Corey Anderson proved his worth in the light heavyweight division during his UFC 244 fight. ‘Overtime’ finished Johnny Walker by TKO just over two minutes into the first round, putting an end to his opponent’s 9-fight win streak.
The explosive win served as a pinnacle moment for Anderson as he called for a title shot from the UFC or to be released from his contract. He has previously expressed frustration with the promotions company, feeling that he hasn’t received the opportunities he deserves. He said during an interview with MMA Fighting.
“I ended up meeting with the owners of the UFC, and it’s pretty much the same thing they said. (They said), ‘We’ve got to get the needle moving on you before we can get you any big fights.”
During the UFC 244 post-fight press conference, Dana White responded to Corey Anderson’s comments and dismissed him as a cry baby:
“So he came in here very angry this week. All these conspiracy theories, we hate him, we this, that and everything else, all this crybaby bullsh*t,
“We’re trying to get him beat. We can’t get you beat. You can either win or you can’t. ‘We like Walker better’ or whatever the stuff he was saying.
“No, some guys move faster than others, you’re telling us what you deserve. Show us what you deserve. Tonight you showed us. Got it. Message received. Now we know.
“You guys were there, were you not at the weigh-ins? Not one person clapped for him at the weigh-ins,” White said. “Walker got a pretty big pop when he came out. I’ll bet people will notice him next time, won’t they?
“You came out and you showed everybody. You did something. Now we’ll move on.”
Whilst the UFC President admitted that Anderson delivered a memorable performance, he cited other light heavyweight players that deserve a title shot. The undefeated Dominick Reyes beat Chris Weidman at UFC Boston and is looking to challenge the current champion, Jon Jones.
“I’m not saying you’re getting a title shot next or whatever. Dominick Reyes won, too, impressively. We’ll figure out what’s next for you and when your contract is up, if you still don’t want to be here, you can do whatever you want to do,” White said.
“In the meantime, take the fights that we offer you. Pretty simple.
“We’re not trying to get you beat. We’re not trying to get anybody beat. If you think you deserve a shot at the title, how am I going to get you beat with the No. 11 or 14th-ranked guy in the world or whatever he was tonight, if you deserve a title shot?”