Nemkov vs. Johnson booked For Bellator 'Road to Dubai'
Yesterday at 08:30 PM
Vadim Nemkov has been booked to face off against Tim Johnson in a heavyweight tilt at the upcoming Bellator "Road to Dubai" event on Jan. 25, 2025 in Dubai, UAE. Johnson is the third scheduled opponent for Nemkov, who was originally set to face Professional Fighters League (PFL) big man, Ante Delija, before he was bounced from the fight with an injury.
A few days later, it was revealed that Corey Anderson had agreed to step in to fill the void, while putting an end to their rivalry once and for all in what would have been a trilogy fight. A week later, however, that fight was cancelled after Anderson alleged that Nemkov refused to fight him because he was seeking to book a fight against lesser competition.
Whether or not Johnson — a natural heavyweight — is an easier fight for Nemkov is open for interpretation. Johnson is coming off a technical knockout (TKO) loss at the hands of Denis Goltsov at PFL 7 earlier this year, snapping his three-fight win streak. Over his last seven fights, the hard-hitting big man is 3-4.
After vacating his light heavyweight title in order to go back to the 265-pound division, Nemkov went on to defeat Bruno Cappelozza to win the "PFL vs. Bellator Champion of Champions" Super Belt earlier this year, improving his unbeaten win streak to thirteen straight fights. As for Anderson, there is no word if he will remain on the card to face a different opponent
"Road to Dubai" will feature a lightweight title fight as division king, Usman Nurmagomedov, will defend his title against rising sensation, Paul Hughes. The event is the first for PFL after the promotion signed a historic multi-year partnership between the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).
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