Corey Anderson: If Jan Blachowicz loses to Glover Teixeira, debate on No. 1 light heavyweight is over
Corey Anderson thinks MMA math could solve the debate on who the No. 1 205-pounder is.
Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) has been jawing back-and-forth with UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and since they currently compete in different organizations, they may never get to settle their score.
Both men hold a win over each other in the UFC, with Anderson defeating Blachowicz via unanimous decision in 2015 and Blachowicz evening the score with a knockout victory in what would be Anderson’s final fight in the octagon. But since departing from the UFC, Anderson has flourished and finds himself in the Bellator grand prix final against reigning champion Vadim Nemkov.
Meanwhile, Blachowicz (28-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) is set to defend his title at UFC 267 on Oct. 30 against Glover Teixeira, a man Anderson already holds a win over. So Anderson thinks if Blachowicz loses to Teixeira, that settles their argument.
“It doesn’t upset me, I think it’s cute it upsets him,” Anderson told MMA Junkie. “He’s the one being vocal about it. I never said his name once in the media. All I said is ‘I’m the best in the world.’ He ran with it. Now he’s just bringing more attention to me. Every time my name gets mentioned, I’m getting more followers. He’s out there saying my name with Ariel Helwani and now people are looking me up. It’s cute, thank you.
“You’re in the bigger league, whatever you want to call it, I’m in the lower league, but you know I’m a threat. You know we’re 1-1, that’s all I gotta say. I’m not worried about it. I’m worried about Nemkov and getting that Bellator belt around my waist. He’s got a fight to worry about. He gotta worry about Glover and remember, I beat Glover. I am Glover’s last loss so he loses that one, that debate’s over.”
Anderson, who’s 3-0 under the Bellator banner, scored TKO wins over Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov and former dual-champ Ryan Bader en route to a title fight against Nemkov. No date has been set for his grand prix final showdown, but the 32-year-old is expecting it to take place in the first quarter of 2022.
