Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight contender, Corey Anderson, may be in the worst position any fighter can find himself (or herself) in when competing in the cutthroat world of mixed martial arts (MMA).
His boss thinks he’s boring and the fans think he sucks.
But that won’t stop “Overtime” from putting in the work he needs to get to a 205-pound title shot, even if it means eliminating ever single contender from the light heavyweight division until the promotion is forced to award him a crack at the crown.
“They pretty much told me, ‘The needle doesn’t move on you,’” Anderson explained to MMA Fighting. “That’s the whole point of taking this fight. It’s the needle mover. If you think of all the guys in the light heavyweight division, and who they say should be fighting Jon Jones next, and who they think will be the one to beat Jon Jones, they all say Johnny Walker. I’ll beat Johnny Walker, and everybody will say he was a one-trick pony, he wasn’t as good as we thought he was, and Corey Anderson still sucks. That’s just how they do me. No matter who I beat or how I win, I’m not that guy who’s flashy.”
Anderson is scheduled to collide with Walker on the UFC 244 pay-per-view (PPV) main card this Sat. (Nov. 2, 2019) inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. The former is ranked No. 7 at 205 pounds while the latter clocks in at No. 11.
In terms of future title shots, a win for Walker will have a greater impact on the light heavyweight title picture, simply because the Brazilian is a flashier, more dynamic athlete than Anderson, who brings a nuts-and-bolts approach to competing.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 244 click here.