Jon Anik Breaks Silence on Bias Claims for Belal Muhammad, Defends UFC 304 Commentary

Belal Muhammad’s iconic title triumph at UFC 304 is still hard for many to digest. The Palestinian-American rag-dolled Leon Edwards for four rounds straight in front of his home crowd and this has left many fans bitter with some accusing UFC’s play-by-play commentator Jon Anik of favoritism.

During an MMA Fighting exclusive, the 46-year-old refuted any partiality/favoritism regarding his UFC 304 fight call. Explaining his thoughts, the popular commentator lambasted the narrative and hit back with a few key pointers, as he said,

“I have interpersonal relationships on both sides of this. I actually go further back with Leon (Edwards) than I do with Belal (Muhammad). Tim Simpson, [Leon’s] manager, is a good friend of mine, and… If you listen to the Anik & Florian Podcast, our show opens and ends with Leon Edwards saying, ‘Headshot, dead,’ right? So there’s a lot of connective tissue and interpersonal stuff for me on both sides of all of these fights…But yeah, I felt like the call was down the line.”

Earlier, following the conclusion of the Manchester card, many fans alleged that Anik backed Belal and called the fight based on that. Some even mentioned Anik’s twin brother, Jason’s presence in Belal’s podcast and doubled down on the supposed favoritism angle. But Anik outright dismissed all the claims, saying,

“Now, you can imagine all the different things that commentators hear from fans and fighters and coaches and bosses over the years. But I sleep well at night, I stand by that call, and I stand by Belal Muhammad as a friend.”

Furthermore, the commentator also weighed in on Tony Ferguson’s recent loss to Michael Chiesa, even suggesting a potential next opponent for ‘El Cucuy’ if he chooses to return.

Anik names fellow veteran as Ferguson’s last opportunity in the UFC

Former lightweight interim champion, Tony Ferguson skidded to an all-time low after succumbing to a defeat against fellow veteran, Michael Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi. Tony is now on an eight-fight losing streak and has announced his partial retirement from the sport by throwing one of his gloves into the cage after August 4th’s contest. Now, during an appearance on Submission Radio, Anik named fellow veteran Joe Lauzon as Ferguson’s logical next choice if he decides to try his luck in the promotion one last time.

Tony Ferguson vs. Joe Lauzon should be the last fight in the UFC for Ferguson, according to @Jon_Anik 😳🔥

“I was Googling Joe Lauzon to make sure that he never fought Tony Ferguson because, as I sit here and think about opponents that might make sense for Tony to try to realize… pic.twitter.com/dAP9eepefZ

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 7, 2024

In fact, the UFC commentator highlighted the fact that the fighters have never fought each other before and this would be the most ideal bout in the promotion considering the duo’s current situation. On top of that, much like Ferguson, Lauzon is also a product of TUF and this match-up, according to Anik, is the most logical one for the ‘Boogeyman.’