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Sometimes it's just time to move on. And that's the case for "Overtime" Corey Anderson.
Corey Anderson asked for his release from the UFC and was subsequently granted it. And then almost immediately was signed by Scott Coker and Bellator. The 30-year-old Jersey native was on his best run in the company winning four in a row (3 unanimous decisions in a row before finishing Johnny Walker in the 1st round).
Then came his opportunity to prove title worthy, or at least mentioned in the conversation. But Corey Anderson was finished by Jan Blachowicz in the first round. Despite that, the married and brand new father of a baby girl wanted more respect from the company. Anderson had always done what was asked, ad toed the line. Making waves is just not his style.
Although towards his run he opened up a bit more about being unhappy in the UFC. And he even had a run-in with Jon Jones at an autograph appearance for the champion. But the now formerly ranked 4th light heavyweight hasn't let it be known what the final straw for him was.
Corey Anderson departs from the UFC
Corey Anderson came into the UFC at 3-0. With the organization, he went 10-5 with only two 1st round finish wins. His first fight in the UFC, versus Matt Van Buren, was the finale of season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter, where he also went 3-0 and that last win against Johnny Walker.
In between, he went to the scorecards either winning or losing 8 times, going 7-1. And that's always been his albatross. He's not a finisher for someone with his wrestling and boxing skills or his size. With Jon Jones still atop the division and some flashy young stars on the rise, the release wasn't a shock.
The fact that the Ali Abdelaziz and Dominance MMA client signed on so quickly with Bellator is a tad shocking. And in the Paramount run company, he may find the grass truly isn't always greener.
Ryan Bader is a double champ, Vadim Nemkov is a surging bull of talent getting a huge push right now. Phil Davis and Rafael Carvalho are tough outs. And Tyree Fortune and Grant Neal seem to be the real deals.
Is 205 in Bellator filled with the landmines there is in the UFC? No, but it's still tough, just in a different light. There were multiple fights left on his contract, so no telling if Ali was able to somehow just transfer them, or a whole new deal was made. But the contract he signed did have multiple fights tied to it.
With Bellator using the Mohegan Sun Arena as it's base of operations right now, there's the possibility Corey Anderson could slide into the August 28th card or the September 11th card.
