This Saturday night in the main event of Bellator 268, the light heavyweight title is on the line as the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix continues. The champion Vadim Nemkov (14-2) is back as he’s taking on the surging challenger Julius Anglickas (10-1).
Originally, Nemkov was slated to take on Rumble Johnson in this semifinal matchup. However, after falling ill, Rumble had to pull out of the fight. Anglickas was originally scheduled to be on the Bellator 268 card and the promotion decided to add him to this matchup.
Anglickas will be making his fourth appearance with Bellator. He fought on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, but the UFC passed on him. After they didn’t sign him, Bellator scooped him up and he’s gone a perfect 3-0.
That said, Saturday night he’s going to have his hands full with the Bellator light heavyweight champion. Vadim Nemkov has been sensational since joining the promotion back in 2017. Since making his debut, he’s gone a perfect 6-0.
He captured the light heavyweight crown last year when he knocked out Ryan Bader at Bellator 244. In the opening round of the Grand Prix, he picked up his second win over Phil Davis. Despite the opponent change, Nemkov appears focused heading into Saturday.
Bellator 268 Prediction
Since losing out on his UFC contract, Anglickas has looked like a man possessed. He’s been incredibly good through his first three Bellator matchups and he does have a skillset that can give the champion some trouble on Saturday.
We’ve seen Nemkov get tired in a few of his fights. You can bet that Anglickas is going to be going for takedowns early on and he’s going to look to get the champion tired. However, Nemkov has shown the ability to stay on his feet and keep the fight at range.
When they’re striking, the Bellator champion has a big advantage. The movement and fluidity of strikes definitely favors Nemkov and I think that’s ultimately going to be the deciding factor. I wouldn’t rule out Anglickas landing a takedown here and there early on.
However, I think Nemkov is going to prove to be too much for the challenger. I think it’ll be more competitive than people thinking, but Nemkov is going to outstrike his way to another win and I think he gets a finish in the later rounds.
Prediction: Vadim Nemkov by TKO – Round 4