PHOENIX — Corey Anderson is rather familiar with each fighter competing for the UFC light heavyweight crown at UFC 267 on Fight Island.
The current Bellator 205-pound contender saw his last defeat come against the current titlist in Jan Blachowicz when squaring off in February 2020 – his final bout with the UFC. Two wins prior, Anderson scored a unanimous decision nod against Blachowicz’s upcoming challenger in Glover Teixeira.
“I think it’s gonna go to Glover,” Corey Anderson told BJPenn.com of the next UFC light heavyweight title bout. “Everybody’s talking about ‘the polish power, the polish power.’ Yeah. But Glover has heart and we all have seen Glover get clipped. I dropped him, ‘Marretta’ dropped him, everybody he has fought has dropped him. Even my buddy, [1]85er Karl [Roberson] dropped him. But he’s so good at weathering the storm that when he’s coming back, he’s coming back.
“Even if Jan catches him early, I don’t see him knocking him out cold. The only person that knocked him out cold is [Anthony] ‘Rumble’ [Johnson]. Other than that, he’s always come back to get the finish and I think that’s gonna happen again.”
Corey Anderson will take on Ryan Bader this Saturday night at Bellator 268 in the light heavyweight tournament’s semi-finals. The winner will take on the winner of the main event between current champion Vadim Nemkov and Julius Anglickas.
“My favorite fight is Glover Teixeira. I think that was probably the toughest fight,” Corey Anderson said. “I fight guys to break guys. I don’t fight just to win, I don’t fight to come out and say, ‘Oh, split decision.’ I want dominance where you go back and say, ‘If I fought him again, the same thing is gonna happen.’ Nine times out of ten, I’m gonna win. And even probably the 10. You might catch me, but nine times I’m gonna beat you.
“But when I fought Glover, I remember, I usually look at people in the third round getting off the stool [breathing heavy]. I got up, I looked at Glover, my coaches didn’t say nothing, he had this look like ‘I’m about to take your f*ckin’…’ ah sh*t, I’m a little tired now… He intimidated me with his look (laughs). And that was probably the toughest bouts I had. I went back and watched and I’m looking at the clock the whole third round. This is lasting too long. His look and his demeanor, he never quit. 40 something years old, he’s still there and ready to kill you the whole round.”