Roy Nelson – (or was it a man imitating Willie Nelson or Grizzly Adams ?) – showed a fine line in what he referred to as "hobo chic" when I spoke to him backstage after the press conference for UFC 137 on Las Vegas Boulevard this week. The thinking behind the grey suit, shirt and tie ? "My wife said that having grown the beard, I needed to smarten up, so here we are…" explained a thinned-down Nelson, who meets a determined-looking Mirko Cro Cop in a heavyweight bout at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night.
Have just finished recording the last episode of ESPN's MMA Live show with Jon Anik as anchor. Anik joins the UFC as a presenter, and will alternate with Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg with the UFC having upped the number of events it will be staging next year. Anik flew down from Bristol, Connecticut on Wednesday for the UFC press conference, then back up to CT for MMA Live on Thursday night. "Man, I actually felt nervous getting up there on the dais," said Anik. He won't ne, though, when it comes to covering fights blow by blow. Knowing him well, he's a perfectionist.
Anik, well known in the MMA world for his excellent anchorage of ground breaking show MMA Live on ESPN, joins the UFC as a play by play commentator on the FX shows from January. Anik will also anchor a newly-revamped version of The Ultimate Fighter, and present a weekly show for the fight organization.
“It was a great opportunity and it is the only place I would have left ESPN for. The sport is on the up and up and it will be great to be a part of it.”
UFC President Dana White joked: “We needed extra talent for the roles Jon will take on. Our schedule over the next few years is going to be so busy let me tell you now, Jon’s going to wonder whether he should be back at ESPN.”
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