What’s Next For Corey Anderson?

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as UFC Fight Night 167 blew the roof off Santa Ana Star Center last Saturday night (Feb. 15, 2020) in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Michel Pereira, who let a sure-fire victory slip away after striking Diego Sanchez with an illegal knee that ultimately led to a disqualification (see it again here). And Nathaniel Wood, who suffered the first loss of his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career after getting knocked out by John Dodson (highlights).

But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?

Corey Anderson.

Coming into his headlining bout against Jan Blachowicz, Anderson was just one more win away from earning his first shot at the promotion’s Light Heavyweight title. He already had a little bit of beef built up with current division kingpin, Jon Jones, so it was a perfect fit to give him the next bid to dethrone “Bones” with a win.

Furthermore, he already had a win over Blachowicz, so Anderson’s confidence was at an all-time high. Unfortunately, Blachowicz had his own championship aspirations, as well as revenge on his mind. Prior to the bout, the Polish bomber predicted a knockout victory, and he delivered on that promise, sleeping Anderson with a sneaky and powerful right hand that dropped “Overtime,” making the follow up hammerfist nothing more than a shot for good measure as Anderson was already out for the count.

The loss snapped Anderson’s four-fight win streak and burst his championship bubble for the timebeing. Despite the setback, Anderson took the loss fairly well, vowing to return with a vengeance.

”A great coach once told me, ‘You have five minutes to sulk and then it’s on to the next one!’” he wrote in a statement. “We live and we learn, back to the drawing board. I appreciate each and every fan and hater! A loss has never stopped me and it ain’t stopping me now. See ya’ll at the top!”

There is a bright side for Anderson, as Jones has pretty much cleaned out the 205-pound division, and has already defeated all five fighters ranked in front of “Beastin’ 25/8.” That means if Anderson can secure a couple of impressive victories in a row, he could find himself in title consideration sooner, rather than later.

Furthermore, Daniel Cormier will likely be leaving the sport later this year, and Thiago Santos likely won’t make a return until late 2020, if not 2021. That means only Blachowicz, Anthony Smith and Dominick Reyes will be ahead of him to get to Jones.

Speaking of Reyes, now would be a good a time as any to book him against Anderson. The two have yet to cross paths inside the Octagon. And with Reyes coming off a loss to Jones, and a rematch unlikely to come anytime soon, he’ll have to get another “W” to get back to the big dance. Meanwhile, a win for Anderson would help him erase the memory of his most recent knockout loss, and put him right back into the thick of things.

Unless, of course, you have a better idea?

For complete UFC Rio Rancho results and coverage click here.