Vadim Nemkov – Page 10 – Syndication Server

Bellator free fight: Vadim Nemkov dismantles a former champion at Bellator 194

Relive the action as Vadim Nemkov finished former light heavyweight champ Liam McGeary with leg kicks at Bellator 194.

Surging Bellator light heavyweight contender [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] stands one win away from capturing the promotion’s 205-pound title as he prepares to take on two-division champion Ryan Bader at Bellator 242 in San Jose on May 9 (pending the resumption of normal activities in the state of California due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Nemkov’s rise through the Bellator light heavyweight ranks has been as impressive as any contender in any division. After his debut win over Brazilian Philipe Lins, Nemkov was thrown in with a succession of world champion opponents, and the Stary Oksol, Russia native has beaten them all to earn his shot at Bader’s 205-pound strap.

The fight that started his run came at Bellator 194 against [autotag]Liam McGeary[/autotag] as he produced a cerebral display to clinically dismantle the former light heavyweight champion in Uncasville, Conn.

[lawrence-related id=502634,498745]

Nemkov came out confidently against the British grappler as he established his stand-up with some solid kickboxing as he worked his way inside McGeary’s long reach to land his strikes.

With McGeary starting to make life trickier for Nemkov to land with his hands, the Russian turned to his leg kicks and found his route to victory. Nemkov added powerful right kicks to the outside of McGeary’s lead leg to almost every striking combination from the mid-point of Round 1 onwards, and it paid off in the following frame.

Nemkov had identified an effective technique, and also the fact that McGeary wasn’t checking it, and that knowledge paid off. In Round 2, Nemkov smartly avoided McGeary’s submission attack when the pair went to the mat early, but soon got back to work on the feet as he established that leg kick once again. By the end of the round, McGeary was clearly compromised and he limped back to the corner in obvious pain.

With the bout firmly in his comfort zone, the Russian loaded up even more on his leg kicks Round 3 as he pounded the former champion’s lead leg, with the crowd at the Mohegan Sun Arena gasping with every kick that landed.

With McGeary chopped to the ground, referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in and waved off the fight with 58 seconds left. Nemkov proved for the first time in the Bellator cage that he had both the fight I.Q. and the technique to dismantle championship-caliber opposition.

Relive the fight in full via the video above.

[vertical-gallery id=498437]

Bellator free fight: See how Vadim Nemkov earned his shot at the light heavyweight title

Recap the action as Vadim Nemkov defeated former middleweight champ Rafael Carvalho to earn a shot at the Bellator light heavyweight title.

The next time [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] steps into the Bellator cage, he’ll challenge for championship gold.

The Stary Oksol native is scheduled to take on two-division champion Ryan Bader for the light heavyweight title May 9 at Bellator 242, and the surging Russian contender will be hoping to replicate his form from Bellator 230 that earned him his title shot.

Nemkov took out former middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho in Milan as he put the brakes on the Brazilian’s hopes of moving up a division and earning a shot at his second Bellator strap, as he finished his man inside two rounds to stake his own claim for a shot at the gold.

Nemkov came out fast and imposed his gameplan on Carvalho from the start. A powerful head kick partially connected with the Brazilian and clearly affected the former 185-pound champ as Nemkov found his range early. When the fight went to the mat, the three-time Sambo world champion looked equally dominant, as he controlled Carvalho with relative ease. His overall dominance was cemented as the action returned to the feet at the end of the round as he sent the Brazilian back against the fence with a big straight right hand.

[lawrence-related id=498745]

The fight was there for the taking, and Nemkov knew it. He came out for the second round looking confident but composed as he stuck to the gameplan that brought him success in Round 1. Once again, his striking was on point and too sharp for the muay Thai skills of Carvalho as he landed another big right hand then, after taking the Brazilian to the mat, he established his positioning, then moved to mount before hammering his man with punches and elbows.

That barrage of strikes eventually proved too much for Carvalho, who turned away from the onslaught and gave up his back. Nemkov didn’t need a second invitation and swiftly locked up a rear-naked choke to force the win at the 3:56 mark.

Nemkov’s dominant win against a man who had previously held the Bellator 185-pound title for two-and-a-half years proved he was a legitimate championship-caliber athlete, and a man who was ready to step up and challenge Bader for 205-pound gold.

You can watch the full fight in the video above.

[vertical-gallery id=498437]

Bellator showcase faceoffs: Champs, headliners, tournament fighters square up in New York

Check out the faceoffs from some of the biggest upcoming fights on the Bellator schedule, including Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima.

NEW YORK – Bellator hosted a news conference Monday to promote the biggest bouts on its upcoming schedule, and at the end of it the fighters got face to face.

Fourteen athletes from future championship, main event and featherweight grand prix tournament bouts were in attendance, including the headliners from Friday’s Bellator 241 event, [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag].

In addition, a number of others got a chance to go toe-to-toe, including: [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (Bellator 241 on March 13), [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (Bellator 242 on May 9), [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (Bellator 242), [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] (Bellator Europe 8 on May 16), [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (Bellator 244 on June 6), [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (Bellator 244) and [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (Bellator Dublin on Oct. 3).

Watch the video above to see all the faceoffs from the media event, which took place at Viacom headquarters in Manhattan.

[vertical-gallery id=391998]

Twin title-fight booking shows ‘champ-champ’ narrative is alive and well in Bellator

We look at why Bellator has gone all-in on their two-division champion narrative with a twin title-fight booking in California on May 9.

Bellator dropped some big news Tuesday with the announcement of a championship doubleheader at their May 9 show in San Jose.

The main event will feature promotional “champ-champ” [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), who puts his light heavyweight title on the line against surging contender [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) as he bids to maintain his position as a simultaneous two-division champion. But it’s the announcement of the co-main event that has really caught the imagination, with reigning welterweight king and grand prix victor [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) stepping up to 185 pounds to take on former middleweight champion [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (46-7-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) for the newly-vacated title.

The event represents Bellator’s biggest statement of 2020, as they stack the deck for arguably their most important card of the year so far. Here are four key reasons why the event is so important for the promotion:

It gives Bellator the chance to compete head to head with the UFC

When the sad news of Rafael Lovato Jr.’s brain condition was announced, his decision to relinquish the middleweight title was an unfortunate inevitability. But the recently-crowned champ did so with class, stepping down as champion to allow the division to move on. With such a blockbuster matchup waiting to be booked, Lovato’s decision not to sit on the belt any longer than necessary meant the organization could stack the deck for their May event, which will go head-to-head with UFC 250 in Brazil.

The UFC card for Sao Paulo is expected to feature a bantamweight title clash between champ Henry Cejudo and former titleholder Jose Aldo, but the presence of Bellator’s in-form Brazilian champion Lima would offer an interesting wrinkle to the direct comparisons between the two fight cards. The booking of two title fights, featuring three well-known names to U.S. fans plus a dangerous Russian contender, means Bellator will head into that weekend thinking they have a real chance to compete head-to-head with the UFC and come out on top.

Until the full fight cards are confirmed by the two promotions, it’s tough to compare the events side-by-side on star power, but one area where Bellator may hold the advantage is in their broadcast setup. UFC 250 will be an ESPN+ pay-per-view event, while Bellator’s show will simultaneously air on Paramount and stream live on DAZN, a platform for which regular MMA watchers will likely already have a subscription.

If it comes down to a straight choice, a solid event that airs on cable and streams on a service has already been paid for could end up getting the nod over the additional expense of a pay-per-view event in Brazil, especially considering the names already confirmed at the top of the card.

Pages: 1234

Ryan Bader to defend Bellator light heavyweight title vs. Vadim Nemkov in May

Ryan Bader is back – and one of his Bellator titles will be up for grabs this May.

Bellator double champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] is back.

Bader, who also holds the heavyweight title, will move back down to 205 pounds to defend his light heavyweight belt against surging Russian contender [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag], the promotion announced Saturday.

The fight will take place May 9 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

“I’m a 205er, been a 205er my whole career, and I want to go back down there,” Bader said. “I owe it to the division to come back down. … I wouldn’t have held up the belt if I wasn’t gonna go back down there, and now’s the time.”

Bader (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) competed at heavyweight in his four most recent bouts. After he earned back-to-back victories at 205 pounds, Bader entered the Bellator heavyweight grand prix in 2018. He won three fights in the tournament, including a finish of Fedor Emelianenko with punches in 35 seconds, to claim the heavyweight title.

[lawrence-related id=483848,483521]

Last September, Bader’s most recent outing was the first no contest of his career. Against veteran heavyweight Cheick Kongo, Bader retained his title after an inadvertent eye poke.

As for Nemkov (11-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), the Russian has quietly climbed up the divisional ladder. Nemkov has earned three finishes in four promotional outings, with wins over PFL tournament winner Philipe Lins, former Bellator title contender Linton Vassell, and former Bellator champions Liam McGeary and Phil Davis.

[vertical-gallery id=310448]