Jon Anik Debates Leaving UFC Commentary Over Fan Negativity
Jon Anik, the UFC lead play-by-play commentator, has expressed displeasure with the increase of negativity around MMA discourse and has revealed that it could eventually push him out of the sport.
Anik’s comments come shortly after a razor-close main event at UFC 297. At the end of the fight, Dricus Du Plessis got his hand raised via a split decision against Sean Strickland.
Anik voiced his displeasure on the “Anik & Florian Podcast“. (All quotes via The Score.)
“I am growing tired of this MMA space a little bit, and just the morass of negativity when there is a close fight,” Anik said Wednesday on the “Anik & Florian Podcast.” “Because even if you and I both thought Dricus Du Plessis won the fight, we try to present that information respectfully. And when I go onto X or I go to our YouTube comments, it seems like a lot of these fans are just in attack mode. And I don’t know if these fans are casual fans or not.”
It is not a secret that MMA judging is currently in absolute shambles. It is far too common that we see inexplicable scorecards that make no logical sense. That is an issue in its own right, but it has also led to fans claiming robbery every time a fight is close. It is possible to have a close fight that could be awarded to either fighter. Instead, it routinely turns into insane arguments and insults over a close fight. Anik perfectly described the consistent toxicity in the sport.
It should also be noted that a large portion of the fans up in arms about Strickland losing are new MMA fans. For better or worse, Strickland has done an outstanding job of growing his fanbase, and those new fans are very opinionated about the scorecards despite not understanding fighting let alone scoring a fight.
If Anik opts to walk away from UFC commentary, he will have plenty of potential suitors.
“I appreciate the passion, but I’m getting to a point at 45 years of age where I don’t know how much time I have left in this MMA space,” Anik said. “If I go do pro football, I’m not necessarily gonna be dealing with this lowest common denominator all the time. I don’t know, man. I just feel like there’s a lot of malice and disrespect from the fan base.”
It would be a massive shame if the UFC lost Anik. This may be news to people who are not massive MMA fans, but Anik is one of the best play-by-play commentators in the world- regardless of sport. The fact that he can seemingly take a commentary job in the NFL illustrates that.
Anik will remain in the UFC community for the coming years, but he will eventually have the option to leave.
“Those of you suggesting that there’s any bias or you don’t like me, well, you’ll probably get your f—–g wish come 2026, because honestly, at this point, I’ve had it,” Anik said.
Anik is consistently elite every time he is on the microphone. If fans are claiming he is biased or bad at his job, they probably have no idea what they are talking about.
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