This past Saturday at Bellator 268, the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix resumed. In the co-main event of the evening, Ryan Bader (28-7) took on Corey Anderson (16-5). Bader was the former light heavyweight champion and is the current heavyweight champion.
This fight had a ton of hype behind it as both men have had similar paths to get to where they are today. After never quite reaching the mountain top in the UFC, both men have seen a tremendous amount of success in the Bellator cage.
Bader became a two-division champion and Corey Anderson has looked like a world-beater since making the jump last year. While this fight had a ton of hype behind it, the fight itself wasn’t very competitive and it didn’t last long.
In the opening minute, Anderson was able to catch Bader with a beautiful shot that put the heavyweight champion down. Anderson followed up with big shots and ultimately got the stoppage win and punching his ticket to the Bellator Grand Prix finals.
Is Bellator’s Anderson the best?
After the fight was over and Anderson had his hand raised at Bellator 268, many were saying that Anderson had an argument as the best light heavyweight. Not just in Bellator, but in the entire sport.
This argument was met with objection from the UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. Blachowicz took to Twitter today to remind everyone that he knocked out Anderson last year which was Anderson’s final fight in the UFC.
It’s worth noting that the fight between Anderson and Blachowicz was a rematch. Their first fight took place back in 2015 with Anderson getting the win. Anderson also holds a victory over Glover Teixeira who is challenging for the light heavyweight title in a couple of weeks.
We might very well be seeing the best version of Corey Anderson in Bellator. However, we have also seen the best version of Jan Blachowicz in the UFC as of late. Given that MMA is a, “What have you done for me lately?” kind of sport, my opinion is the best is still Blachowicz.
The resume for The Polish Power is just much better than Anderson’s over the last year. However, Anderson is at the very top of that list as well. He’s not just potentially the best light heavyweight in Bellator, he does have an argument for the best in the world regardless of promotion.