Jon Anik Happy UFC “Still Stands Behind Anderson Silva” Even Though He Doesn’t

Las Vegas — Jon Anik believes Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen could be a headliner for the UFC Hall of Fame inauguration in its own right, and he remembers exactly where he was when that fight took place, before his time in the UFC.

“Then you’ve got Frankie Edgar and Joanna (Jedrzejczyk) and then guys who go by one name, Wanderlei and Shogun,” the always-chatty Anik told media, including Cageside Press, during the 2024 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “This is my 12th year doing this. I started on stage at the Fan Expo with Tito Ortiz in 2012; I think this is the deepest Hall of Fame class we’ve ever had.”

Though Silva was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for the second time last week — he joined the Pioneer Wing in 2023 and was reinstated for his classic against Sonnen in 2010 — he wasn’t on hand to accept the honor. “The Spider” had a somewhat troubled relationship with the promotion and Dana White during the later years of his run there.

“It’s disappointing, but I’m glad the company is still behind Anderson Silva and still pointing in his direction, even if he’s not,” Anik said of Silva’s absence. “I don’t necessarily know what’s going on internally, I wasn’t surprised to hear he wasn’t there, but hopefully Chael Sonnen with the way he’s been talking can pick up the torch somehow.”

Watch the full media appearances with Jon Anik from the 2024 UFC Hall of Fame ceremony above.