Jon Anik: 'Preparation is the One Thing I Can Control' | Exclusive BE Interview

For the VIDEO production of this Bloody Elbow Presents YT channel broadcast, visit us at: https://youtu.be/r9YFy9LxA1g Lead UFC Commentator, Jon Anik, catches up with Bloody Elbow’s Danny O'Donnell, to talk about things he CAN control prior to Fight Night, & more! With over a decade of experience as a UFC commentator, Jon Anik’s voice has become synonymous with the Octagon. The Boston native has called UFC fights as the lead commentator alongside Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier, Paul Felder, Dominick Cruz, and many others. In addition to his commentary duties, Anik is also the co-host of the Anik and Florian Podcast with former UFC title challenger and current PFL commentator Kenny Florian. The amount of preparation Anik puts into every card is staggering, as he meticulously researches and writes notes not just on the individual fighters, but also on their coaches, training partners, and even their personal lives. Anik’s preparation starts with pre-voicing much of the audio you’d hear in the arena at a live event. Once that’s completed, he moves on to fighter prep. “I have 30 fighters to prepare for,” Anik said. “And once I get to fight week, there are a lot of different demands on my time and things that will come up randomly, whether it’s media requests or otherwise. Sometimes I’ll lose big chunks of the day so I start my process 10 days out. “I hand write all of my fighter cards, and that kind of helps me study and commit those things to memory,” he explained. “Then I go right into a UFC Fight Night the following week with 28 more. I’ll literally be in Houston, Texas next Wednesday or Thursday voicing the Rafael Fiziev-Rafael Dos Anjos show, so sometimes that’s a challenge. You got 58 athletes in a short amount of time and it all can run together.” In recent years, the UFC has enlisted many former fighters to call the action who rely upon their experience in the octagon while commentating. With octagon experience comes a different lens through which to view the fights, something Anik takes into consideration when doing his prep work. “I’ve never been in so much as an amateur mixed martial arts contest so I think there are different things that are required of me, and the preparation is the number one thing that I can control.” Apart from those extensive event work and preparations, Anik somehow finds time for more stuff on the side, including his new deal with Modelo for fan giveaways. For the rest of the interview be sure to listen in! If you enjoy our interviews & shows, "heart" us here on SC, or "like" & share over on whichever BE Presents Podcast Channel happens to be your listening platform of choice: * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloodyElbowPresents * iTunes & Apple TV: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blood…&i=1000421882228 * iHeartRadio: www.iheart.com/podcast/269-Blood…Presents-30639274 * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/55S2dpKYVqndaPTUojkELm?si=oGGPZ4kESkWZigLNnEg1ug * Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/bloody-e…esents?refid=stp * TuneIn: https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/Bloody-Elbow-Presents-p1190843/ * OverCast: overcast.fm/itunes984162015/bloody-elbow-presents * Player FM: player.fm/series/bloody-elbow-presents * & Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b53e5086-2334-497c-82c0-24ddb5e0cfbb/Bloody-Elbow-Presents ... While you’re there, don’t forget to subscribe to Bloody Elbow Presents; that way you’ll always be the first to get all of BE’s daily MMA offerings. For previous episodes of the show, check out our playlists on all of our BE Presents channels.