Vadim Nemkov sets terms to stay with PFL after final contracted bout in Dubai
Vadim Nemkov is keeping an open mind about continuing his career with PFL beyond Saturday’s fight, but only if the company can fulfill its promises.
According to former Bellator light heavyweight champion Nemkov (17-2), his PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai heavyweight co-main event with Tim Johnson (18-10) is the final bout on his current contract. The fight takes place at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai and streams on Max.
Nemkov’s frustrations are in line with other fighters who have spoken out on a lack of activity since PFL acquired Bellator in late 2023. However, unlike some others, such as Patricio Freire, Patchy Mix and more, the Russian said he’s not adamant about leaving so long as things change.
“It’s the last fight on my contract,” Nemkov told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “I was supposed to have four fights during the two years, and I only had one. This is going to be the second fight. … Honestly speaking, I’m OK with the PFL. The thing is I’m at the peak of my fighting career. I feel great. If they’re able to provide what we were supposed to do from the beginning, with three or four fights a year, I would be fine with that. But as of right now, I’m just concentrating on this fight.”
‘Little bit weird’ road to Dubai
Nemkov, 32, hasn’t competed since a second-round submission of Bruno Cappelozza last February. The buildup to this fight has been nothing short of strange, with Nemkov going through three different opponents. The first announcement matchup was Ante Delija, then it shifted to a trilogy bout with Corey Anderson, before ultimately landing on Johnson.
PFL announcing the fight with Anderson rubbed Nemkov in the wrong way the most, as he said he never agreed to it and felt it wasn’t a logical booking.
“The whole situation with this fight was a little bit weird because we got a contract for Delija, and PFL, the moment when they announced the fight, there was no way the fight could happen because he was injured, and he had a surgery,” Nemkov said. “Once the fight was announced by PFL, I got a lot of messages from his fans, family members who said there’s no way that fight would happen.
“From the Corey Anderson perspective on that fight and stuff, he was coming out back-and-forth on my social media, and I saw he was preparing to fight in the heavyweight division. Then in the end it looks like it was kind of a setup, so I felt like if Delija wouldn’t come through, they’re going to give me Anderson. Since the fight was changed last minute, the only thing we asked the PFL is if they would give us a better contract, because it’s a different fight and different fighter. Basically PFL refused to negotiate the new contract for the fight with Corey Anderson.
“The contract negotiations didn’t go through, and the fight didn’t make much sense. I never agreed to the fight to begin with. There were negotiations, we started negotiating, but I don’t even know why the PFL announced that fight. And to be honest, I don’t feel like that fight is good for me at all. He’s not rated at heavyweight. He was kind of a gatekeeper at UFC, and that fight didn’t make sense, and especially without renegotiating the contract it didn’t make sense at all.”
Nemkov said he is content with Johnson as the opponent and is ready to continue to make waves at heavyweight. He was a dominant force in Bellator’s 205-pound division but said he has health issues and is “not looking to cut the weight ever again.”
Whether this will be Nemkov’s final fight under the PFL banner remains to be seen. He felt far more attachment to the now-defunct Bellator brand, and Nemkov said he’s disappointed to see it go.
“I do feel a little bit sad because this is where I begin my journey,” Nemkov said. “I built my name and brand in that company, and they did show really good aspects of my fighting game, so I do feel a little bit sad.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai.