UFC’s lead play-by-play announcer isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. John Morgan at MMA Junkie is reporting that Anik has signed a four-year contract extension to stay with the company. The move will ensure that UFC’s lead voice will stay with the promotion as they shift from FOX owned properties over to the ESPN banner late next year.
“I didn’t make it a secret. I mean, this is where I wanted to be,” Anik said in a statement to MMA Junkie.
Anik made his debut with UFC back in 2012 as the host of the lone live season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He went on to call most televised cards before taking over pay-per-view broadcasts when Mike Goldberg has phased out at the end of 2016.
“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,” Anik said. “To be given this opportunity, it’s not something that I take lightly, and I’m going to continue to prove myself going forward.”
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Anik has been a strong addition to UFC’s commentary team and has more than held his own since taking over for Goldberg. He brings a professionalism and straight-man like presentation that can help ground the big personalities he is often sitting beside. We discussed in a recent MMATorch Roundtable, who our favorite MMA commentary teams were, and Anik’s name popped up more than once. This is a solid signing and is the best fit for both sides right now.
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