Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
Corey Anderson wants to end Johnny Walker’s ascension at UFC 244.
Light heavyweight contender Corey Anderson is ready to end one of the division’s most interesting contender’s hot streak at UFC 244. Paired up to take on flashy striker Johnny Walker on November 2, ‘Overtime’ tells Combate he is prepared to crush the UFC’s plans of making him a stepping stone for the Brazilian.
While he makes the final preparations for the fight, Anderson claims to be in the best shape of his career to take on Walker, and believes to be superior in every single aspect of the game, a mindset Corey feels like will award him the win on Saturday night.
“I see this fight as any other,” Anderson said. “I see myself as the best in the division. I made mistakes in the past, I learned from those mistakes and now I’m putting what I learned to practice. I’ll go out there with my hands up and do what I always do. I’ll dominate him at UFC 244.
“I’ll establish my pace, I’ll use my strikes, my reach, my chin, my jiu-jitsu, everything in my arsenal. I can’t go out there with just one card up my sleeve, which is what he does. I’ll prove it in the Octagon. There’s a lot of commotion around Johnny Walker. He’s become the new favorite. Everyone hopes he will become the champion. There is always someone like that, but very few that get into the UFC managed to keep their names at the top. Johnny Walker is the man the UFC wants to win, they’re investing in him, they want him to get to the top and my job is to stop that from happening.”
A vicious finisher, Johnny Walker ended all three of his Octagon appearances before the two-minute mark of the first round, which is why Anderson believes the Brazilian is on the fast track to title contention, even if he has yet to face a ranked opponent. In Corey’s opinion, the Brazilian is only getting such a treatment because the UFC sees in Walker an opportunity to make more money.
“Fans love Johnny Walker and the UFC wants fans to get what they want because they’re the ones buying the products, the pay-per-views, it’s them who will make the company millions, they’ll keep the money coming in,” Anderson said. “Unfortunately, whoever brings the most money for the company gets all the chances, it’s not about who’s the best anymore.”
On a three-fight winning streak, Corey Anderson (12-4) bested Ilir Latifi, Glover Teixeira and Patrick Cummins all via unanimous decision. The 30-year-old’s last loss came in November 2017, when he was knocked out by Ovince Saint Preux.
UFC 244 is scheduled to be headlined by a welterweight bout between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal on Saturday, November 2nd at New York’s Madison Square Garden.