ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones likely will be in attendance at ESPN+ 25, but headliner Corey Anderson doesn’t seem to care.
Riding a four-fight winning streak, Anderson (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) very well could be on the verge of a title shot. However, Anderson isn’t looking past Saturday when he rematches Jan Blachowicz.
“At this point in my career, every fight is just another fight,” Anderson told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “Once we sign a contract, we’re worried about that opponent and that opponent only. We’re going to go out there and do the best we can to dominate that fight.
“… I’m worried about Saturday right now. I just have to worry about Jan Blachowicz. That’s my championship fight. That’s my title fight. That’s my five-round fight to go out there and showcase my skills. What happens after that happens. I can’t sit here and worry about, ‘Oh, am I going to get the title fight next?’ Because we’ve got Jon Jones talking about going to heavyweight. They’re talking about this rematch now. You put all of this different pressure on yourself, and you go out there and get out of your mindset.”
When asked about Jones, who trains nearby at Jackson Wink MMA, Anderson reiterated he’s not interested in talking about his long-term future – just Blachowicz (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC).
“I’m not going to try to do anything but be me,” Anderson said. “Hopefully he’s got good seats, and he sees a great show.”
At UFC 191 in September 2015, Anderson defeated Blachowicz in their first matchup. Despite having fought the Polish light heavyweight, Anderson doesn’t think the first fight has much bearing on this one. According to Anderson, he’s improved leaps and bounds.
“A lot of people don’t realize when we fought then, that was only a year-and-a-half of me fighting period,” Anderson said. “I was 5-1. I went into ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ at 3-0 with five to six months fighting experience. That was my third fight in the UFC, and I was 5-1. Now I’m 14-4.”
To Anderson, Blachowicz has improved too. The longtime pro has accumulated more UFC experience and has become hungrier, Anderson indicated.
“Preparing back then, I was fighting for a whole other fighter,” Anderson said. “I’m preparing for someone I’ve never seen. Five years later? That’s half a decade. Things change. So, to me, it’s a whole new person. It’s a whole new perspective. His mindset is different.”
UFC on ESPN+ 25 takes place Saturday at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. The event streams on ESPN+.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full UFC on ESPN+ 25 pre-fight interview with Anderson in the video above.
Corey Anderson not focused on Jon Jones, just Jan Blachowicz: 'That's my championship fight'