WASHINGTON – Few have had the intimate relationship with UFC fights like the man who has called more of them than anyone else.
That’s why Jon Anik’s opinion holds weight. Ahead of UFC Freedom 250, there’s been a lot of talk about what a victory would mean for Alex Pereira, should he defeat Ciryl Gane and earn the interim heavyweight title.
Advertisement
UFC CEO Dana White has said Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will leapfrog Jon Jones on his personal GOAT list. But Anik isn’t sure he’ll be willing to make that same shift.
“It’s interesting,” Anik told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “My broadcast partner Daniel Cormier probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves in terms of his relative all-time greatness. It’s hard to put this into context.”
To Anik, there’s one key criteria he uses to measure greatness, and Pereira isn’t atop the ladder in the category’s historical rankings. That is title defenses. Pereira only has three, as opposed to Jon Jones’ 16, Georges St-Pierre’s 13, and Demetrious Johnson’s 12.
“I feel like greatness should be judged on championship title defenses,” Anik said. “If they hung a banner in Albuquerque, N.M. every time Jon Jones defended the title, they’d have 15 banners hanging up. I think in terms of chasing down Jon Jones or Georges St-Pierre or Demetrious Johnson, maybe there would still be work to be done. ‘Poatan’ did not defend the middleweight title.”
Advertisement
With all that said, the accomplishment that would be Pereira becoming the first man to hold titles in three UFC divisions is not lost on Anik. That’s a historic feat, and Anik recognizes it.
“My gosh, Mount Rushmore is getting awfully crowded,” Anik said. “I just acknowledged a guy like DC who was a simultaneous double-champ, defended the belt in two divisions, and isn’t necessarily mentioned in these conversations. I think he should be. But ‘Poatan’ is certainly chasing rarefied air that no one has breathed before, and we’ll see if he can check that box.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jon Anik disagrees with Dana White’s GOAT stakes at UFC Freedom 250
