Anderson escaped to wild after title heartbreak

Vadim Nemkov (left) and Corey Anderson's first fight was stopped due to a headbutt in the third round

American Corey Anderson says he "went off grid" for four days after being five seconds away from claiming Bellator's light-heavyweight title and $1m (£840,000) prize money in April.

Anderson then went into the Kentucky wilderness to "clear his mind".

But he said: "Can't cry over spilled milk anymore, it's time to move on."

The 33-year-old is an avid hunter and returned home ready to prepare for his rematch with Nemkov, which takes place at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Friday.

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Their first fight was tied on the scorecards heading into the third round, but Anderson had begun to take control and appeared to be on his way to comfortably winning the round before accidentally clashing heads with Nemkov.

If the fight had been stopped between rounds due to the cut on Nemkov's head, the scorecards would have been read out and the victor awarded a technical decision.

"Seconds away from a lifetime goal and you kind of snitched on yourself and it didn't happen," Anderson said.

Nemkov, 30, says he is aware how close he came to losing his title and has promised a vastly-improved performance in the rematch.

In a media event on Wednesday, Anderson questioned Nemkov's strength, saying it rapidly decreased each time he went for a takedown on the Russian.

But Nemkov, who is on a nine-fight winning streak, said he was "exhausted" going into the fight which had been repeatedly postponed.

"I feel like I peaked before the fight date, so on the fight date, I was kind of already exhausted," he said

"That's not a factor now. I had the right camp, the right time to prepare, it's happening on a date I was training for.

"So, I think you will see a different performance from me."

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