Jon Anik says toxic fight fans could lead to career change: “I don’t know how much time I have left in this MMA space”
UFC commentator Jon Anik is growing tired of toxic fight fans and says a career change could be on the horizon.
It was just this past Saturday, at UFC 297, that saw Dricus Du Plessis (21-2 MMA) defeat Sean Strickland (28-6 MMA) to become the new UFC middleweight champion.
The split decision victory caused quite a bit of controversy with fans, fighters and commentators, some believing Strickland should have been given the nod, while others felt Du Plessis was indeed worthy of the win.
Jon Anik was one of the commentators who did indeed score the fight for Du Plessis.
Apparently, Anik has been attacked by a multitude of fans who believed ‘Tarzan’s performance was worthy of the win and him keeping the belt last weekend.
Anik, speaking on his latest podcast with Kenny Florian, shared his frustration with the malice and disrespect shown to him by fight fans on social media:
“I am growing tired of this MMA space a little bit, and just the morass of negativity when there is a close fight. 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.”
Continuing, Jon Anik said (h/t MMAMania):
“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.”
Concluding, Anik says he’s ‘had it’ with all the negativity:
“We can disagree. Don’t take it from me. Demetrious Johnson and Kenny Florian thought ‘DDP’ won the fight. I’ve just been very off-put with the negativity that has permeated my feed since Saturday night, and I’m just not sure how much longer I have left in this space — honestly. Those of you suggesting that there’s any bias or you don’t like me, well, you’ll probably get your f**king wish come 2026, because honestly, at this point, I’ve had it.”
What do you think of Jon Anik’s commentary that he’s had it with toxic MMA fans? Would you be sorry to see the UFC commentator depart?
Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!
