Corey Anderson thinks his weight class in Bellator is now better than the UFC’s.
The veteran light heavyweight said the latest two signings added to Bellator’s 205-pound division, paired with him joining the promotion back in August, have boosted the division over its competitors. Former UFC title challengers Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson made the jump to Bellator late last year – two big names and respectable, world-class talents.
Anderson (14-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is confident in saying Bellator has surpassed the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
“I just feel right now Bellator has the upper hand,” Anderson said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “(Jon) Jones has left. They’ve got these hype trains. These young guys UFC has coming in, they’re trying to hype up, but I feel like their legitimacy aren’t like the vets that were there that are in Bellator now.
Anderson added, “These last two signings they made definitely made it a stronger case. At first, I was in the UFC, and I was No. 4 when I left. The only person I hadn’t fought was Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes. I had beat Jan Blachowicz once, and Anthony Smith was above me, but we see where Anthony Smith’s at now. He just got his first win in a while against an unranked guy.
“Then you’ve got me, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, Yoel Romero, two guys right there that fought for titles. Me, who was on the cusp of a title. Then you’ve got Nemkov, who just beat Ryan Bader. You’ve got ‘Rumble,’ who beat Ryan Bader. You’ve got Phil Davis. You’ve got all these names who have already fought at the top of the UFC.”
Anderson made his Bellator debut in November, stopping Melvin Manhoef in the second round at Bellator 251. Anderson has won five of his last six fights, with his lone loss coming to current UFC champion Jan Blachowicz.
Romero was able to sign with Bellator after the UFC abruptly ended his contract. UFC president Dana White said Romero’s release was part of a roster purge, as there were too many fighters signed to the company.
Anderson thinks the UFC roster cut could be a great aid to Bellator.
“It’s big names coming,” Anderson said. “That’s just making the legitimacy of Bellator, not just at 205, but the promotion with the moves they’re making, period. It makes them look very legit. The UFC are cutting ties with a lot of people, letting a lot of people go, a lot of the people that I feel shouldn’t be let go. That’s just making us stronger over in Bellator. Making us look even better.
“(UFC president Dana White is) always going to say his division’s the best. He’s going to say whatever he has to bag the reason why he had to let these people go, make it seem legit, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you say. World champs or not, they were some of the best in the world.”
Corey Anderson: Bellator ‘has the upper hand’ on UFC at light heavyweight
