Corey Anderson is a wrestler who takes the fight to the ground, tries to keep it there and wins a fight via decision. Well, not anymore. The majority of the fans would not have put their money on Anderson to win via knockout against Johnny Walker who is considered a knockout artist in the division and the majority of us could not be more wrong.
Corey Anderson needed the win over Johnny Walker. He already had wins over some big names of the division, but none of them had the steam and hype Walker had coming into the fight. Fans believed Johnny Walker would be the guy to beat Jon Jones. So going out there at Madison Square Garden where most of the fans are expecting you to lose against a fighter who is relatively new, it’s safe to say that Corey Anderson’s back was against the wall. But him knocking out Walker in that fashion on the biggest card of the year created a buzz that he never had with any of his performances. However, what’s next after that spectacular victory?
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The light heavyweight division is one of the least interesting divisions at the moment considering there are no clear contenders for the championship. Sure we have Dominick Reyes and Corey Anderson at the front of the line for a title shot. However, the champion of the division is Jon Jones who is unbeaten and has beaten many legends of multiple generations. So to make the fans believe that a fighter is going to beat Jones would take a lot of convincing and some spectacular performances inside the octagon. So is Anderson up next for the title shot?
It does not seem Corey Anderson is getting the title shot next. At UFC 244 post-fight press conference Dana White did not seem excited when he was asked about Anderson getting a title shot next. Although Anderson has a far better resume than Dominick Reyes, he might lose in the race for the title to Reyes because Reyes is unbeaten, and he is coming from a win over former champion, Chris Weidman.
Still, there are some exciting fights for Anderson in the division. He needs one more win over a high ranked opponent and a title shot for him would be undeniable. Anthony Smith has called him out and a fight against him benefits Corey Anderson. Although Anthony Smith lost to Jones, he came back and won against the former number one contender, Alexander Gustafsson.
Thiago Santos is still out of the picture due to injury. In the top 5, Jan Blachowicz fights Jacare Souza who will be making his lightweight debut. Anderson vs the winner of that fight also makes sense. He deserves the main or co-main event of fight card especially after the flashy finish over Johnny Walker. However, it’s highly unlikely for UFC to chose Corey Anderson over Dominick Reyes for Jon Jones next.
