Corey Anderson will hope the third time is the charm in his attempt to capture the Bellator light heavyweight title.
After longtime champ Vadim Nemkov vacated the belt to move up to the heavyweight division, a plan has been set in motion to crown a new titleholder, with Anderson (17-6 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) set to take on Karl Moore (12-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the headliner of a March 22 event expected to take place in Belfast, Ireland. A venue and broadcast plans haven’t been revealed.
It will be the first Bellator branded fight card since the promotion was acquired by PFL late last year.
MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person close to the situation following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. The person requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Anderson, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings, came up short in back-to-back fights with then-champ Nemkov in 2022, seeing the first fight end in a no contest before the rematch resulted in a unanimous decision loss. The 34-year-old rebounded in June, beating Phil Davis by split decision at Bellator 297.
Now “Overtime” will finally try to get his hands on the belt, but standing in his way will be Moore, who has put together a four-fight winning streak since joining Bellator in September 2019. The 32-year-old has only been finished once in his career, and that was a submission defeat to UFC veteran Paul Craig in September 2015.
Corey Anderson vs. Karl Moore vacant title fight headlines Bellator’s 2024 debut in Belfast
