To close out 2020, a hot topic was Bellator vs. UFC at 205-pounds. Having competed for both promotions, Corey Anderson leans towards his new home.
Winning season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2014, Anderson would go on to enjoy a 10-5 tenure inside the Octagon (14-5 overall). After suffering an early 2020 defeat in his rematch with the now-champion, Jan Blachowicz, “Overtime” departed from the UFC in mid-2020 to sign with Bellator. Thus bolstering a continuously growing division.
“I just feel right now Bellator has the upper hand,” Anderson said of the light heavyweight division when speaking with MMA Fighting. “[Jon] Jones has left. They’ve got these hype trains. These young guys UFC has coming in they’re trying to hype up but I feel like their legitimacy aren’t like the vets that were there that are in Bellator now.”
Two of Bellator’s biggest pickups to round out the tumultuous past year came in the forms of ex-UFC title challengers, Yoel Romero and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. For Romero, he’s expected to compete at 205-pounds for the first time since his time in Strikeforce 10 years prior. “Rumble,” on the other hand, has been retired since losing a rematch against Daniel Cormier in April 2017.
“These last two signings they made definitely made it a stronger case,” Anderson said. “At first, I was in the UFC and I was No. 4 when I left. The only person I hadn’t fought was Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes. I had beat Jan Blachowicz once and Anthony Smith was above me but we see where Anthony Smith’s at now. He just got his first win in a while against an unranked guy.
“Then you’ve got me, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, Yoel Romero, two guys right there that fought for titles. Me, who was on the cusp of a title. Then you’ve got [Vadim] Nemkov, who just beat Ryan Bader. You’ve got ‘Rumble,’ who beat Ryan Bader. You’ve got Phil Davis. You’ve got all these names who have already fought at the top of the UFC.”
Corey Anderson successfully debuted in Bellator at Bellator 251 in November where he picked up a second-round TKO against Melvin Manhoef.