Corey Anderson was just promoted to BJJ black belt by his long-serving coach of over 10 years and fellow MMA veteran, Ricardo Almeida. Anderson has been competing as a professional MMA fighter since 2013 and he quickly racked up a 3-0 record in order to earn a chance on the 19th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Anderson went on to win that season and earned his first UFC contract as a result, moving to 4-0 in his professional career by winning the finale. He spent the next 6 years competing for the world’s biggest MMA promotion and although he never earned a title-shot in the light-heavyweight division, he became known for some great performances and added several impressive wins to his resume.
He left the UFC in 2020 after moving to 13-5 in his career overall and defeating two future light-heavyweight world champions in Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira. He negotiated his release from the promotion and signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator instead, something that can often provide well-known fighters with greater financial rewards. After winning his promotional debut, he was invited to compete in the light-heavyweight grand prix and made it all the way to the final against the reigning champion Vadim Nemkov.
Their first match ended in a no contest, but a rematch was booked very quickly after. Anderson lost a unanimous decision and hasn’t competed in the cage since, but he wouldn’t be too far away from a title-shot upon his return. Corey Anderson announced the news that he had been promoted to BJJ black belt in a recent post to his official Instagram account, and his coach Ricardo Almeida shared his thoughts on the promotion on Instagram too:
“Corey has been with us for over 10 years now. His fighting skills and achievements speak for themselves but I’m an even bigger fan of Corey as a man when the lights go out – as a father, son husband and teammate.”
