UFC commentator Jon Anik recalls crowd reaction to Islam Makhachev defeating Alexander Volkanovski: “It’s the first time I’ve ever been hit with a burger”

UFC commentator Jon Anik didn’t have the greatest time after the results of Saturday’s main event were read.

UFC 284 went down over the weekend as the promotion returned to Australia. In the main event, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski headed up to lightweight to face newly crowned titleholder Islam Makhachev. Heading into the fight, the Russian was a sizeable favorite.

However, it didn’t look that way on fight night, as ‘The Great’ gave everything he had. The pair went back and forth for five rounds, with Volkanovski nearly finishing the champion in the fifth. Ultimately, it was Makhachev who retained his title by a contentious unanimous decision.

Post-fight, Alexander Volkanovski, and many fighters opined that he deserved the win. In case it wasn’t clear by the reaction on fight night, the Australian crowd also believed the challenger deserved the victory.

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Jon Anik discussed the fight. There, the UFC commentator revealed he was hit with food after the results were read.

Jon Anik discusses the reaction to UFC 284 main event

“After the decision was announced is the first time that I’ve ever — I’m sure it’s not the first time people have thrown stuff in our direction — [but] it’s the first time I’ve ever been hit with a burger and fries on the back, and it certainly felt a lot heavier than french fries.” (h/t MMA Fighting)

“On the Anik & Florian podcast, we tried to lead the dance with the technical stuff and the fight itself as opposed to the scorecards. But when so much is at stake, I understand why people who are emotional and passionate have their opinions. I think the sport at its highest level is so close, and the elite fights between elite fighters oftentimes are the ones that are the most hotly contested.”

“There’s any number of different directions in which we could go. The pound-for-pound discussion is largely a cosmetic one. I do believe that the next fights for Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski are bigger, and I would say in terms of the [UFC 284 fight’s] heightening expectations, you could argue it exceeded them.”

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