Bellator light heavyweight Corey Anderson is happy with his switch from the UFC and believes the gamble paid off ‘big time’.
Corey Anderson is scheduled for a 205-pound contest against the current Bellator heavyweight champion, Ryan Bader, at Bellator 268 this Saturday (Oct. 16, 2021). Bader, also a former Bellator light heavyweight titleholder, will meet Anderson in the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinal bout. The winner is poised to potentially earn a $1 million payday in the finals of the tournament.
This will be Anderson’s third fight since leaving the UFC after losing to Jan Błachowicz in 2020 by knockout in round one. The American admits his risk-taking already paid off following two Bellator TKO victories.
Ahead of their showdown this weekend, Corey Anderson shared on a recent episode of Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour how happy he is to be fighting for Bellator.
“Oh yeah, (the gamble) paid off big time. I made a post after my second fight, like UFC gave me a career, but Bellator gave me the life. After the first check, my wife didn’t have to work, I bought her a new car. I fly my family out to fights now, I can go on vacation, I can do whatever, because I’ve made more money here in two fights than I did in my whole career in the UFC,” Anderson said.
With high praise like this coming from a former UFC veteran, it appears a spot on the Bellator roster might start becoming increasingly difficult to turn away from.
Are you surprised to hear Corey Anderson’s claim about the pay gap between the UFC and Bellator?
