Jon Anik Signs New Four-Year Deal With UFC

MMA Junkie reports that Jon Anik has signed a four-year contract extension with the UFC, which means he’ll be with the promotion when they move to ESPN and ESPN+ in 2019. He expects to call half of UFC’s planned 42 shows in 2019, but isn’t sure of the exact number. He also expects to call the first ESPN+ event early next year. His next show will be UFC 230.

Anik said: “It’s a multi-year extension, and it’s very exciting for me to be able to be a part of this new era with ESPN. I think, as a lot of people know, that’s where I sort of cut my teeth in television and radio, and that’s where I really starting covering mixed martial arts back in 2007 and 2008, so it sort of feels like we’re coming full-circle a little bit. Now, 10 years later, the UFC and ESPN have the whole domestic package aligned, so it’s a good time, you know, and I didn’t make it a secret – I mean, this is where I wanted to be.

This has become the foremost passion in my life, and I just couldn’t imagine my life without UFC being a big part of it. I’m thankful that it got done and just excited to continue to hit the ground running. I’m thankful to Dana White and Craig Borsari and Zach Candito for having the confidence in me to assume this role and to replace a guy like Mike Goldberg. To be given this opportunity, it’s not something that I take lightly, and I’m going to continue to prove myself going forward.”

I know people sometimes balk when I say, ‘You’re only as good as your last show,’ or, ‘It is show by show,’ but that’s really the way you have to treat it as a broadcast. On any given Saturday night, if you don’t have a good show, maybe that opportunity doesn’t come your way the next time around. I think that helps keep me focused, but it’s just been so much fun for me to be at these live events and get a chance to work with 12 different analysts, all of whom I hold in such high regard. I’m just thankful that the UFC was willing to make a longer-term commitment to me, and that we’re still going to go strong here with the network change. They call me number, wherever it is, I just show up and try to do the best I can.“