It’s been a irritating yr for Corey Anderson outdoors of profitable the vacant Bellator gentle heavyweight title again in March.
Whereas that second allowed him to realize a lifelong dream to carry a championship belt, the subsequent 9 months that adopted didn’t present a title protection or any type of struggle 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 After studying that outdated viral Vadim Nemkov was returning in January at a PFL card in Dubai and his authentic opponent Ante Delija was injured, Anderson jumped on the probability to seize that chance even when it meant shifting 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 would like this struggle,” Anderson instructed MMA Preventing. “They mentioned [Ante Delija is] harm. [Bellator] mentioned ‘we haven’t heard nothing about it’ after which afterward they have been like ‘I suppose he’s harm, I don’t know if he’ll take the struggle or what not however I’ll see, I’ll do what I can for you, I do know you actually need this struggle, I’ll do my greatest.’
“This ain’t about cash for me. We’ve acquired to settle this beef. We’ve acquired 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 struggle however then an unintended conflict of heads resulted within the matchup being declared a no-contest. Within the rematch, Nemkov made the mandatory changes and placed on a virtually shutout efficiency to beat Anderson by unanimous choice.
Anderson revealed Bellator truly had plans to e book the trilogy again in 2023 however that’s across the similar 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 struggle was truly going to occur after his supervisor Ali Abdelaziz shared the information with him.
Even Anderson was in disbelief.
“I referred to as Bellator and mentioned ‘hey, Ali simply referred to as me and mentioned they accepted the struggle, is he pulling my chain? Is he simply speaking or is he for actual?” Anderson recounted. “[Bellator] mentioned ‘no, we actually acquired it performed. We have been stunned, too, they agreed to the struggle.’ For actual.”
With that, Anderson began planning across the holidays so he may journey from his residence in Indiana out to Las Vegas to start out his coaching camp earlier than then shifting 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 struggle him once more.
Anderson noticed an interview translated from Russian the place Nemkov denied even being supplied the struggle however he made a name to PFL and Bellator executives, who as soon as once more assured him all the things was good to go for January.
Then the underside fell out.
“Thursday evening, getting my final exercise in earlier than I am going to dinner, I choose up my telephone, my telephone goes off and it says ‘he’s doing it once more,’” Anderson mentioned. “What do you imply he’s doing it once more? ‘Now he doesn’t need to struggle once more, he says he wants extra time to organize for you, you’re too robust an opponent to organize for on brief discover.’
“On brief 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 struggle finalized. Barely 48 hours later, Anderson acquired 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 telephone had an e-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 struggle — he simply doesn’t need to struggle you.’ I’m trying on the telephone like what? This will’t be proper. No method he mentioned that. [Bellator] mentioned ‘no, he actually mentioned he needs to struggle, he simply doesn’t need to struggle Corey Anderson this struggle.’ So I used to be like so it’s over? Yeah, it’s over.”
So Anderson packed up all the things and ready for a visit residence with no indication about when he may struggle once more outdoors of PFL and Bellator officers assuring him he would struggle ahead of later.
Whereas getting lively once more is unquestionably necessary to Anderson, he actually needed the Nemkov struggle greater than the rest and now he’s starting to comprehend 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 consider he was fearful of me,” Anderson mentioned. “Now I do know for a truth. I don’t should consider it. I don’t should assume it. Now I do know. This man is scared. There’s no cause why you’d ask for an additional opponent and also you didn’t need to struggle me. It’s what it’s.
“Dot the I’s, cross the T’s, it’s proper there. He doesn’t need to struggle me. He scared to struggle me. You bought scared. It was time to go to the altar, you bought chilly toes 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 struggle 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 excellent yr for him is that he’s successfully moved on from the Nemkov struggle, particularly if rumors are true that the Russian is competing on the ultimate struggle of his present deal.
“I really feel like after this, he’ll most likely by no means take the chance to struggle me once more,” Anderson mentioned about Nemkov. “One, he knew I needed the struggle 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 search out one other method 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 struggle. It’s very irritating, particularly getting older. Ya’ll hold telling me we’re going to get a struggle 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 type of irritating. However on the similar time, I put my religion in God, he’s going to care for it on the finish of the day.”
