Corey Anderson thinks he might have been the biggest winner at UFC 247.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones successfully defended his title in a back-and-forth battle with a very game Dominick Reyes this past Saturday in Houston. And while many thought Reyes should have gotten the nod, top contender Anderson (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), is ultimately happy that Jones retained, because he wants to be the one to finally defeat Jones.
“I knew he was beatable,” Anderson told TMZ Sports. “I was the one that always said, ‘I know I can beat Jon, I know ways to beat him.’ I see the holes, I see what you got to do to beat him, and Dom went out there and did pretty much a lot of it. He went out there and did another blueprint of things that I had already seen, but I see so much more.
“I got more in my tank, and I got more in my style in the way I fight that Dom doesn’t that I think is going to be a problem for him. But at the end, I’m happy that Jon got the win because I get to be the one to dethrone him.”
Anderson didn’t see the fight as the massive robbery some have claimed it to be, and instead acknowledged the work that both guys put in during their five-round war. He’s happy with the outcome, though, because he knew that, had Reyes won, the UFC would have most likely booked an immediate rematch, putting his own title aspirations on hold for even longer.
“When I was watching, I was like, ‘Man, I could lose that opportunity to be the one to beat Jon,’” he explained. “It could have gone either way, especially when he got caught with a couple of shots and looked like he might have been hurt. Dom is usually known for pouring it on, but he (was) just so tired, he couldn’t do it.
“Dominick threw more punches and landed more, but, percentage-wise, I think Jon landed more. You could flip the coin on that one, it could have went either way.”
Having campaigned hard for a title shot through 2019, Anderson is riding a four-fight winning streak heading into his first fight of 2020, and he hopes a second career victory over fellow contender Jan Blachowicz at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 25 in New Mexico will see him move to the front of the queue to face Jones next.
Clearly, he fancies his chances of dethroning “Bones” and capturing the 205-pound crown.
Corey Anderson happy Jon Jones beat Dominick Reyes at UFC 247: 'I get to be the one to dethrone him'
