This past Saturday at the PFL’s Road to Dubai, we saw a big time heavyweight matchup in the co-main event. Former Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov (19-2, 1 NC) was looking to move to 2-0 at heavyweight as he took on former Bellator title challenger Tim Johnson (18-11).
Originally, Nemkov was supposed to face Ante Delija on the card, but Delija pulled out of the fight. Then, the PFL announced that Nemkov would be facing Corey Anderson for a third time on the card. However, the fight was never signed and Nemkov didn’t want to fight an opponent like Corey Anderson on short-notice.
Nemkov did accept a fight against Tim Johnson. Johnson is a very tough guy, but nobody figured he would give Nemkov trouble. That turned out to be the case on Saturday. Nemkov dominated the fight until he submitted Johnson just after three minutes into the first round.
What’s next after PFL Road to Dubai?
Now there’s a bunch of question marks around what’s next for Vadim Nemkov. In an interview last week, Nemkov had mentioned that he would be fighting out his contract when he fought Tim Johnson. However, PFL commentator Sean O’Connell posted on X earlier that Nemkov was still under contract. I reached out to the PFL earlier today and was informed that Nemkov is in fact still under contract. With Nemkov still under contract, there are great options for him.
The biggest fight in that scenario would be Super Fights champ and former UFC champ Francis Ngannou. There’s also the trilogy with Corey Anderson that can still happen and potentially a fight with a guy like Renan Ferreira. A Ryan Bader rematch could also be another fight for Nemkov. One thing is for sure, there are good options for the Russian moving forward.