Bellator's Corey Anderson Was Scared He Was Gonna Die After Medical Emergency

Bellator star Corey Anderson says he literally feared for his life after a super scary medical incident ... which ultimately lead to him leaving the UFC.

Remember, the 30-year-old MMA star "blacked out and collapsed" on February 21 while outdoors scouting land ... smashing his face on the gravel road.

Corey was rushed to the hospital ... where 1 doctor told him something was wrong with his heart.

Anderson -- one of the most feared fighters in the world with wins over guys like Johnny Walker and Glover Teixeira -- admits he was literally afraid he was going to die.

"It was a scary process. You don't know if one, is your heart gonna be okay, two, every night you go to sleep, is my heart gonna stop in the middle of the night?"

Shortly after the incident, Anderson -- a top 5 UFC light heavyweight at the time -- asked Dana White to release him from his contract (which DW did) ... before ultimately signing with Bellator.

Long story short, Corey said his decision was financially motivated -- he thinks Bellator will be more lucrative for him in the long run, so he signed on the dotted line.

We asked Corey who his first Bellator opponent will be -- but they're still working out those details