Jon Anik signs contract extension to remain a part of UFC's broadcast team

Has it been three years already?

It's been three years since Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hired former "MMA Live" host and ESPN anchor, Jon Anik, to its broadcast team.

And if you're a fan of Anik's skills on the mic, you're in luck, because Jon revealed on a recent edition of The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting) that he will remain with the ZUFFA-owned company for the foreseeable future thanks to a new contract extension.

Anik breaks it down:

"I am sticking around. I've signed an extension with the UFC. Hopefully they'll sign it and mail it back to me pretty soon. Anyone who knows me knows that this is the job I've wanted for a long time. The bottom line, Ariel, I'm not a lifelong martial artist, but that doesn't change that this is my passion, that this is my favorite sport and that this is what I want to do with my life. I left ESPN honestly hoping to do this job for 20, 25 years. I guess signing an extension here is a big moment for me and hopefully the second of many contracts with the UFC. No, this is not a Chris Fowler, 10-year, $35 million dollar deal either, but it's a longer term, certainly longer than two years, which I think sometimes can be a standard contract in the broadcasting world. It'll be pretty much a similar role. I'll probably do 20 to 22 live events per year. I imagine Ultimate Insider will continue to be part of it in some capacity. I continue to campaign for them to bring The Ultimate Fighter back to a live format, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen."

Jon and his usual partner, Kenny Florian, are pegged to do play-by-play and color commentary for UFC Fight Night events, with pay-per-view (PPV) shows reserved for longtime veterans Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg.

Aside from his commentating duties, Anik is the host of UFC's "Ultimate Insider."

The addition of Anik has been a welcome and a necessary one, as UFC has been putting on a record number of shows over the last few years.

And since the world's leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon, you can be certain Anik will likely remain with the company for years to come.