Tag: Jon Anik

Jon Anik marvels at Merab Dvalishvili’s ‘unbreakable will,’ says ‘dude needs to be tested for science’

Jon Anik brands UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili as the total package.

[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] brands [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] as the total package.

Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) claimed the bantamweight title with a dominant win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Dvalishvili has shown off his cardio by pressing a relentless pace in his 11-fight unbeaten run. Although Dvalishvili has only finished one opponent in the UFC, Anik thinks his durability has to be spoken for.

“I think going into Merab and Sean O’Malley, a lot of people might have fancied Umar (Nurmagomedov) against either guy, and maybe now they’re not so sure just given how dominant Merab was,” Anik told Middle Easy. “Guys like Merab Dvalishvili and Belal Muhammad are never going to get credit for what they do as strikers, if they have a nice jab or a nice point of entry. But man, the total package of Merab – the dude needs to be tested for science, right? And, yeah, I’m saying that maybe for comedic value, but what is inside of there?

“I’m sure you’ve heard Colby Covington talk about the third lung he realized he had when he was eight years old playing soccer. But there’s just something about this champion, this unbreakable will, combined with this cardiovascular base and strength. If you take John Wood at his word, he’s only getting better. So we’ll see if he can start knocking some people out, but Merab’s the man. Couldn’t happen to a better human being, as trite as that may sound. Georgia getting some things done. We’ll see which nation is next.”

With Deiveson Figueiredo booked against Petr Yan in the UFC Fight Night 248 headliner Nov. 23 in Macau, it appears undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov is likely next for Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili has long dismissed Nurmagomedov as a title contender, but said he’d fight him if that’s who the UFC offered.

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Jon Anik: Like Conor McGregor, ‘there’s nothing really scripted’ in Dricus Du Plessis’ trash talk

Jon Anik thinks Dricus Du Plessis is a natural when it comes to mental warfare.

PERTH, Australia – [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] is a natural when it comes to mental warfare.

That was evident at Thursday’s UFC 305 pre-fight press conference, when Du Plessis’ trash talk triggered an emotional response from opponent Israel Adesanya.

Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defends his middleweight title against Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Du Plessis now has managed to get under the skin of his past two opponents in Sean Strickland and Adesanya in the lead-up to their fights, and Anik compared his trash talk to [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s.

“Not unlike Conor McGregor, there’s nothing really scripted,” Anik told MMA Junkie of Du Plessis. “Certainly there is pre-thought, but he’s just orating naturally and he is effectively getting under the skin of high-level, elite opponents that maybe shouldn’t be taking that sort of bait.

“I just sort of waxed poetic on Israel Adesanya – Dricus Du Plessis is the f*cking man, right – to watch what this guy has done in his UFC career and just methodically go about his business/ I think when you’re sort of a man of truth as he is, you’re very comfortable in your own skin. I don’t think that he has really emoted too much when it comes to this fight, and I think as far as Dricus’ methodology and his mentality is concerned, that’s a great thing.”

“Come on guys stop crying at the press conferences it’s not that serious 🤣.”

If Du Plessis gets past Adesanya, he will have already put together an impressive resume at middleweight in the UFC. Anik isn’t ready to call him a middleweight great just yet if he’s successful, but would see him on track.

“I think it’s a little bit too early to go there, but it certainly wasn’t lost on Dricus that he could have back-to-back wins over Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya, which would just be an absolutely incredible feat,” Anik said. “He’s also a guy that hasn’t tasted defeat in the UFC, and has stayed true to every fiber in his bone while doing it.

“Those are conversations that I think really wouldn’t open after a first title defense even given the strength of schedule, but he’s doing some special things. He’s got an entire nation behind him, and he’s got a big test here obviously come Sunday morning.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Jon Anik ‘would levy some concern’ on other fighters getting emotional, but not Israel Adesanya

Jon Anik doesn’t put too much stock into Israel Adesanya getting emotional during the UFC 305 pre-fight press conference.

PERTH, Australia – [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] doesn’t put too much stock into [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] getting emotional during the UFC 305 pre-fight press conference.

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag](21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) got under Adesanya’s (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) skin during Thursday’s press conference when he suggested that Adesanya has servants. Adesanya broke down into tears when going off in response.

Anik was in the middle of it all as he hosted the press conference between the two rivals.

“This feud is real,” Anik told MMA Junkie. “And even though our fighter meeting with Dricus Du Plessis was largely rooted in him just showering buckets of respect upon Israel Adesanya’s legacy and everything that he’s accomplished, the backdrop to this one is definitely friction and heat, and for a lot of MMA fans, that’s the best of backdrops. So, we’re very excited to call this f*cking thing here in a few hours.”

Anik says Adesanya looked as composed as ever during fighter meetings. “The Stylebender” returns from an 11-month hiatus to challenge middleweight champion Du Plessis in Saturday’s UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

So despite Du Plessis’ words triggering Adesanya, Anik doesn’t see it as an alarming sign.

“I do think he has this inexorable attachment to his family and his roots, and they were all right there,” Anik said. “I didn’t cry much in my 30’s, but I’ve made up for lost time in my 40’s. So, I do think that it’s not something that I would lean too heavily into.

I also think that he’s getting ready for a weight cut so, there are a lot of different things that maybe could have triggered it, but perhaps with other athletes I would levy some concern, but not in this case.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

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Jon Anik still hopeful for Conor McGregor UFC return but ‘exhausted’ over inactivity

A couple weeks ago at the UFC Hall of Fame red carpet, lead play-by-play voice Jon Anik said he was “hopeful” for a Conor McGregor return in 2024.

A couple weeks ago at the UFC Hall of Fame red carpet, lead play-by-play voice [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] said he was “hopeful” for a [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] return in 2024.

Not only that, but Anik said he expected McGregor to fight a couple times in about eight months once he finally does return. But until then, as long as McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) continues to say on the sidelines in a layoff that now has reached three years, Anik said he’s growing tired of waiting and wondering.

“I’m just exhausted,” Anik told MMA Junkie Radio. “It doesn’t mean I dislike him or I’m hating on him. I’m just exhausted. I guess I’m frustrated – that’s probably the right verb when it comes to some of Conor McGregor’s inactivity. But largely, I think a lot of this has been out of his control. It’s not always easy being the biggest superstar in mixed martial arts. It certainly isn’t easy when you snap your leg in half, and then obviously he had a setback in this most recent training camp.”

McGregor was training for the UFC 303 main event vs. Michael Chandler, a long-discussed fight that finally came to fruition about 18 months after it first was known.

Anik thinks once McGregor, 35, has his next fight scheduled, he’ll suddenly become a more frequent fighter. It might seem unrealistic, but Anik maintains a high degree of hope about what’s on the horizon for the brash Irishman.

“I’ve got to stay consistent in terms of my thesis statement on Conor: Tt’s that he’s going to enjoy the yacht life a whole lot more with a couple more MMA (wins), or at the very least fights – high-profile fights and the mixed martial artists in there.

“The professional athlete in there, the competitor in there, is such that I expect him to try to come back and fight a couple of times here in short order. I’ve been very wrong before. … There’s no recreational activity or boxing ring that is going to do for him, what a win over Michael Chandler and some of these other guys can do.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Jon Anik hopes Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes puts ‘pressure on heavyweight division to move forward’

Jon Anik wants to see Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes help clarify the state of the heavyweight division.

[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] wants to see [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] help clarify the state of the heavyweight division.

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) runs things back with Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) in the UFC 304 co-main event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) July 27 in Manchester, England.

With Jon Jones’ first title defense vs. Stipe Miocic yet to be officially booked, Anik hopes the outcome of Aspinall vs. Blaydes helps the division finally move forward.

“Certainly a 25-minute war between Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall that results in six months of recovery time wouldn’t be ideal for either party, nor would it be for MMA fans who want to see things expedited in this heavyweight division,” Anik told MMA Junkie Radio.

“It really is crazy to think about a Stipe Miocic who was 38 years old competing in there (vs. Ngannou) and we’ll next see him when he’s 42. He’s sort of the least talked about component of this bracket right now, but that seems crazy to me.”

Aspinall was eager to unify his belt with heavyweight champion Jones, but finds himself defending his interim title instead. Anik sees Aspinall as a legitimate champion.

“The interim belt is there because the undisputed title can’t be contested for whatever reason, so as far as I’m concerned, Tom Aspinall is defending the heavyweight championship against a very capable and unheralded Curtis Blaydes,” Anik said.

“I certainly am hopeful that the winner of that fight emerges relatively unscathed, not just because my car’s waiting outside and the Round 1 knockout is a broadcaster’s dream, but also because I’d like to see some pressure on this heavyweight division to move forward. There are a lot of things that are happening, and hopefully we get clarity.”

However, Anik understands why Jones was never stripped of his heavyweight title after a year-and-a-half on the sidelines due to injury.

“Tom Aspinall is ready, willing and able to show the world that he can be the undisputed heavyweight champion and the best heavyweight.” Anik said. “And there are other guys Curtis Blaydes who are ready to show that, as well, in their fighting prime, not wanting to waste any those prime months, never mind years.

“So it’s tricky when the greatest mixed martial arts athlete of all time tears his (pectoral muscle) because there’s not going to be a vacation of title and you’re certainly not going to strip the GOAT.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Jon Anik leaning ‘337’ or King of Diamonds for next tattoo if Dustin Poirier beats Nate Diaz in dream fight

It’s been eight years Jon Anik said he’d get a Nate Diaz tattoo if he upset Conor McGregor at UFC 196 – and then had to follow through.

It’s been a bit since [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] playfully suggested he’d get a [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] tattoo if he upset Conor McGregor at UFC 196.

Now about eight years into the now semi-famous “209” ink on Anik’s arm, he’s throwing out potential for a second fighter-themed tattoo. If [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] got matched up with Diaz in the UFC and beat him, Anik said he’d pay tribute to Poirier, as well, after a Poirier suggestion of it.

He even said before he hosted the UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony, he thought about getting a surprise tattoo to honor inductee Frankie Edgar, a former lightweight champion.

“Certainly, the 209 tattoo will not be the last fighter tattoo or fighter tributary tattoo that I get,” Anik told MMA Junkie Radio. “If you really want to know, I was trying to find a really good fine-line tattoo artist in Vegas the week of the Hall of Fame (induction) to get my Fe Iron element symbol in honor of the great Frankie Edgar right here on the inside of my arm that also dons the 209, incidentally.

“But for Dustin, I’ve always wanted a neck tattoo. Part of me wants to mimic his tattoo with the King of diamonds right behind the ear or just a diamond emoji. We could go 337 – you know, I’m not looking to be ludicrous with different area codes with numbers all over my body, necessarily. But yeah, we would go 337.”

Anik said he thinks the odds for that fight likely would highly favor Poirier, but the longtime fighter and former interim lightweight champion from Lafayette, La., still would be worthy of some ink – and risk irking his wife, even just temporarily.

He said when he got his 209 tattoo in 2016 that it took her a minute to be on board.

“Certainly Dustin Poirier is a fighter I would have no problem immortalizing on my skin forever, even if he’s trying to get me to do it in a fight in which he might be a -400 favorite,” Anik said.

Poirier is coming off a fifth-round submission loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 in June. Diaz beat Jorge Masvidal in a boxing match this past Saturday in California. It’s been nearly two years since his last fight in the UFC, a submission of Tony Ferguson in September 2022.

MMA Junkie Radio #3479: Guests Rose Namajunas and Jon Anik, UFC Denver preview and more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”


Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and Goze is here.

On Episode 3,479, the fellas talk to UFC on ESPN 59 headliner [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] and lead play-by-play voice [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag]. They also previewed Saturday’s event in Denver, discussed PFL Africa and Frans Ngannou, talked Nate Diaz and much more. Tune in!

Jon Anik thinks he’s underqualified but ‘would love nothing more’ than UFC matchmaker job someday

Jon Anik thinks he’s “underqualified” for the position, but would give up his UFC commentary gig in an instant to become matchmaker.

[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] is comfortable and proud to be in his position as UFC’s lead play-by-play commentator, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t alternate ambitions.

After starting with the company in 2011, Anik has been at the helm of UFC’s biggest event broadcasts since taking over pay-per-view calls from longtime staple Mike Goldberg in early 2018. During that run, he has become a crucial part of the live event experience for viewers.

Anik has openly discussed that running play-by-play might not be a lifetime position, and one potential role he dreams of landing down the line is that of a UFC matchmaker. Anik admits he doesn’t have all the qualifications needed to do the job at the highest level right now, but that type of job is one he confessed to fantasizing about.

“For me, as a diehard professional sports fan, it is the absolute dream to be in operations, or to be a general manager,” Anik told MMA Junkie. “I would love nothing more than to be offered a matchmaker job and to put the microphone down. I just think I’m a little bit underqualified, while also trying to stay in my lane.

“I don’t think I wouldn’t be able to do it. I would want to invest myself in that world and learn from Mick (Maynard) and Sean (Shelby). Certainly, I’ve gained invaluable insight, having called as many UFC fights and having been through as many fighter meetings. It’s not to suggest I don’t have credentials that I don’t think could help that process. But I have not necessarily watched MMA from a scouting perspective. I haven’t negotiated contracts. There’s just certain things that I think in a broad sense go into the job that I’m underqualified for, but yeah, if they want to change my job title and bring in somebody else to crack a mic – I’m listening.”

FULL INTERVIEW

Anik, 46, said he doesn’t know what his future holds. The promotion announced in October 2022 that he’d signed a new four-year contract for his lead play-by-play position and other duties, so a move behind the scenes as matchmaker would be a dramatic shift.

The passion for the sport that beams out of Anik when he’s on camera, doing interviews, hosting his “Anik & Florian Podcast,” or any other endeavor is undeniable, though, and he is confident that passion would translate into an executive position.

“Only God knows (what happens in the future),” Anik said. “I have the job that I want. Who knows what my relative happiness would be if I was in a different capacity? I’m just speaking in broad terms. Being an executive or somebody in operations and talent relations for a major sports organization or promotion or team, is tremendously appealing to me.”

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Jon Anik pitches Dustin Poirier as Nate Diaz’s return fight in the UFC

Jon Anik would like to see Nate Diaz handle some unfinished business if he comes back to the UFC.

[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] would like to see [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] handle some unfinished business if he comes back to the UFC.

Diaz called out welterweight champion Leon Edwards after defeating Jorge Masvidal by majority decision in their boxing match this past Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Anik isn’t sure if Diaz should be fighting the upper echelon in the UFC, but sees multiple entertaining options for him. He likes what he saw out of the Stockton superstar against Masvidal.

“Nate Diaz back in the UFC, I don’t know to what extent that is possible in short order, but it’s very encouraging that that is one of the first things sort of on the tip of his tongue,” Anik said on his “Anik & Florian Podcast.”

“Far be it for anyone to bet against this guy in a high-profile setting against an elite fighter. Yeah, there’s certain matchups, right? Maybe you don’t like him against Sean Brady, but there are plenty of matchups that are good for Nate Diaz. Conor McGregor is another fight, and I think he’s got a lot of fight left.”

Anik suggested [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC), who contemplated retirement after his submission loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. However since then, “The Diamond” has teased his itch to compete again.

Poirier and Diaz have history. Their November 2018 fight booking fell through, and the pair have since tried numerous times to get their fight rescheduled. Poirier mentioned in July 2023 that he’d be willing to welcome Diaz back to the UFC.

“Dustin Poirier and I were talking at UFC 303 as he was there doing the television work,” Anik said. “There just aren’t that many fights right now for Dustin. It seems like he has the appetite to go out on a win. … Right now, Dustin Poirier’s last fight was an undisputed championship loss to Islam Makhachev.

“Dustin has intimated that he wants to fight one more time, and on the very short list of opponents that actually makes some fiscal and competitive sense is Nate Diaz. So, we’ll see if that is something that actually materializes.”

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Jon Anik expects Conor McGregor to make UFC return in 2024 and ‘fight twice in eight months’

Lead UFC play-by-play commentator Jon Anik still has high hopes for Conor McGregor’s future in the octagon.

Lead UFC play-by-play commentator [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] still has high hopes for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s future in the octagon.

Despite the uncertainty around a new date for McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) to make his highly-anticipated return from injury following his withdrawal from the UFC 303 main event vs. Michael Chandler this past month, Anik is not among those who don’t see “The Notorious” ever fighting again.

In fact, Anik thinks that once McGregor, 35, has his next fight scheduled, it will kick off a window where the world gets to witness him compete multiple times. It might seem unrealistic, but Anik maintains a high degree of hope about what’s on the horizon for the brash Irishman.

“I’ve been waxing optimistic on Conor for a long time,” Anik told MMA Junkie and other reporters in a recent interview on the 2024 UFC Hall of Fame red carpet. “I fully expect him to compete in 2024, to come back at a high level. Fight twice in eight months. I know it sounds ridiculous and super ambitious to some people, but I just know the mixed martial arts athlete is in there, and I just remain hopeful that he’s going to come back and make more of an impact than anyone expects that he will.”

The UFC brass managed to salvage the UFC 303 card in the aftermath of McGregor’s injury pullout for a broken pinkie toe. It put together Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka for the light heavyweight title as a replacement headliner, among other additions.

Ultimately, Anik would’ve preferred to call a McGregor fight on June 29. However, he is pleased with how the promotion responded.

“I messaged Conor after UFC 300 and I said, ‘Only thing bigger than 300 is McGregor vs. anybody,'” Anik said. “So the biggest thing we can do is have a Conor McGregor-led pay-per-view. That’s not our reality at (UFC 303), but this company obviously comes to the rescue and is able to present a deeper pay-per-view.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.