A Behind The Scenes Look at MMA Champion Corey Anderson

On October 7th, I met with Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Corey Anderson. We discussed a variety of topics such as his start in MMA, The Ultimate Fighter, his favorite fighters to watch, Jon Jones, the business side of the UFC, and how it differs from Bellator. Below is a transcript from the interview with Corey Anderson.

Q: How did you get into wrestling and MMA?

 A. So I got in the wrestling because my older brother wrestled and I did everything my older brother did. So he started wrestling his freshman year in high school and I was in third grade and I went on the mats after that and just stuck with it until I was done with college and then I was in college Ben Askren was one of my coaches and he brought me over to an MMA gym and the rest is history.

Q: When did you know that you were good enough to pursue this as a career?

A: Time, I started training, everybody kept telling me Ben said it, and Duke Rufus said it in my first sparring session. He says he said you know I can see you going to the UFC in three fights man You're just so athletic at heavyweight end up going to coach college wrestling down in Illinois And I ended up working with Marc Fiore, who was Matt Hughes's, old coach and he said too and all the guys were like Bro, you could be the one that can make it. We got Brian Foster, had these other guys that made it, they had a few fights. Justin Jacoby was the only other person I made it pretty early. I think you can make it and you can go off with it. Really after I did the Ultimate Fighter after three fights and six months of training or fighting that was it.

Q: So, you mentioned the ultimate fighter describe that experience and what you learned from it.

 A: For me, it was a vacation. The time I was going through some things at home and, the day before we left me, and my lady had broke up. So I kind of just need to Get out of that headspace being at home was not the place I needed to be because I probably would have went out and who knows what I could have done, but I actually left for the show the next morning, it was a blessing in disguise and to go in there and meet Frankie Edgar and not just learn from Frank but his team Frankie Mark, Ricardo, Steve Rivera Brian Blue, Edson Barboza. Thats the same people, I still train with work with get questions or ask questions and get advice to this day. So I learned a lot because at the time I didn't have six months really didn't know anything other than the jab called Blast Double. And I was like a freshly painted canvas waiting to be painted and they sure enough they painted me yet.  

Q: You have mentioned, you watch a lot of fights to study and learn because the games always evolving. What fighters do you like to watch the most right now to help you with that?

A: There's no specific person. I like watching the most like to be honest, I can't really say somebody's fighting I gotta watch them come and learn. I'm Just a student of the game. I'm paying attention to it all and watch it all. Just seeing what they do and seeing different things. We got a guy like Pereria doing the calf kick. That's a big thing now. So you always watching and see his footwork work. I'm trying to see how he is setting up his calf kick. Is he stepping? In Thailand, they say you don't step this sit back and you don't turn the foot to let it come over sideways. We got a guy like Topuria who constantly pressures forward. He is always putting pressure. I'm like watching him and go okay so how does he pressure forward and say out of danger?

Q: You've been vocal about your pay and Bellator being much higher than it was in the UFC. Why do you think that is the case for a lot of fighters such as yourself?

A: I mean, the biggest thing I know for me, One is my manager. I got one of the best managers  Ali Abdelaziz, as we all know he go gets the money. Two, I've had such a high profile career in the UFC. it wasn't like, you got these guys that go to UFC. They go 1-3, 0-2, 04 and they're out of it. You know what I mean? I mean as for me, I was there. I never got cut. I had a fight contract signed when I left it was just too much stuff going on too much politics. I was tired of all the back and forth between me and the matchmakers, me and Dana and me and the media. And then somebody over there will come back and say something else against what I say which wasn't true or whatever. It was trying to turn my words around. You got to the point was like alright it is time to go and I was ranked number four in the world when I left in the UFC. So that for me is why I was able to leave and get more money.

Q: Besides money. What do you think the biggest differences between, Bellator and the UFC?

A: The thing that stood out the most for me was communication, I mean, when I was at that spot when they wanted me to fight Johnny Walker and UFC and I didn't want to, I just be Glover. I just beat two number three's ranked fighters. I just beat number seven beat number nine. Why I'm gonna go back and fight an unkranked guy. and all I want to talk to Dana, but nobody would talk to me. For the blue shirts over the UFC were great, but the higher up. So it's time to talk to Matchmakers and Dana and all that hunter. I didn't even know Hunter, I had no clue. Before I even had a first fighting Bellator, I had met everybody from the rich, true, Scott Coker, Mike Hogan. All the people behind the scenes of the finance and backing and all that.

Q: Why do you think it was that way in comparison to other fighters who kind of rise up those ranks quickly?

A: My fight style was never exciting. When I met with Hunter Campbell that time before Johnny Walker. He said it point blank because I asked him what I do to get out of the {Walker Fight}. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that you're not the one that should be in line to fight Jon Jones. Everybody in the company agrees. The problem is We can't book that fight because you don't sell tickets. We're here in the game, to put butts in the seats. It's not about who's the best anymore, it's about who's gonna make us the most money.

Q: To switch gears a bit, who is your dream opponent?

A: Jon Jones.

Q: Do you believe he is the greatest fighter in MMA history?

A: It is hard to say. It's hard to say. Once you change your career with the drugs and PEDs and everything else it is hard to say. Like did you do it all the time? e didn't catch you on that. Maybe you got away with it or Maybe you didn't cheat that one. But now, it's definitely in the limbo. You can't say it because you've been calling out once you got caught twice. What he did was amazing, it took away anything. He did take away. None of his fights and the college miss he had but at the same time, we think about the drugs. Especially somebody like that coach college wrestling. I teach Sportsmanship. You don't cheat. You don't do it.

Q: This year, you defeated Karl Moore to become the Bellator light heavyweight champion describe the build-up to that fight and the feeling of accomplishing your dream of becoming champion.

A: The Build-up to the fight was more emotion and build in myself. Like my third time for the belt. I always said the third time is the charm, three strikes you're out. There is two different ways you can look at it. If I go out and lose this one, I doubt they will ever give me another title fight, and if I go out and win on my third try. So I did not put too much stock in the fact it was against Karl Moore. I am not saying he was not a notable name but I put more pressure on myself than I did worrying about the opponent. I know 100%, I was there in Karl more because I believe I'm the best in the world so that's the problem. DC said this when I was training You get so far ahead of yourself. You make mistakes and you slip up, and you cautious yourself a fight, go back and watch all your fights. You've never been beaten up, nobody's ever beaten up Corey Anderson. It was always they caught, Corey Anderson. You're making a mistake, you stop doing that. Are you gonna be phenomenal? And go into that fight. I was very worried about making a mistake.

Q: My final question for you is, what do you want your legacy throughout your MMA career to be?

A: Corey worked hard. Corey put his nose to the grindstone. Corey never sold his soul to the devil. I never found a niche or personality to become. I didn't pull the Colby Covington where they were threatening to let me go and I start acting a certain way, just so I can get more money and stay there and get the clout and the fame. The biggest thing for me is that Corey stuck to who Corey was. From the day he stepped into the gym until the day he retired he never switched up. The same people he went into the game with, he cme out of the game with. He did not add any friends, he did not lose any friends. He got to the gym every day, he worked hard, he did it his way. Ricardo says it best, you need to write a book one day "I did it my way." There is not many people who come in the game and leave the same way they came in and didn't switch up anything. That's what I want my legacy to be. They tell you got to act like this. They tell you this, you lose a fight. You need to find a new team. I never lost my team. I lost, but it wasn't my team's fault. So why am I punishing them? I stuck to my gun. I stuck to the people and I made it to the top. That's all my legacy to be Corey stayed true to yourself. Never switched up. He still made it.