Jon Anik won't back off social media after controversy: 'My skin is far thicker than maybe I led on'

MMA Fighting

Jon Anik's UFC contract runs until 2026, and he hopes to renew.

Recent accusations of bias from angry UFC fans haven't changed his timeline for remaining in the sport. He'd like it to change the way he reacts to those fans on social media, though.

One week after Anik's impassioned retort to MMA fans who attacked him for scoring the UFC 297 headliner for Dricus du Plessis over Sean Strickland, the longtime UFC play-by-play man said he learned a lesson about when and what to engage online.

It was not an employer-mandated lesson, he adds.

"I think for me as a play-by-play guy, when there are myriad allegations of bias, or people suggesting that there's a lack of objectivity, I got sensitive to that, but I shouldn't," Anik told MMA Fighting. "I'm certainly not sensitive to personal attacks and things like that. I really need to not be sensitive to allegations of bias, because 95 percent of the fan base felt like it was an even call and actually felt like at least half the fan base felt like Dricus du Plessis won the fight.

Anik issued a formal apology on social media after calling out "malice and disrespect from the fan base," saying he was in a "heightened emotional state" after allegations of bias toward du Plessis. He said he needed "to be more responsible on an open microphone," though he said he would continue to be accessible to fans.

The response to Anik's initial criticism was overwhelmingly positive, with many fighters and industry vets pointing out his contributions to the sport. Others acknowledged the often-toxic nature of online criticism, bolstering the UFC commentator's observation that it has gotten worse in recent years.