"Wow" - Gilbert Burns, Michael Chiesa and others react to Corey Anderson's incredible first-round KO of Ryan Bader at Bellator 268
Corey Anderson scored a first-round knockout victory over Ryan Bader in the semi-finals of the light heavyweight Grand Prix at Bellator 268. The former UFC contender picked up his third win on the trot since switching to Bellator in 2020.
The entire MMA community was in awe of Anderson's splendid performance against Bader. Anderson's former colleagues, including Gilbert Burns and Michael Chiesa, were among those who took to Twitter to shower the 32-year-old with praise.
Check out the tweets below:
Congrats @CoreyA_MMA. I can’t wait to see you fight for a world championship!!!!!!
Wow
@CoreyA_MMA looked amazing tonight! Sky is the limit!
.@CoreyA_MMA moves onto the world Grand Prix finals. #Bellator268 https://t.co/AiXWZk3Q7T
What a win for Corey Anderson. https://t.co/RoCcqsqTLS
Just so you know,
@CoreyA_MMA
is 1-1 against the current
@ufc
light heavyweight champion. #bellator268
That is really, really excellent timing. Great reaction and presence of mind, too. twitter.com/spinninbackfis…
When you walk the walk, I guess you can talk the talk 🤷🏻♂️. Hope Bader bounces back. twitter.com/mmajunkie/stat…
Good for Corey Anderson. Wasn’t feeling the love in the UFC. Took a chance. Is making more money and is now one win away from snatching gold.
Corey Anderson with a huge knockout of Ryan Bader! Overhand right on the ear. Anderson is now in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix finals, which will be a title fight. Exactly where he wanted to be when he made the move from the UFC last year. #Bellator268
Corey Anderson is just fighting with a confidence and freedom that he wasn't able to channel with the frequency that he does now.
I'm eager to see how he performs in the final.
Corey Anderson knocked out Ryan Bader in brutal fashion at Bellator 268
Cory Anderson's bout with Ryan Bader started with both fighters testing the waters using sharp jabs. However, things were about to change drastically. Almost a minute into the fight, Anderson decided to put his foot on the gas. He landed a brutal right hook below Bader's ear. The strike caused the 38-year-old to lose balance and drop to the canvas. It's likely that Bader lost equilibrium after the strike below his ear.
Corey Anderson could smell blood. He immediately pounced on his fallen opponent and started inflicting severe ground-and-pound punishment. It was only a matter of time before referee Jason Herzog stepped in and stopped the contest, handing Anderson one of the greatest wins of his career. It only took him 51 seconds to finish Ryan Bader.
With the win over Bader, Corey Anderson heads into the finals of the light heavyweight Grand Prix. He is set to fight for the title next. He will face either Vadim Nemkov or Julius Anglickas.
Corey Anderson, a product of UFC's reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter, left the promotion after his loss to Jan Blachowicz in February 2020. On his Bellator debut, Anderson faced Melvin Manhoef. He dominated Manhoef on the way to a second-round TKO victory.