Jon Anik says any issues with Colby Covington have been squashed.
Covington went off on Anik after the UFC’s lead play-by-play commentator vouched for his podcast host and welterweight contender Belal Muhammad to get a title shot. Covington weighed in as a backup for the UFC 286 title fight between champion Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman, and was dubbed as the No. 1 contender by Dana White.
Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) did not like Anik’s support for Muhammad (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC), and went on to threaten him in a rant.
“So, you wanted to lick my frickin’ balls in London, ‘Oh Colby! This, this, this!’” Covington said in recent interview with MMA Fighting. “But then you want to go back behind the stage and cheerlead for a racist. So he associates with racism and Belal Muhammad.
“Good is probably a fine adjective to use,” Anik told MMA Junkie Radio. “Ultimately, all I need to make sure is that the professional nature of our relationship is such that I can call his fight, ideally have a fighter meeting with him before his fight. We have discussed things privately, and I do think that I have to be careful when it seems like I might be backing one welterweight candidate over another.
“So, my first order with Colby, whatever he had said, however threatening – and I didn’t feel particularly threatened, it was Colby Covington in character as far as I was concerned – but I just have to take very seriously when a professional athlete on this roster – low profile, high profile – is upset with something I have said. So, I have to attack that layer first and I think Colby and I are in a pretty good place and I am excited for whatever is next for him.”
Anik took Covington’s threats with a grain of salt from the outset given his history of radical statements, but he admits there’s one thing that bothered him.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with him and I guess one thing I took issue with a little bit was our interaction in London,” Anik added. “It was amicable, but this wasn’t me kissing his ass per say. This was me just acknowledging my appreciation for him weighing in as the backup.
“It was a very short interaction. I’ve always really maintained a positive relationship with the guy up until what happened with Belal. So, I got love for the man and I hope he’ll let me do my job whenever the time comes.”
UFC’s Jon Anik in a ‘pretty good place’ with Colby Covington after discussing threats
