White explained. “And I think being here and part of the environment and everything else, he felt it again and felt like he wants to get back to fight. The one thing you guys have to understand is this kid has so much money. It’s like Khabib now. These guys got sh*tloads of money and it’s hard to reel these guys in and get them to get in and fight.”

Jon Anik calls for patience on the return of UFC star, Conor McGregor

However, according to the above-mentioned, Anik, McGregor will likely feature twice before next summer inside the Octagon – in search of further success in mixed martial arts.

“The one place for Conor (McGregor) to sort of scratch the competitive edge that he’s trying to scratch is in the Octagon,” Jon Anik told Chamaktar Sandhu during a recent interview. “It’s not bare knuckle boxing, with respect. It’s nowhere else. It’s not in a boxing ring. And I would softly remind everyone that had he not broken his leg, we probably already would have seen him at least once if not twice more. I really do believe him at his word when he suggested he wants to be in an active competition cycle in the UFC.”

“… I think we get him (Conor McGregor) fourth quarter, and dependent upon the result, I think you absolutely get him again first quarter, second quarter of 2024,” Anik continued. “I feel liike he’s chasing further greatness. And I know he has more money then he even ever expected that he would have, but how much is he going to enjoy his retirement, if he doesn’t get a few more scalps in MMA.”

Jon Jones’ inactivity as champion touted as potential problem for UFC: ‘A lot of belts are being held up’

UFC play-by-play lead, Jon Anik has claimed that while Jon Jones’ status as the undisputed heavyweight champion is probably an ideal and sought-after situation for the organization in many respects, however, has questioned the activity of the Endicott native. Jones, who snapped a three-year-plus Octagon hiatus just earlier this year in March, made his first […]

Jones, who snapped a three-year-plus Octagon hiatus just earlier this year in March, made his first Octagon walk since February 2020 with a UFC 285 win over former interim gold holder, Ciryl Gane – landing the vacant heavyweight crown with a dominant opening round guillotine choke success.

Yet to be booked in the time since his victorious comeback, Jon Jones was initially targeted to headline UFC 290 during International Fight Week in July, in a title defense against the returning former two-time division best, Stipe Miocic, however, the pairing fell to the wayside.

In turn, the promotion are expected to attempt to put together the title affair for UFC 295 in November, with the Octagon expected to return to Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Jon Jones has yet to be booked for his first attempted title defense

Planning his impending retirement from the sport off the back of his expected outing against Ohio veteran, Miocic, Jones’ status as undisputed UFC heavyweight champion has been commended by Anik, however, the Boston caller suggested that when compared with Russian heavyweight contender, Sergei Pavlovich – the heavyweight division would likely see an uptake in title fight activity if the latter sat atop the throne.

“Divisionally, there are a lot of champions that aren’t available right now, or there are a lot of belts that are being held up for one reason or another,” Jon Anik said while speaking with Ray Longo on The Anik and Florian podcast. “Jiri Prochazka is going to be the next light heavyweight title challenger, but Jamahal Hill would be seemingly ready to go. He fought in January, several months before Aljamain Sterling defended his title against Henry Cejudo, right? But it seems like they want to wait and do Jamahal Hill vs. Jiri Prochazka.”

“Jon Jones is your heavyweight champion, right? Ideal in a lot of respects,” Anik continued. “But maybe less than ideal in a lot of others. Sergei Pavlovich would probably fight every three months. You know what I mean?” (Transcribed by MMA News)

Jon Anik says he and UFC star Coby Covington are in a ‘Good place’ following threats: ‘We’ve discussed things’

Jon Anik reveals he and Coby Covington are in a ‘good place’ following threats Covington made towards the commentator. Following UFC 286, welterweight champion Leon Edwards was now in need of a new opponent and while the promotion pushed Covington, there was calls for a different challenger instead. Anik himself would Tweet out a picture […]

Jon Anik reveals he and Coby Covington are in a ‘good place’ following threats Covington made towards the commentator.

Following UFC 286, welterweight champion Leon Edwards was now in need of a new opponent and while the promotion pushed Covington, there was calls for a different challenger instead. Anik himself would Tweet out a picture of him and Belal Muhammad in support of him being the next contender.

This of course did not sot right with Covington, who while on a press run would go on a expletive filled rant and would even threaten Anik.

“Jon Anik, dude, I don’t want your kids to grow up without a dad”, said covintgon. “Just realize you live in Boca, I live in Miami motherf*cker. You’re not too far from me. So you better shut your f*cking mouth. You poke the bear? Now you get the bear comes after you.”

Jon Anik and Colby Covington reconcile

Speaking with MMAJunkie, Anik would reveal that he and Covington had spoken following the incident and would confirm that he and Covington had spoken and were in a good place.

“Good is probably a fine adjective to use,” Anik said. “Ultimately, all I need to make sure is that the professional nature of our relationship is such that I can call his fight, ideally have a fighter meeting with him before his fight. We have discussed things privately, and I do think that I have to be careful when it seems like I might be backing one welterweight candidate over another.

“So, my first order with Colby, whatever he had said, however threatening and I didn’t feel particularly threatened”, Anik confessed. “It was Colby Covington in character as far as I was concerned, but I just have to take very seriously when a professional athlete on this roster – low profile, high profile is upset with something I have said. So, I have to attack that layer first and I think Colby and I are in a pretty good place and I am excited for whatever is next for him.”

Jon Anik talking to MMAJunkie

So, it seems that Anik has taken it all in his stride and continues to add to his reputation as a genuinely nice guy. As for Covington, he thrives off the attention, negative or positive and has successfully used it throughout his career to gain a leg up.

It’s unclear whether the American will be next in line for a title shot or not following the booking of Muhammad Vs. Gilbert Burns with the winner likely getting a title shot.

Should Jon Anik have forgiven Colby Covington?

Video – Jon Anik nearly falls out of his chair as Israel Adesanya KO’s Alex Pereira at UFC 287

Israel Adesanya’s incredible second-round knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC 287 earlier this month made UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik nearly fall out of his chair. Perhaps one of the best things about witnessing a highlight-reel knockout inside the Octagon is the video feed that shows the immediate reaction of the event’s commentary team. To […]

Israel Adesanya’s incredible second-round knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC 287 earlier this month made UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik nearly fall out of his chair.

Perhaps one of the best things about witnessing a highlight-reel knockout inside the Octagon is the video feed that shows the immediate reaction of the event’s commentary team. To celebrate Israel Adesanya reclaiming the UFC middleweight championship, the promotion released a video clip on Twitter highlighting the always-entertaining reactions of Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier immediately following the knockout blow delivered by ‘The Last Stylebender.’

In a hilarious turn of events, the moment took commentator Jon Anik out of his chair and nearly into the stands, though it looked like Joe Rogan may have given him a little shove in the process. We’re certain it was unintentional, but funny nevertheless.

What Comes Next for Israel Adesanya After Reclaiming the UFC Middleweight Championship?

With his victory at UFC 287, Israel Adesanya finally broke through, scoring his first win over longtime rival Alex Pereira after going 0-3 against the Brazilian boogeyman dating back to their days under the GLORY Kickboxing banner. Despite being deadlocked at 1-1 inside the Octagon, don’t hold your breath for a potential trilogy bout. Alex Pereira has already confirmed that his next matchup will be at light heavyweight. ‘Poatan’ left the door open for a potential return to middleweight, but if he finds success at 205, it’s unlikely that he would come back down for anything other than a potential ‘champ-champ’ opportunity.

Back on top of the middleweight division, many fans wonder what will be next for ‘The Last Stylebender’ considering he’s already cleared out a majority of the division. A third meeting with perennial contender Robert Whittaker is always a possibility, but it sounds like Adesanya has his own eyes locked on becoming a two-division titleholder. With light heavyweight king Jamahal Hill currently in limbo with no clear contender, a champion vs. champion clash between himself and Israel Adesanya could be in the cards.

Who would you like to see Israel Adesanya face inside the Octagon next?

Jon Anik addresses death threats from Ex-UFC champion Colby Covington, concerned with warnings made by ‘Cronies’

UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik opened up about the beef between himself and two-time title challenger Colby Covington. Last month, Covington reemerged after a year on the sidelines, revealing himself as the official backup for the UFC 286 trilogy bout between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. Fortunately, Covington’s services were not needed, but his role […]

UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik opened up about the beef between himself and two-time title challenger Colby Covington.

Last month, Covington reemerged after a year on the sidelines, revealing himself as the official backup for the UFC 286 trilogy bout between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. Fortunately, Covington’s services were not needed, but his role as backup left many speculating as to whether or not ‘Chaos’ would face the winner of Edwards vs. Usman III. UFC President Dana White quickly cleared that up, confirming Covington was indeed the next man in line.

Jon Anik responded to the revelation on Twitter by throwing some support behind streaking welterweight contender Belal Muhammad. A man that many believe is more than deserving of a welterweight title opportunity.

“Understand acutely why Colby Covington was the back-up but hard not to feel for @bullyb170!” Anik wrote. “9-fight unbeaten streak. Hasn’t lost in 4-plus years. Just KO’d a previously undefeated fighter. The man deserves his respect and I don’t say that b/c he hosts a podcast w/ my twin bro.”

Understand acutely why Colby Covington was the back-up but hard not to feel for @bullyb170! 9-fight unbeaten streak. Hasn't lost in 4-plus years. Just KO'd a previously undefeated fighter. The man deserves his respect and I don't say that b/c he hosts a podcast w/ my twin bro.

— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) March 17, 2023

Getting wind of Jon Anik’s comments, Covington launched a full-on temper tantrum, lobbying physical threats at the fan-favorite commentator and even bringing his kids into the conversation.

“Jon Anik, dude, I don’t want your kids to grow up without a dad. Just realize you live in Boca, I live in Miami, motherf*cker,” threatened Covington. “You’re not too far from me. So you better shut your f*cking mouth.”

Jon Anik Has Addressed the Beef with Colby Covington Privately

Appearing on Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell, Jon Anik opened up about the incident between himself and Colby Covington, revealing that he has since addressed the issue with ‘Chaos’ privately.

“I think you can argue that he crossed the line, but I never felt particularly threatened,” Anik said. “Moreso I felt the support from Jorge Masvidal and Jamahal Hill and a lot of other athletes and I certainly appreciate that. I don’t know that you need to inject anybody’s kids into the equation and there will come a point in time on Snapchat or somewhere else where my 11-year-old daughter is going to come across that clip and there will be some explaining to do, but by and large, Colby and I are good.

“We have addressed it privately. We messaged each other. And it’s interesting because I’ve tried not to lean into it. I just leaned into it a little bit there, but ultimately there were two parts of that navigation when he said what he said,” Anik continued. “First of all, what did I say that has upset the high-profile professional athlete? I’ve got to figure that out first. Did I say something? Did I analytically go too far with my editorialization of the welterweight championship pecking order?

“So once I realized his beef is really that I gave Belal Muhammad a platform. I didn’t really say anything that sensational, then you can address what he had said and if I’m being honest, it was Colby in character for me. When I first saw the clip I thought nothing of it and then my phone got pretty noisy and I thought more of it as the day went on.”

Jon Anik on Colby Covington.

Room Service Diaries w/ @lthomasnews, @bcampbell, and @jon_anik drops tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/sfdl7ngBpq

— Morning Kombat (@morningkombat) April 14, 2023

While Jon Anik has essentially buried the hatchet with ‘Chaos’ behind closed doors, the UFC play-by-play man does still have some concern over potential Covington “cronies” that may continue to escalate things.

“I’ve been more off-put by maybe some of Colby’s cronies who are like, ‘Yeah, you don’t have to worry about him, but maybe it’s me.’ But there have been high-profile athletes that have taken issue with what I have said and I try to bury the hatchet. Either stand by what I said or apologize. There’s not a show that goes by where someone is not upset with something. It’s the world in which we live.”

UFC caller Jon Anik praises Jorge Masivdal, jabs Colby Covington: ‘He never stepped out of his own skin’

The iconic voice of the UFC, Jon Anik took a moment to throw shade at UFC welterweight Colby Covington. He may be the beloved voice of the UFC which many fans and fighters have grown to adore since the departure of Mike Goldberg, but Covington has proved that he holds no barriers in who he […]

The iconic voice of the UFC, Jon Anik took a moment to throw shade at UFC welterweight Colby Covington.

He may be the beloved voice of the UFC which many fans and fighters have grown to adore since the departure of Mike Goldberg, but Covington has proved that he holds no barriers in who he antagonizes.

The feud began recently at UFC 286 when Anik spoke out against Colby Covington being named the backup for the welterweight title, suggesting that Belal Muhammad was a more deserving candidate.

Understand acutely why Colby Covington was the back-up but hard not to feel for @bullyb170! 9-fight unbeaten streak. Hasn't lost in 4-plus years. Just KO'd a previously undefeated fighter. The man deserves his respect and I don't say that b/c he hosts a podcast w/ my twin bro.

— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) March 17, 2023

Once ‘Chaos’ heard about Anik’s stance, he was not exactly thrilled with his suggestion and went as far as threatening the UFC’s main man behind the mic.

The shocking vile video led to an outpouring of support for Anik, and many distasteful towards Colby Covington.

One of those to speak up in support of Anik was none other than Colby Covington’s bitter rival Jorge Masvidal.

Masvidal did not hesitate in sounding off against his former friend.

“I’ve still got three felonies because of this little b****, that allegedly I did this and allegedly I did that,” Masvidal said. “This guy’s a lying piece of s*** coward, the same coward that we’ve all seen him be on f****** TV, and now he’s trying Jon Anik, saying he’s going to kill Jon Anik. Who the f*** are you, bro? You a f****** gangster or are you a cop-calling b**** pressing charges saying another fighter gave you brain damage off allegedly this and allegedly that?”

Jon Anik takes slight jab toward Colby Covington following UFC 287

Following the suggested announcement of Masivdal’s retirement from the UFC, Anik took a moment to throw a subtle jab at Covington while praising his counterpart.

Perhaps this should not be a surprise considering it is not the first time Covington has verbally attacked non-fighters in the UFC.

He has also criticized fellow commentator Joe Rogan and even publicly threatened UFC president Dana White at one point in time.

Covington is currently favoured to be the next in line to challenge current champion Leon Edwards, but it should not be a surprise if and when Anik remains professional and announces his fight.