Nemkov is the ideal heavyweight. But he can’t get to Ngannou and Jones.
Sergey Sorokin February 25, 2024, 15:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The Russian top does not fit into the plans of the best fighters on the planet.
On February 24, the “PFL vs Bellator” mixed martial arts tournament was held in Saudi Arabia, where a confrontation between the champions of the two organizations was scheduled. But the fight between Vadim Nemkov and Bruno Cappelozza was of particular interest to fans of Russia. The fight ended with the victory of our compatriot in the second round. Vadim completely dominated and submitted his opponent without problems, forcing him to “fall asleep.” However, for now the Russian’s future seems uncertain.
Nemkov showed his enormous potential in the heavyweight division. He truly demonstrated the highest level of skill. It was interesting to note how easily Vadim transferred a major opponent. The huge Brazilian looked like a simple toy in the hands of the Russian. Therefore, the victory in the second round was not a big surprise. It is true that there were some negative aspects. In one of the exchanges, things became alarming for Vadim. Cappelozza surprised our compatriot with several powerful blows. But Nemkov quickly came to his senses and responded.
Immediately after the fight, Vadim eloquently made it clear that he is now only interested in the title fight: “For me, this is a new step in my career. I hope my heavyweight career starts with this fight and continues until the end. I would like a championship fight, I want to become a champion. The belt they gave me now is very nice. He impressed me as soon as I saw him. Now it is mine and I will proudly bring it to Russia. I would like to dedicate this victory to “Holy Belogorye”.
Let’s remember the main details of the last tournament:
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PFL vs Bellator: Nemkov entered the fight with the Russian flag and made Fedor happy!
But, apparently, Vadim will have to wait a long time for his chance to step into the octagon against the best heavyweights on the planet. And all because the next opponent of Francis Ngannou, whom Nemkov is so pursuing, was determined in the confrontation between Ryan Bader and Renan Ferreira. The huge Brazilian knocked out the champion in 21 seconds, without allowing the veteran to even think about a possible victory. Therefore, the organization will simply not ignore Renan after such a brilliant fight. It’s not entirely clear exactly how much time will pass before this showdown. But one thing is clear: for now Ngannou will look for his opportunity in professional boxing, where he receives a lot of money and fame.
It is curious that Ngannou can also fight according to the rules of mixed martial arts, but with a completely different opponent. In the last tournament, Francis and Jon Jones clashed again. It seems that sooner or later the heads of the organizations will reach an agreement. And the top heavyweights from the UFC and PFL will still meet in the octagon. There is confidence that they will try to arrange a fight before Kostyany’s career ends.
Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones
Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images
It turns out that Nemkova shouldn’t expect potential fights with these heavyweights in the near future. And even a possible move to the UFC won’t solve this. There Vadim will have to rebuild everything from scratch. And a huge line lined up for Jones’ belt. Sergei Pavlovich, Tom Aspinall, Cyril Gun… And even Stipe Miocic is still in the big race for the belt. Therefore, it is still not entirely clear what exactly the Russian should do. And even a beautiful victory in the last fight does not improve Nemkov’s life much.
This season, PFL broadcasts are available on Okko.
The Russian is pretty much a standard heavyweight. He showed that he can do almost anything. Nemkov works very well with his hands and feels very good in wrestling. He could definitely form a worthy opposition to both Ngannou and Jones. But these heavyweights simply don’t need such a potential fight right now. And Vadim, 31, definitely doesn’t want to wait too long for his chance.
