It’s been a irritating yr for Corey Anderson outdoors of successful the vacant Bellator gentle heavyweight title again in March.
Whereas that second allowed him to attain a lifelong dream to carry a championship belt, the subsequent 9 months that adopted didn’t present a title protection or any form of combat as he remained on the sidelines simply ready for the PFL or Bellator to e-book his subsequent bout. After studying that outdated viral Vadim Nemkov was returning in January at a PFL card in Dubai and his authentic opponent Ante Delija was injured, Anderson jumped on the likelihood to seize that chance even when it meant transferring as much as heavyweight.
“I reached out to Bellator and Mike Kogan proper then and I used to be like yo, if that is true, I need this combat,” Anderson instructed MMA Preventing. “They stated [Ante Delija is] damage. [Bellator] stated ‘we haven’t heard nothing about it’ after which in a while they have been like ‘I assume he’s damage, I don’t know if he’ll take the combat or what not however I’ll see, I’ll do what I can for you, I do know you actually need this combat, I’ll do my greatest.’
“This ain’t about cash for me. We’ve obtained to settle this beef. We’ve obtained to determine the true greatest. We’re 1-1, we each know one another’s video games, let’s get a full camp in and let’s get it going.”
The primary assembly noticed Anderson dominate Nemkov for almost all of the combat however then an unintended conflict of heads resulted within the matchup being declared a no-contest. Within the rematch, Nemkov made the required changes and placed on a virtually shutout efficiency to beat Anderson by unanimous determination.
Anderson revealed Bellator truly had plans to e-book the trilogy again in 2023 however that’s across the identical time Nemkov determined he was leaving the 205-pound division to pursue fights at heavyweight.
However Anderson was more than pleased to pack on a couple of kilos to lastly settle the rating with Nemkov and he was over the moon to listen to his dream combat was truly going to occur after his supervisor Ali Abdelaziz shared the information with him.
Even Anderson was in disbelief.
“I known as Bellator and stated ‘hey, Ali simply known as me and stated they accepted the combat, is he pulling my chain? Is he simply speaking or is he for actual?” Anderson recounted. “[Bellator] stated ‘no, we actually obtained it finished. We have been shocked, too, they agreed to the combat.’ For actual.”
With that, Anderson began planning across the holidays so he may journey from his dwelling in Indiana out to Las Vegas to begin his coaching camp earlier than then transferring again out east to complete issues up in New Jersey.
After arriving in Las Vegas to start working with coach Eric Nicksick at Xtreme Couture, Anderson began listening to rumors that maybe Nemkov wasn’t truly going to combat him once more.
Anderson noticed an interview translated from Russian the place Nemkov denied even being supplied the combat however he made a name to PFL and Bellator executives, who as soon as once more assured him all the pieces was good to go for January.
Then the underside fell out.
“Thursday evening, getting my final exercise in earlier than I’m going to dinner, I decide up my cellphone, my cellphone goes off and it says ‘he’s doing it once more,’” Anderson stated. “What do you imply he’s doing it once more? ‘Now he doesn’t need to combat once more, he says he wants extra time to organize for you, you’re too powerful an opponent to organize for on quick discover.’
“On quick discover? It’s seven or eight weeks out, we fought twice, what are you speaking about?”
Anderson says Bellator officers instructed him to proceed coaching and they might work on Nemkov with hopes of getting the combat finalized. Barely 48 hours later, Anderson obtained the information he didn’t need to hear.
“I get up Saturday morning on the brink of go to sparring at 7:30 and my cellphone had an electronic mail ‘simply go forward and scratch it, we’ve been going at him all day, about 24 hours and he’s giving a tough no,’” Anderson relayed. “He needs one other opponent. He doesn’t need you. He’ll take one other opponent, he needs to remain on the cardboard.’
“At first I used to be like he doesn’t need to keep on the cardboard in any respect and [they said] ‘he requested to remain on the cardboard, he actually needs to combat — he simply doesn’t need to combat you.’ I’m wanting on the cellphone like what? This may’t be proper. No manner he stated that. [Bellator] stated ‘no, he actually stated he needs to combat, he simply doesn’t need to combat Corey Anderson this combat.’ So I used to be like so it’s over? Yeah, it’s over.”
So Anderson packed up all the pieces and ready for a visit dwelling with no indication about when he would possibly combat once more outdoors of PFL and Bellator officers assuring him he would combat ahead of later.
Whereas getting lively once more is certainly necessary to Anderson, he actually wished the Nemkov combat greater than anything and now he’s starting to understand that trilogy might be by no means going to occur.
“I instructed you some time in the past earlier than he moved to heavyweight, I imagine he was fearful of me,” Anderson stated. “Now I do know for a truth. I don’t must imagine it. I don’t must suppose it. Now I do know. This man is scared. There’s no cause why you’d ask for one more opponent and also you didn’t need to combat me. It’s what it’s.
“Dot the I’s, cross the T’s, it’s proper there. He doesn’t need to combat me. He scared to combat me. You bought scared. It was time to go to the altar, you bought chilly ft and ran. That’s all proper. I’ll take it. I get it, you’re fearful of me. Thanks.”
As of now, Anderson doesn’t know when he’ll combat once more however he’s nonetheless hoping for someday in early 2025. The one factor Anderson can say for sure after a rotten finish to what began out as an awesome yr for him is that he’s successfully moved on from the Nemkov combat, particularly if rumors are true that the Russian is competing on the ultimate combat of his present deal.
“I really feel like after this, he’ll in all probability by no means take the chance to combat me once more,” Anderson stated about Nemkov. “One, he knew I wished the combat in order that’s on him, he’ll end [his contract] on the excessive word. We’ll by no means do the trilogy. By no means an opportunity of me beating him once more. Two, I simply really feel like if it retains coming, he’s going to seek out one other manner out of it.
“Dec. 22 would be the longest I’ve been out, which is 9 months. The longest earlier than that was earlier than the Johnny Walker combat. It’s very irritating, particularly getting older. Ya’ll hold telling me we’re going to get a combat booked however I’m coaching on a regular basis, twice a day, and it’s not like I’m a 20 some yr outdated child. I’m 35. The physique doesn’t heal the identical. It’s form of irritating. However on the identical time, I put my religion in God, he’s going to deal with it on the finish of the day.”
