UFC Long Island: Tyson Pedro vs. Corey Anderson rumoured for New York

Rumours are swirling that a Light Heavyweight tilt has been added to the July 22, UFC on FOX 25 card, in Long Island, New York.

A fight between Light Heavyweight prospect, Tyson Pedro, and New York native, Corey Anderson, has been touted for the UFC‘s return to the state of New York.

The fight was first reported by Izi Garcia of MMA-TODAY.

Anderson had been touted as a potential prospect to succeed in the Light Heavyweight division. But after a few bumps in the road, many have cooled on him. Anderson currently sports a 6-3 UFC record with notable wins over Jan Blachowicz, Fabio Maldonado and Tom Lawlor.

He’s taken a step up on two occasions and both times he’s been beaten back from the door. He most recently lost to number three ranked Jimi Manuwa in London, while a couple of fights before that he lost a tough split decision to a faded ‘Shogun’ Rua.

This fight with Pedro could determine which way Anderson’s career is headed, as with a loss he’d be sat at 1-3 in his last four. A win would change that dramatically, and keep his name linked with the guy in the upper echelons of the division.

Tyson Pedro is a young but promising prospect in the Light Heavyweight division. This fight is a real opportunity for him to gain some exposure should he win. Being on big FOX, compounded with it being a New York card, means it should do good numbers on the Nielsen ratings.

As far as promotable prospects go, Pedro is one the UFC could really push. He’s still raw but he’s already shown he can compete at a higher level. He has a full country behind him, arguably two, and he’s damn fun to watch. No doubt this is a step up for Pedro but it’s one that he’s capable of rising to. Pedro will be looking to add to his perfect 6-0 (2-0 UFC) record.

The rest of the card looks like this so far:

Chris Weidman vs Kelvin Gastelum

Jimmie Rivera vs Thomas Almeida

Giant Villante vs Patrick Cummins

Chris Wade vs Frankie Perez

Darren Wilkins vs Dennis Bermudez

Timothy Johnson vs Junior Albini

Damian Grabowski vs Christian Colombo

• Published on 05/21/2017 at 5:10 PM EDT
• Last updated on 05/21/2017 at 5:10 PM EDT