Corey Anderson reveals he was told he defeated Vadim Nemkov prior to no-contest ruling

Corey Anderson has revealed what he was told following his fight with Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 277.

‘Overtime’ met the Russian in the finals of the Bellator light-heavyweight Grand Prix. The 205-pound title on the line, as well as one million dollars, were on the line. So, the stakes couldn’t have been higher last Saturday night.

After a competitive first round, it was all Anderson. Taking down Nemkov repeatedly in the second and third rounds, the bout came to a close in the third frame. Sadly, it wasn’t punching that ended the contest, but an accidental headbutt.

With five seconds left in the round, Anderson headbutted Nemkov. Due to the strike, the champion was unable to continue as he was badly cut. During the confusion, Anderson began celebrating on top of the cage, now fans know why.

The former UFC veteran discussed the madness in an interview with ESPN. Explaining why he started celebrating, it was because he was told he won. Not by the referee Frank Trigg mind you, but several Bellator officials told him he was going to be crowned champion.

Corey Anderson in Bellator

“I jump on the cage, I get excited. My mom is crying. My family in the crowd is jumping up and down. All of a sudden, I jump down from the cage and you see the [$1 million] check walking down the stairs. All of a sudden, the ref comes back and tells me there are [five] seconds left and you have to go all the way to the end of the third round to be declared the winner.” (h/t ESPN)

The confusion came due to the fact that it was first thought that the cut was caused by a legal strike. However, upon review, it was discovered that the headbutt caused the massive cut.

While no winner has been crowned in the Grand Prix due to the no-contest, Scott Coker has stated that the rematch will happen later this year.

What do you think about Corey Anderson’s comments?