Belfast-born Karl Moore could be set for a dream matchup, with reports claiming that he’s booked to fight for the newly-vacated Bellator light heavyweight title, and on home soil, to boot.
Reports from Ariel Helwani and MMA Junkie have confirmed that Moore will face two-time Bellator title challenger Corey Anderson on March 22, with the event expected to take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The matchup is also expected to headline the event.
Corey Anderson x Karl Moore for the vacant Bellator light heavyweight title is scheduled to headline the first Bellator event of the new era on March 22 in Belfast, per sources.
That is the only title fight currently slated for the card.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 30, 2024
Former Cage Warriors 205-pound champion Moore has won four in a row since losing his unsuccessful Cage Warriors heavyweight title tilt against Mauro Cerilli in 2018.
After that defeat, Moore signed for Bellator and picked up victories over Lee Chadwick, Karl Albrektsson, Maciej Rozanski and Alex Polizzi. Now he’s set to fight for the Bellator 205-pound title.
Standing across from him will be a man who can count himself unlucky not to have held Bellator gold already. Corey Anderson was seven seconds away from defeating Vadim Nemkov on the scorecards at Bellator 277, only for his bout to be stopped and declared a no contest after an accidental clash of heads between the pair.
An immediate rematch went Nemkov’s way, as “Overtime” went back to the drawing board, and he bounced back with a split-decision win over perennial contender Phil Davis at Bellator 297 last June.
Now, following Nemkov’s decision to move up to pursue new challenges at heavyweight, the 205-pound strap is up for grabs, with Anderson and Moore both hoping they’ll be the one ending the night in Belfast with their hand raised, and the Bellator belt around their waist.
