UFC veteran Corey Anderson is headed to Bellator.
According to several sources, Anderson, who was ranked fourth in the UFCs rankings and was not a totally free representative, recently requested for his release from the promotion and was granted it. He still had actually multiple battles left on his offer, sources state. Shortly thereafter, he signed a new, multifight handle Bellator.
Corey Anderson was 4-1 in his last 5 battles in the UFC before requesting for his release from the promotion. Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Getty ImagesAndersons Bellator debut hasnt been settled yet, however he figures to be a significant player in the promotions light heavyweight division.
” This was a mutual decision between Corey and the UFC,” stated Andersons manager, Ali Abdelaziz. “I d like to thank the UFC and Bellator, everybody included. This whole procedure took less than two hours to overcome, and were grateful to both promotions.”
Anderson (13-5) most just recently lost to Jan Blachowicz by means of first-round knockout in February. Prior to that, he had won 4 fights in a row, including wins over Johnny Walker, Glover Teixeira and Ilir Latifi. Had he beat Blachowicz, he could have very well been next in line for a title shot against champion Jon Jones.
This marks completion of his six-year run with the UFC. He debuted in 2014 after winning the 19th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality program.
Bellator light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader will defend his title versus Vadim Nemkov on Aug. 21.
Sources: Corey Anderson leaves UFC, inks deal with Bellator – ESPN
