Corey Anderson explains how advice from Daniel Cormier changed his career: “It lifted a big burden off my back”

Corey Anderson has spoken out about how advice from Daniel Cormier changed his career.

Corey Anderson, 32, (14-5 MMA), currently competes for Bellator MMA in the light heavyweight division. Upon being released from his UFC contract, Anderson signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA on August 7, 2020.

‘Overtime’ has won three fights in a row, the last against Ryan ‘Darth‘ Bader (23-5 MMA) in October 2021 at Bellator 268.

It was Anderson’s loss to future UFC champion Jan Blachowicz (28-9 MMA), in February 2020, which put a pause on his goal of having a title shot of his own, and he was subsequently invited to help Daniel Cormier (22-3 MMA) prepare for his trilogy bout with Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA).

Anderson, following the training camp, felt positive about the work he did at American Kickboxing Academy, but it was what Cormier said to him afterwards that impacted his career forever.

In speaking with MMA Fighting, Anderson had this to say about Cormier’s advice to him:

“Before I left, he goes ‘Corey, I’m going to be honest with you, I commentate and I fight and there is no reason why you should not be UFC champion by the end of 2020,’“(DC told me) ‘there’s no reason you shouldn’t be champion.’”

“He said ‘let’s put it this way — there’s only been one person I’ve been able to go five rounds straight and give me work, constant competition and that’s Cain Velasquez and you’ve seen what he’s done, right? You’re the only person I’ve ever had come into camp and compete with me and put work in and take me down and you hit me back when I hit you. Most guys can’t do that and I’ve beat everybody in the division and I was the world champ at 205 (pounds). There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be (champion).’”

Continuing Corey Anderson said this about assisting Daniel Cormier in training:

“You go with a guy like DC, who you don’t really know that well and you help him train, and he tells you this and it’s like maybe what my coaches have been telling me this whole time is true. Maybe I just need to believe more. Have confidence in myself more. That’s what happened.”

In speaking about leaving the UFC and going over to Bellator, Anderson said:

“I came over to Bellator and I brought that with me. Leaving the UFC and the bad blood had boiled to a point where it wasn’t fun to fight anymore. It was fighting for my job and fighting to prove a point every time. When I came to Bellator, it was a new slate. I was having fun again and I had this confidence that DC helped me recognize in myself and now I put all three things together — have fun, be confident and just be patient.”

“It lifted a big burden lifted off my back. Cause that was one of the champs I was looking to fight and beat at one point. He even called Ali (Abdelaziz), my manager, and said ‘I’m glad I didn’t take that fight and I was talking trash to Corey on Twitter, I’m glad I didn’t take that fight, this kid is actually good.’

“To hear that, he ain’t just blowing smoke. I’m that good, I just had to believe it.”

Anderson spoke about DC’s comments on the UFC:

“The way DC told me ‘you fell in love with three letters — UFC. That’s all it was cause that’s all you see on social media.’

“Those three letters aren’t going to pay your kid’s college tuition. Those three letters aren’t going to pay you more. I made a financial choice. I was trying to stay in the UFC for three letters. DC loves the UFC, he’s a UFC guy and he does well in the UFC so he wouldn’t leave the UFC. But for me, I wasn’t doing as well as I’m doing now so why wouldn’t I leave? I did the right thing by me and by my family. That’s a smart business move.”

Comparing the UFC to a bad ex-girlfriend, Anderson continued:

“It’s like a bad relationship. One of my teammates said it to me first, it’s like a bad ex-girlfriend. You’ve got a girlfriend you keep running back to, trying to prove yourself to and you’re trying to please her but then you meet a new girl and it changed everything. You’re happier with this girl and you’ve moved on and you don’t even think about that girl anymore. You don’t think about that past ex that used to drag you down and you lose sleep over because you found happiness somewhere else. That’s exactly what it was.”

“I don’t even think about the UFC anymore. It wasn’t until after I lost to Jan Blachowicz and I ended up in the hospital and all this stuff, I looked at my wife and I told her I can’t do this anymore. I’m done with the fight game, this is the fight business. I was fighting because it was fun to fight but now I’m looking at it from a business aspect and everything makes so much more sense.”

It seems that with the advice Corey Anderson received from Daniel Cormier, along with his new found happiness at Bellator, the fighter has been able to put his time with the UFC in the rear view mirror and is currently enjoying the open road ahead.