Corey Anderson excited grand prix final has arrived, wants to pop champagne at Bellator 277

SAN JOSE, Calif. – It’s been a long time coming for Corey Anderson, but he sees the light at the end of the tunnel.

Friday in the Bellator 277 co-main event at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) gets his long-awaited shot at the light heavyweight title when he takes on champipm Vadim Nemkov (15-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA). The fight also is the final of Bellator’s 205-pound grand prix, which started more than a year ago.

“I’m really excited for this opportunity,” Anderson told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s Bellator 277 media day. “I’ve been grinding. The opening round was April 14 of last year. I’ve been training nonstop for a year. I can’t wait to get it over with and win this belt.”

Anderson is a slight underdog in the fight despite two TKO wins in the first two rounds of the tournament against Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov and former champ Ryan Bader, who still is Bellator’s heavyweight titleholder. His stoppage of Bader took just 51 seconds.

Nemkov’s road to the final came with a five-round title defense win over former champ Phil Davis, then a fourth-round submission of Julius Anglickas. He hasn’t lost in six years, which may have helped him attain that favorite status.

But Anderson sees a path to his win that looks similar to his other two grand prix fights.

“I just need to be me on Friday night,” he said. “I just need to do the same thing I’ve been doing and be dominant. When I win, I win. When I do what Corey Anderson does, I win emphatically.

“… There is not a doubt in my mind that I am the best light heavyweight on the planet. There hasn’t been a doubt, and I’ll show that on Friday night.”

Check out Anderson’s full media day interview in the video above.