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Bellator Announce Eight-Man Light Heavyweight Tournament

Bellator has announced a light-heavyweight Gran-Prix is set to take place. An anonymous source with knowledge of the announcement reported the news to MMA DNA earlier today. Bellator have since confirmed the story during a press conference. To no one’s surprise, newly signed knockout artists and former UFC title challengers Yoel Romero and Anthony ‘Rumble’ […]

Bellator has announced a light-heavyweight Gran-Prix is set to take place.

An anonymous source with knowledge of the announcement reported the news to MMA DNA earlier today.

Bellator have since confirmed the story during a press conference.

To no one’s surprise, newly signed knockout artists and former UFC title challengers Yoel Romero and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson will be joining the action at 205 in their Bellator debuts. Although to a certain shock, Scott Coker has matched up these powerhouses to fight each other on April 16th!

Ryan Bader, the former kingpin of the division will also look to stake his claim back on the title. Bader was defeated by Fedor Emeilianko’s protege, Vadim Nemkov in a series of attacks in round two. While Bader may not get his revenge on Nemkov immediately, he will have a chance to redeem himself against another familiar opponent in Lyoto Machida. “The Dragon” knocked out Bader in their first outing in 2012. The two will meet once again on April 9th.

Nemkov now wears the crown at 205. He will take on former foe Phil Davis in a rematch. The two fought to a split decision back in 2018 with Nemkov getting the nod from the judges. This time the title will be on the line, come April 16th.

Another name that will be thrown into the mix is Corey Anderson. “Overtime” made quick work of Melvin Manhoef in his debut under the Bellator banner last November. He has since called out for a title shot against Nemkov. However, the new signings of “Rumble” and Romero have left the title picture complicated. Anderson will fight highly-touted debutant Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov.

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Corey Anderson Believes Bellator Has Superior Light Heavyweight Division Over UFC

Corey Anderson agrees with Scott Coker that Bellator has the superior light heavyweight division over the UFC. Anderson is one of the names brought over from the UFC to Bellator this year along with more recent signings such as Anthony Johnson and Yoel Romero — both of whom will compete at light heavyweight. Coker has […]

Corey Anderson agrees with Scott Coker that Bellator has the superior light heavyweight division over the UFC.

Anderson is one of the names brought over from the UFC to Bellator this year along with more recent signings such as Anthony Johnson and Yoel Romero — both of whom will compete at light heavyweight.

Coker has long hailed his light heavyweight division and these recent additions only furthered his belief that Bellator had the best 205ers in the world.

And Anderson is certainly in full agreement.

“I just feel right now Bellator has the upper hand,” Anderson told MMA Fighting. “[Jon] Jones has left. They’ve got these hype trains. These young guys UFC has coming in they’re trying to hype up but I feel like their legitimacy aren’t like the vets that were there that are in Bellator now.

“… These last two signings they [Bellator] made definitely made it a stronger case. At first, I was in the UFC and I was No. 4 when I left. The only person I hadn’t fought was Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes. I had beat Jan Blachowicz once and Anthony Smith was above me but we see where Anthony Smith’s at now. He just got first win in a while against an unranked guy.

“Then you’ve got me, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, Yoel Romero, two guys right there that fought for titles. Me, who was on the cusp of a title. Then you’ve got [Vadim] Nemkov, who just beat Ryan Bader. You’ve got ‘Rumble,’ who beat Ryan Bader. You’ve got Phil Davis. You’ve got all these names who have already fought at the top of the UFC.”

Of course, the argument can be made that these fighters were only at their best in the UFC or their times were up with not much more to offer.

To that, Anderson points to the resumes and how many fighters can get cut for factors outside of being one of the best in the world.

“They say ‘oh these guys are washed up, they got cut from the UFC.’ No, they got treated wrong and they left,” Anderson said. “You’ve got to think about all the people who were cut from the UFC and came back to do what they’re doing. That kid Brandon Moreno was cut from the UFC and he came back and fought for the title.

“Being cut doesn’t mean nothing. You get cut for saying the wrong thing. You get cut for having a couple of bad fights. It happens. But that don’t take the fact that these guys are legit contenders or one of the best in the world.”

Do you agree with Anderson?

Scott Coker Surprised UFC Released So Many Top Names: ‘Good For Us’

Many observers were surprised with the big names the UFC recently released. Bellator president Scott Coker was among them. In recent months, the likes of Corey Anderson, Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson have all departed the UFC and have been picked up by Bellator who further strengthened their light heavyweight division in the process. While […]

Many observers were surprised with the big names the UFC recently released. Bellator president Scott Coker was among them.

In recent months, the likes of Corey Anderson, Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson have all departed the UFC and have been picked up by Bellator who further strengthened their light heavyweight division in the process.

While Bellator has developed a reputation of signing former UFC fighters who are either past their prime or not at a high level anymore, this is certainly a different case with Coker believing the promotion’s recent pickups are fighters who made a difference in the UFC.

“You’re talking about a couple of guys that really made a difference in their division,” Coker told MMA Fighting. “I’m surprised they didn’t want to keep them. To me, it’s a great opportunity for us.

“To be honest, I think we’re a better fit for those guys. They’ll have a great home here. I think they’re going to be extremely happy here. A couple of the guys that I talked to, they wanted to make the move. They wanted to come to Bellator. People see when they get here how we treat the fighters and how it’s a family atmosphere. Yes, it is a business so we run like a business but it’s really run a lot different than other organizations.”

Fighters such as Anderson and Johnson were also particularly excited about the prospect of joining Bellator after certain circumstances led to their departure according to Coker.

“At the end of the day, I think the fighters wanted to be here,” Coker said. “They made the move to be here. I think each one of those guys had different circumstances with their past employer and I don’t think that they wanted to take this fight or that fight and some ultimatums were thrown around is what I heard. It just didn’t work out.

“Too bad for them, good for us and now look at that light heavyweight division we have.”

Coker has long claimed Bellator had the best light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts and after these recent pickups, it’s hard to argue with that.

And he only expects the weight class to grow further in 2021.

“There’s no doubt in my mind [we have the best light heavyweight division],” Coker said. “First of all, I think [Vadim] Nemkov is the best fighter on the planet at 205 until he gets beat. I think that’s going to be my position. Because I’ve never seen Ryan Bader get dismantled like the way he did against Nemkov.

“You’re talking about a guy that can wrestle, can strike, got a complete game. Top pound-for-pound rated in the world. Top rated in the 205-pound weight class and he won a heavyweight tournament. He’s a serious athlete, this guy is a killer. Nemkov just kind of did his thing with him.

“… The sport of MMA really was built, I believe, on the light heavyweight division. Back in the day when you had [Quinton] ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Tito [Ortiz] and Chuck [Liddell] and [Randy] Couture and to me this is the second wave of 205-pound killers that all assembled under one roof. They can all fight each other and have some great fights in 2021 for Bellator.”

Do you think Bellator has the best light heavyweight division?

Corey Anderson: ‘Jon Jones Isn’t The Greatest Striker’

Bellator light-heavyweight contender Corey Anderson has played down the striking ability of long-time 205lb king Jon Jones. In an interview with Fightful, Anderson insisted Jones is seriously lacking in the striking area of his game. “Everybody knows Jon Jones isn’t the greatest striker,” Anderson said. “Jon is a great martial artist, but he’s not a great striker. […]

Bellator light-heavyweight contender Corey Anderson has played down the striking ability of long-time 205lb king Jon Jones.

In an interview with Fightful, Anderson insisted Jones is seriously lacking in the striking area of his game.

“Everybody knows Jon Jones isn’t the greatest striker,” Anderson said. “Jon is a great martial artist, but he’s not a great striker. He’s not really technical with his boxing, he’s not good at defense. His defense is very lackadaisical I feel. He’s just long so he gets away with things.”

“Thiago (Santos) is a really good striker. He came out running, chasing, throwing kicks and punches until he tore his knees and he was still throwing those heavy punches,” Anderson added. “That kind of put Jon Jones on the backfoot which made it such a good fight. Thiago did what he had to do with what he’s good at to put Jon Jones in a close decision fight. That’s why I feel he did so good in the fight.”

Anderson was a top contender at light-heavyweight during his time with the UFC but never challenged for the title. He holds several high profile wins over the likes of Jan Blachowicz, Glover Teixeira and Johnny Walker. Anderson fell short in a rematch with Blachowicz to decide the light-heavyweight number one contender before being allowed to leave and sign with Bellator.

In November Anderson made his company debut, beating Melvin Manhoef inside two rounds. Jones has been inactive since controversially edging past Dominick Reyes at UFC 257. He is currently preparing for his heavyweight debut which is expected to come against the winner of Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou II in the summer of next year. Jones was recently backed to become a successful heavyweight boxer by undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields who has been training with ‘Bones’ ahead of her MMA debut with PFL.

Do you agree with Corey Anderson? Does Jon Jones lack in the striking department?

Vadim Nemkov’s First Bellator Title Defense Will Be Against Phil Davis, Not Corey Anderson

Corey Anderson will not be getting the first crack at new light heavyweight champion, Vadim Nemkov. Bellator president, Scott Coker revealed to MMAJunkie that Nemkov will rematch Phil Davis for his first title defense. “(Phil Davis) had a great fight w…

The post Vadim Nemkov’s First Bellator Title Defense Will Be Against Phil Davis, Not Corey Anderson appeared first on MMA News.

Phil Davis Will Fight For The Bellator 205lb Title Before Corey Anderson

Former Bellator light-heavyweight champion Phil Davis will get the first shot at the newly crowned 205lb king Vadim Nemkov according to the president of the promotion Scott Coker. Long-time UFC fighter Corey Anderson made his Bellator debut this past weekend and looked sensational doing so against Melvin Manhoef. Despite that, ‘Overtime’ will need to wait […]

Former Bellator light-heavyweight champion Phil Davis will get the first shot at the newly crowned 205lb king Vadim Nemkov according to the president of the promotion Scott Coker.

Long-time UFC fighter Corey Anderson made his Bellator debut this past weekend and looked sensational doing so against Melvin Manhoef. Despite that, ‘Overtime’ will need to wait for his shot at Bellator gold.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Coker revealed he wants Anderson to have one more fight before he is given a title shot.

“Listen, I thought he did a great job,” Coker said. “I thought he did exactly what he was supposed to do. I don’t think he’ll get the shot next, but I think maybe one more fight and we’ll put him right in there with the champ – whoever the champ is at the time. He’s somebody who adds great depth to our roster at 205. That’s why I’ve always said we have the best light heavyweight division on the planet. He’s a major part of why we can say that.”

The Bellator boss was always excited by the thought of a rematch between Davis and Nemkov who went back and forth over three rounds in 2018.

“(Phil Davis) had a great fight with (Vadim) Nemkov last time. This will be a rematch. Phil has done a great job since then. That was a close fight. I’m not sure if you recall. I think it was in Israel last year and they had a war there. Phil just came off of a great win against Machida. I think Phil should be next in line.”

Since suffering a split decision loss to Nemkov, ‘Mr Wonderful’ has stringed together three straight wins. Davis stopped Liam McGeary and Karl Albrektsson before edging out former UFC middleweight champion Lyoto Machida on the judges’ scorecards in September.

Who would you prefer to see fight Vadim Nemkov next? Phil Davis or Corey Anderson?