Veteran MMA broadcaster Jon Anik gives UAE the thumbs up
Says Fight Island endorses Abu Dhabi as the international fight capital of the world
Dubai: UFC Fight Island Triple Header, which marks the return of live spectator events in Abu Dhabi, endorses the UAE’s status as the international fight capital of the world, according to experienced MMA broadcaster Jon Anik.
The third instalment of UFC Fight Island series kicks off on Saturday, January 16 with a blockbuster card headlined by a featherweight bout between No. 1 ranked Max Holloway and No. 6 ranked Calvin Kattar. It is the inaugural MMA wvent to be held at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi’s latest world-class entertainment venue.
Anik, who will serve as the play-by-play broadcaster for all three events, will have his hands full for the MMA extravaganza which spans eight days. “It’s not ideal,” Anik told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “I have a lot of respect for the NFL guys that do 17 straight weeks.
“A lot of our play-by-play guys have never even done a back-to-back. I think that’s just the nature of our beast.
“There’s so much that goes into the preparation and if you just want to play a numbers game – say 26 fighters times three, 75 fighters if you’re giving everybody an hour, that’s 75 hours. That’s two work weeks,” he added.
Limited tickets are still available at etihadarena.ae or ticketmaster.ae