Corey Anderson will get his third opportunity to win the Light Heavyweight title later today (Fri., March 22, 2024) against Karl Moore in the main event of Bellator Belfast in Northern Ireland, kicking of the Bellator Champions Series on Max.
“Overtime’s” first fight against Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 277 resulted in a No Contest (NC) after an accidental clash of heads busted up the Russian big man wide open, forcing an anticlimactic stoppage. It’s a fight Anderson was firmly in control of up to that point.
In the rematch seven months later, Nemkov won a unanimous decision at Bellator 288 to win the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix and retain his title. A year later, Nemkov vacated the title to test his luck at Heavyweight. Despite his rival’s move up, Anderson says he is not opposed to packing on the pounds to complete the trilogy should he win the 205-pound strap and no worthy contender presents itself right away.
“100-perecent,” said Anderson during a recent media call regarding a potential move up to 265-pounds. “Especially if the fights slow down there’s nobody next in line right away after 205 I want to say active. I got the belt here I finished that business there’s no other fights that’s lined up, let me go up ahead and start another division and earn my way up to a title shot there as well and I guess just to build on that.”
“I mean obviously there’s a bit of unfinished business with Vadim Nemkov since he’s there. Is that just add to that appeal? 100-percent. I mean, when we was waiting, we didn’t know what was going on with the buyout and everything and I hadn’t had a fight news or anything heard from anybody and I heard Nemkov was going up, but it wasn’t sure who was gonna fight as soon as it was posted, he was going to heavyweight,” he said.
“I texted Mike Kogan and I was like, “Yo, since I’m sitting out, let me go up to heavyweight. “I’ll fight him there. I don’t care. I’ll be his debut fighter at heavyweight,” he added before saying he doesn’t care what weight class it happens, as long as it happens.
“I just want to get that trilogy back. So whether it’s a heavyweight or he ended up coming back down to 205, 100%, that’s a fight I would love to get back.
Before then, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contender has a big hurdle standing in his way in the form of Moore, who is ready to fulfill his destiny as champion by winning the vacant strap in front of his hometown crowd.
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