Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes went to war in their UFC 314 clash last Saturday. Although ‘Volk’ won the fight 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 on the judges’ scorecard and outstruck the Brazilian by 158 strikes to 63, the fight was closer than the stats would let you believe. So it wasn’t surprising to see even the UFC guys disagree strongly among themselves about it. So strong were the disagreements that during the broadcast, commentator Joe Rogan said “d–g test Sean Shelby” since the matchmaker had scored the first three rounds 2-1 for Lopes, very different from commentator Jon Anik, who had Volkanovski winning the first three.
But it seems there is more to the story than meets the eye, as Anik revealed in a recent interview with ‘MMA Fighting’. “Sean Shelby needs to get d–g tested,’ I think was what he [Joe Rogan] said… So I trotted out there on the broadcast at the end, close to the end of the third round, I said, ‘Diego Lopes might want to do something here, he’s in danger of being down 3-0.’ Now I don’t know that Sean Shelby’s looking at me sideways after I say that. I’m doing the broadcast, but then DC audibly, if memory serves, brought it to my attention. So then I look down and [UFC matchmaker Mick] Maynard and Shelby are looking at me like I should lose my job,” the lead UFC play-by-play commentator said.
“And not that I question myself, I know what I see, and then I’m thankful to see Sean Sheehan score populate as a 30 to 27, you know. And I have since done my homework about round four… I think at that point in time, Shelby wrongfully, I can say that respectfully, thought Diego Lopes might have been up 2-1. I think there’s an argument for 50-45 Volkanovski based upon my rewatch,” he added.
MMA: UFC 261-Na vs Carnelossi, Apr 24, 2021 Jacksonville, Florida, USA UFC ringside announcer Brendan Fitzgerald, UFC ringside announcer Joe Rogan and UFC ringside announcer Jon Anik during UFC 261 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports, 24.04.2021 17:54:55, 15959686, NPStrans, UFC, VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Joe Rogan, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJasenxVinlovex 15959686
Well, Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard must have been glaring at Anik if he feels that they wanted him to get fired. To be fair to the matchmakers, two of the three judges did give the second round to Lopes, so their surprise at Anik scoring all three for ‘Volk’ is not totally unwarranted.
But then again, it is perhaps even harder to argue that Lopes was 2-1 going into the third, as you can see from the fact that all three judges scored the first and third for the Aussie great. But then again, we are getting more and more sympathetic to the matchmakers’ position after hearing what Anik thinks about Conor McGregor’s UFC comeback.
Jon Anik still thinks Conor McGregor will be back in the Octagon soon
“I’m just exhausted. I guess I’m frustrated. That’s probably the right verb when it comes to some of Conor McGregor’s inactivity. But largely, I think a lot of this has been out of his control… The professional athlete in there, the competitor in there, is such that I expect him to try to come back and fight a couple of times here in short order.” Anik told MMA Junkie last year.
McGregor, of course, had snapped his leg in half at UFC 264 in 2021, which was his last fight to date. Finally, after three long years, he was scheduled to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024. However, a broken toe weeks from the fight forced him to pull out. Since then, the Irishman has announced a run for President of Ireland, which many feel almost definitely means the end of his serious fighting career.
However, despite this, Anik is hopeful and confident that ‘Mystic Mac’ will one day return to the UFC Octagon. Some irreverent fans will joke about having a bridge they want to sell Anik, but we find his optimism, despite all the evidence against it, quite inspiring. What do you think about Jon Anik and Sean Shelby’s disagreement over the first fifteen minutes of Volkanovski-Lopes?
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