In just a few weeks, Bellator 297 goes down in Chicago and the light heavyweight title is on the line. Champion Vadim Nemkov (16-2, 1 NC) will be looking for his fourth successful title defense as he takes on the dangerous Yoel Romero (15-6).
Romero will be looking to secure his first world title in MMA in Chicago. The Bellator champion is feeling good about where he is in his career at the moment. Nemkov made the move over to the promotion back in 2017 and it’s been smooth sailing for him.
The one hiccup was a No Contest against Corey Anderson which was a blessing in disguise. Nemkov and Anderson fought at Bellator 277 and it looked like Anderson was well on his way to becoming the first man in the promotion to beat Nemkov. However, with just seconds left in the third round, a clash of heads opened a nasty gash on Nemkov.
Because they hadn’t fought three rounds, they couldn’t go to a technical decision so the fight was declared a No Contest. Nemkov went back to the drawing board and looked like a new fighter when he fought Anderson in the rematch at Bellator 288. He completely dominated him and won a decision which retained his championship and won him the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Eyeing Bellator’s Heavyweight Division
Now, Nemkov has a fresh challenge in front of him in Yoel Romero. It’s a challenge that excites him, however, Nemkov isn’t that motivated by the light heavyweight division beyond that. Most of the top contenders are guys he has already defeated. In Phil Davis’ case, twice.
Nemkov was interviewed by the guys over at Cageside Press and talked about his interest in moving up to heavyweight. Nemkov talked about how he never feels great after fighting at light heavyweight and he talked about how the weight cuts are not getting any easier.
That said, if he does move to heavyweight, he sees it being a permanent move. You can catch Nemkov’s entire interview here. If Nemkov does decide to move up after his next fight, one man who will have his hands full is Ryan Bader. Bader was the former light heavyweight champion and was knocked out by Nemkov.
Bader is still the current heavyweight champion, but would likely be a big underdog against Nemkov who would be moving up to challenge him. First thing is getting by Romero, but if he does, don’t be shocked to see the light heavyweight champion make a move to heavyweight.