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UFC color commentator Joe Rogan recently gave his view on the options available for fighters away from the Octagon, and one of the promotion's former contenders has chimed in.
The UFC has long been regarded as the premier destination for mixed martial artists, but recent years have seen plenty of high-profile names turn to different banners.
Whether it's Demetrious Johnson pursuing further success on the other side of the world or the likes of Shane Burgos favoring financial opportunities in the rising PFL, choices haven't appeared to be as cut and dry as they're often thought to be.
For Rogan, though, the UFC remains the place to be. During a recent episode of his podcast, the longtime analyst went as far as to suggest that fighters competing in promotions like the PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship are "wasting their careers" because of limited viewership.
His analogy branding UFC the NFL and other organizations the XFL was quickly disputed, and one man who has found success since departing the MMA leader has explained the error in Rogan's viewpoint.
Anderson Responds To Rogan: 'Fame Doesn't Pay Bills!'
In mid-2020, Corey Anderson was coming off a main event under the UFC banner and was ranked #4 in the light heavyweight division. In six years competing on the sport's biggest stage, "Overtime" defeated the likes of Jan Błachowicz, Patrick Cummins, Glover Teixeira, and Johnny Walker.
But despite his notable wins and place inside the divisional top five, Anderson was still not in a comfortable financial position. That's something he laid out to Rogan in a recent Instagram post.
According to Anderson, both him and his wife were forced to work in-between his fights to "stay afloat." But while he struggled to pay bills as a UFC fighter, the 34-year-old noted that the same can't be said after he made the switch to Bellator.
"Now yall know I LOVE my guy Joe! But as someone who spent 7 years in the UFC and left at #4 in the organization..... fans seeing me fight wasn't enough to pay bills or even begin to set my family up for a future," Anderson wrote. "My wife and I both had to have jobs to keep afloat in between fights until my first fight in Bellator. I always say 'I make more money in Bellator', well my last fight ranked in the top 5, and my purse didn't even make close to 6 figures... that's 100K... after 7 years, 15 fights, 13 top 15 opponents, and being ranked in the top 10 within my first year. (My debut fight I made 16k).
"Yet my first fight in Bellator I made 5x more and was able to free my wife of a job and focus fully on my career as a fighter for the first time ever. SOOOOO what good is it to have a fan base when I still have to work everyday to afford life," Anderson continued. "Compared to having fewer fans, financial freedom, and set your family up for life after fighting? Yes I make that money bc of my start in the UFC but there's fighters like @ajmckee101 and @patchymix that built that financial freedom in Bellator who may have never gotten it in UFC and also has a fan base! Even @mikechandlermma and @michaelvenompage. So if you want fans and stardom... yes, you have a better chance in the UFC. But if you want to make money... test the field and go where the money is. FAME DOESN'T PAY BILLS........MONEY DOES!
Anderson announced his Bellator arrival in style, stopping Melvin Manhoef in November 2020. He subsequently advanced to the final of the promotion's light heavyweight Grand Prix with wins over Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov and Ryan Bader.
In the final, Anderson appeared on the way to championship glory after a strong performance against Vadim Nemkov. But after an accidental clash of heads rendered the Russian unable to continue, "Overtime" was soundly beaten when the pair ran it back at Bellator 288 in November 2022.
The former UFC fighter bounced back this past June by outpointing Phil Davis, and he'll now be awaiting his first assignment since the PFL confirmed its long-rumored acquisition of Bellator.
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