Nina-Marie Daniele reacts to Jon Anik's "wicked fortunate" tweet about her MMA media career
Nina-Marie Daniele and Jon Anik recently exchanged some pleasant words on social media.
While Anik has served as a core member of the UFC's commentary team since 2011 and is widely considered an important authority in MMA, Daniele recently came into the spotlight as an up-and-coming social media influencer with a penchant for interviewing mixed martial artists.
'Nina Drama' initially grabbed eyeballs after becoming Playboy Magazine's 'Playmate of the Month' in April 2017. She later transitioned into an MMA-based influencer. Her unique brand of awkward interviews soon caught UFC CEO Dana White's eye and she's worked for the promotion UFC ever since.
While her one-of-a-kind interviews are undoubtedly a hit among fans, many have slammed her for ruining the seriousness of the sport. However, Daniele pushed on and recently uploaded a heartfelt message on X, thanking all those who supported her over the past year.
Anik was among those who wished her well in the post's comments section. The veteran UFC commentator wrote:
"We are wicked fortunate to have you in the MMA space. You have brought a ton of positive attention to the athletes, and you do an outstanding job."
Daniele was blown away by Anik's kind words and thanked him with a note of gratitude. Calling him the "GOAT" of MMA commentary, she wrote:
"This made my freaking day! Thank you, Jon! You’re the Goat and inspire me so much! The UFC and the entire MMA community is lucky to have you @Jon_Anik."
Nina-Marie Daniele reveals how Sean Strickland behaves around fans
It's no secret that Nina-Marie Daniele and Sean Strickland share a close relationship and are often seen creating hilarious social media content together. Given their friendship, she unsurprisingly accompanied Strickland to Canada for his UFC 297 title fight against Dricus du Plessis last weekend.
Before the event, Strickland featured in an episode of the UFC 297 Embedded vlogs. In the video, he could be seen travelling to Canada with his partner and Daniele in a car. During their journey, they make a pit stop at a convenience store where 'Tarzan' obliges fan requests for pictures.
Daniele then speaks directly to the camera and outlines how important Strickland's fans are to him and how they helped him get to the top. She says:
"He is the people's champ. Like, he really is that guy... I've never seen Sean say no to a fan. They motivate him too and they help him get to where he is. You don't see that a lot."
Catch Nina-Marie Daniele's comments below (1:00):