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UFC fans are passionate.
Oftentimes, they’re too passionate, despite not always knowing exactly what they talking about.
UFC commentator Jon Anik recently pointed out that fact in no uncertain terms, but now he’s decided to apologize.
“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.
“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. 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.”
Anik has a point. Particularly after he was the target of harassment from fans just last year at the urging of UFC fighter Colby Covington.
But nonetheless, he’s now walking back his initial comments.
“I was in a heightened emotional state following myriad allegations of bias at UFC 297 and I made some regrettable comments relating to the MMA fan base,” Anik said in a statement on Instagram. “While I was surprised at the extent to which my comments were re-purposed and sensationalized, I need to be more responsible on an open microphone.”
Did the UFC make him apologize? We’ll likely never know.
But the veteran commentator certainly softened his stance after an extremely stern, but fair, call out of MMA fans.