Vadim Nemkov is set to fight Tim Johnson at Bellator’s January 25 event in Dubai, after his originally scheduled bouts with Ante Delija and Corey Anderson fell through.
Vadim Nemkov’s journey to Dubai is finally confirmed. After some uncertainty, he’s set to face veteran heavyweight Tim Johnson at Bellator’s January 25 event in Coca-Cola Arena. This marks the third opponent change for Nemkov on this card.
Initially, Nemkov was slated to fight Ante Delija, but Delija pulled out for undisclosed reasons. In a twist, Corey Anderson stepped up, moving to heavyweight for the bout. Yet, that match fizzled out too, with Anderson later accusing Nemkov of being “scared” to face him.
The tension between Nemkov and Anderson isn’t new. Back in April 2022, they clashed in the finals of a light heavyweight tournament with Nemkov’s title at stake. An accidental clash of heads led to a no-contest. They met again a year later, where Nemkov triumphed over Anderson by unanimous decision.
Now, Nemkov eyes a fresh challenge against Johnson. He made waves with his successful heavyweight debut last February at the PFL vs. Bellator event, submitting Bruno Cappelozza in round two. Remarkably, Nemkov hasn’t tasted defeat since April 2016.
On the other hand, Tim Johnson recently hit a bump in the road. His three-fight win streak ended with a first-round TKO loss to Denis Goltsov this past August, who went on to become the 2024 PFL heavyweight champion.