By The Numbers: Corey Anderson

Corey Anderson’s climb toward the top of the Bellator MMA mountain figures to grow significantly steeper the next time he sets foot in the cage.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 19 winner will collide with Ryan Bader in the semifinals of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix sometime in the second half of 2021, with the winner moving on to the tournament final to face either Vadim Nemkov or Anthony Johnson for the undisputed title at 205 pounds. Anderson has breezed through his first two assignments since leaving the Ultimate Fighting Championship and signing with Bellator as a free agent a little less than a year ago. He last competed at Bellator 257, where he dispatched Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov with punches and elbows 2:15 into the third round of their grand prix quarterfinal.

As Anderson awaits his latest marching orders, a look at some of the numbers he has compiled to this point of his career:

31: Years of age for Anderson, who was born in Rockford, Illinois, on Sept. 22, 1989. Milli Vanilli’s “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You,” Warrant’s “Heaven,” Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time,” Skid Row’s “18 and Life” and Madonna’s “Cherish” were the Top 5 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 list at the time.

7: Anderson wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 47% of his professional total (15). His list of victims includes Melvin Manhoef, Johnny Walker and Sean O’Connell. Anderson owns eight other wins by decision.

61: Seconds needed by Anderson to put away Matt Van Buren with punches at “The Ultimate Fighter 19” Finale on July 6, 2014. Having occurred in his fourth pro appearance, it remains the fastest finish of his 20-fight career.

4: Countries in which Anderson has fought as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 13-3 in the United States, 1-1 in Brazil, 1-0 in Germany and 0-1 in England.

114: Combined victories between the five men—Jan Blachowicz, Ovince St. Preux, Jimi Manuwa, Mauricio Rua and Gian Villante—who have defeated Anderson. They own a cumulative winning percentage of .675 (114-54-1).

53: Takedowns completed by Anderson as a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, placing him first on the promotion’s all-time list at 205 pounds. Despite not having competed in the UFC in more than a year, he still ranks fourth among light heavyweights in takedown accuracy (50%), fifth in control time (1:06:53), fifth in total strikes landed (1,103) and eighth in significant strikes landed (721).

111: Significant strikes landed by Anderson in his third-round technical knockout loss to the aforementioned Villante at UFC on FOX 15 in 2015. It marked the only time in his 20-fight UFC run that he connected on more than 100 such strikes against an opponent.

2: Post-fight bonuses banked by Anderson across his 15 appearances in the UFC. He was awarded “Fight of the Night” once and “Performance of the Night” once, resulting in $100,000 of additional income.

2,985: Days since Anderson made his MMA debut. He cut down J.R. Briones with punches 3:01 into their pairing under the North American Fighting Championship banner on March 29, 2013 in Milwaukee.

5: Organizations in which Anderson has competed as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 10-5 in the UFC, 2-0 in Bellator, 1-0 in the NAFC, 1-0 in the Xtreme Fighting League and 1-0 in MMA Xtreme.