Want to know where and when Corey Anderson's next MMA fight is? The announcement is made

Corey Anderson's long wait for another title fight is over.

And now he knows not only who he will be fighting, and when and where — but also who will be signing his paychecks.

The former Hononegah wrestler who has gone on to fame and fortune in the world of MMA, made it official on Monday when he confirmed that he will battle Karl Moore for the light heavyweight title belt in the headline fight for Bellator 302 in Moore's hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland, on March 22.

More: Corey Anderson Rockford-area MMA fighter wants another title shot after big victory

"Back when I was at Hononegah, nobody thought I would make it this far," said Anderson, who got his big shot in MMA when he won the light heavyweight title on UFC's The Ultimate Fighter 19, a reality TV show that earned Anderson, and UFC, a lot of popularity. "I didn't make it to the state tournament in wrestling, and I just didn't want it. But I put my mind to it, and look where I am... This, right here, is just another example of when you put your mind to something, you can do anything."

It will be the first date for Bellator in 2024, and the first since the Professional Fighters League (PFL) purchased Bellator MMA back in November, 2023. And by the time he steps in the Bellator circular cage again, it will have been nine months since Anderson's last fight.

After he pummeled Vadim Nemkov and appeared to have won the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament worth $1 million back in April of 2022, an inadvertent head butt took it all away, and the fight was ruled a no-contest. Anderson then went 0-for-16 in takedown attempts, and was picked apart elsewhere while losing a unanimous decision to Nemkov about six months later.

Those were his first two shots at the title. On March 22, he gets his third.

"My mindset is three time's a charm," Anderson, nicknamed 'Overtime,' said. "I have to make this one count. This should be all I need to get me one."

He followed that last loss with a solid beatdown of Phil Davis, earning a split decision victory, that one coming on June 16, 2023. But he's been waiting, and wondering, ever since.

"And now, I just feel more urgency to do everything right this time," said Anderson, who left the UFC for more money and more respect, back in 2020. Now he's ready to take the title. "This is for all the cojones, and I won't leave any stone unturned in my preparation for this one."

For nearly two months, once Bellator was no longer a standalone MMA promotion, there was some downtime as things settled in, and some deals got made. But now Anderson (17-6 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) will take on Moore (12-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) for the vacant light heavyweight title in the first event of the new Bellator Champions Series, which will consist of eight global events.

Anderson, the No. 1 Bellator light heavyweight right now, and also the No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie world light heavyweight rankings, has two kids and a wife and lives in Fairland, Indiana, and trains in and around his new hometown, as well as in Robbinsville, New Jersey. He has spent a lot of his free time building his YouTube channel called "Outdoors with Overtime," and helping to raise his kids. They are 2- and 4-years-old.

He enjoyed his time at home. But he's not quite ready to hang it up yet.

"Life is beautiful, but my work was at a standstill for awhile," Anderson, 34, said. "It's OK, I know what I need to do, now... And sure, I have an exit plan, for someday. But I don't plan on exiting just yet."

No, instead he plans on entering the world of champions.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Find out all the info on Rockford-area MMA star Corey Anderson's next bout