Anderson Would’ve ‘Dogged’ Jiri and Glover

Corey Anderson is more win away from realizing his mixed martial arts (MMA) championship dreams when he battles current Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight champion, Vadim Nemkov, later tonight (Fri., Nov. 12, 2022) in the main event of Bellator 288.

The fight will also mark the end of the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, which began in 2021 The tournament’s conclusion was halted after the first meeting between Anderson and Nemkov was ruled a no-contest (NC) as a result of an inadvertent clash of heads. Prior to the fight being stopped, Anderson was in cruise control, dominating the fight up until the third round thanks to his wrestling skills.

It’s because of his transition back to his roots that “Overtime” has won three straight and is one more win away from not only capturing the division strap and the Grand Prix title but a $1 million check. For Anderson, it is no longer about trying to become famous by earning highlight reel knockouts, it’s about getting the win by any means necessary.

“I just want to win,” Anderson said in an interview with ESPN. “You look for a knockout to get the attention and retweets and reposts, and all of a sudden it gets you famous on social media. I don’t care about being famous. I care about being a winner.”

Anderson parted ways with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) following a knockout loss to former 205-pound champion, Jan Blachowicz in Feb. 2020, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Now, Blachowicz is no longer the champion after he was dethroned by Glover Teixeira, who was subsequently defeated by the current champion, Jiri Prochazka, at UFC 275.

It was an exciting back-and-forth title fight that Anderson tuned in to watch from home. And the competitor in him couldn’t help but think what would happen if it was him facing either one of them.

“Yo, I would have dogged both of these dudes,” said Anderson in regard to what he told his wife, who was watching the fight with him.

“I would have taken them down and just ground-and-pounded. The way I’m fighting now, it’s simple. I’m not going out there trying to be exciting. I’m not worried about pleasing the fans. I’m not going out there and striking with nobody,” he added before saying he believes he and Nemkov are the two best Light Heavyweights on the planet.

“How can you not say the two best are here?” Anderson said. “The two here fought the two best there and we already proved why we’re better than them. Now, it’s between us to set up who is the best.”

Anderson did defeat Teixeira in July 2018 via unanimous decision, while Nemkov came up short against Prochazka under the RIZIN banner in 2015. Still, “Overtime” feels the winner of this rematch will truly be the king of the 205-pound division. As for Teixeira and Prochazka, they are set to run it back in the main event of UFC 282 on Dec. 10, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

---

To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.