Vadim Nemkov makes the first defense of his PFL heavyweight title Saturday in Dubai against Sergei Bilostenniy, and he’s had a head start on the homework. Nemkov told MMA Fighting through a translator that he cornered Valentin Moldavsky the night Moldavsky beat Bilostenniy in May 2025, and he was already sketching his own approach from the corner stool.
“I cornered [Valentin Moldavsky] for that fight so I kind of have a game plan, I was already kind of game planning how I would fight Sergey when I was cornering Moldavsky,” Nemkov said. He added that he and Moldavsky fight differently, so he isn’t copying the blueprint, but he has a plan.
The card runs from Coca-Cola Arena with prelims at 9 a.m. ET and the main card at 1 p.m. ET, streaming on the ESPN App with the main card also on ESPN2. It’s a morning show for U.S. viewers, wrapping well before UFC 334 and its own heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit later the same night. DraftKings Network has posted betting lines for the card.
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The main event
Nemkov (20-2-1) hasn’t fought since December 2025, when he beat Renan Ferreira to become the inaugural PFL heavyweight champion. He carries a 14-fight unbeaten streak through Bellator and PFL, with Ferreira, Yoel Romero, Corey Anderson, Phil Davis and Ryan Bader on the list. MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings have him at No. 11 at heavyweight. His camp included rounds with his mentor Fedor Emelianenko, who still gloves up in the gym at 50, and Nemkov said in the same interview that he likes Fedor’s chances in a boxing match with Francis Ngannou. “I think Fedor will win,” he said.
Bilostenniy has won four of five since leaving Bellator for PFL, and the last two were knockouts of Karl Williams and that same Renan Ferreira. Nemkov called him “very worthy of a title shot” and said he trains for five rounds but hunts the finish anywhere it shows up. This is also Nemkov’s final title defense before the promotion continues under the MVP MMA brand in 2027.
The rest of the card
The co-main is a welterweight fight with real stakes. Patrick Habirora is unbeaten at 5-0 in PFL, and Omar El Dafrawy has won six of his seven league fights. Somebody’s record takes a dent.
Full lineup:
- 265 lbs.: Vadim Nemkov vs. Sergei Bilostenniy (heavyweight title)
- 170 lbs.: Patrick Habirora vs. Omar El Dafrawy
- 265 lbs.: Oleg Popov vs. Pouya Rahmani
- 135 lbs.: Sergio Pettis vs. Joji Goto
- 135 lbs.: Lewis McGrillen vs. Nawras Abzakh
- 155 lbs.: Shem Rock vs. Connor Hughes
- 170 lbs.: Saygid Izagakhmaev vs. David Martinez
- 155 lbs.: Alexei Pergande vs. Akhmed Magomedov
- 145 lbs.: Adam Borics vs. Khasan Magomedsharipov
- 265 lbs.: Denis Goltsov def. Maxwell Djantou Nana via TKO (3:41 of Round 1)
- 170 lbs.: Ernesto Rodriguez def. Rhys McKee via TKO (2:28 of Round 1)
- 205 lbs.: Khabib Nabiev def. Styve Ngono via TKO (0:46 of Round 3)
- 115 lbs.: Aleksandra Savicheva def. Jacinta Austin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
The early prelims already delivered, with three TKOs in the first four fights, two of them inside the opening round. Pettis vs. Goto is the one I’d circle on the undercard, and Borics vs. Magomedsharipov at featherweight is a sneaky gem.
My take: Bilostenniy’s two straight knockouts make him the most dangerous man Nemkov has faced at heavyweight, and the champ is coming off nearly a year on the shelf. But Nemkov watched this exact opponent lose from a few feet away, and fighters who get to study someone live, with a corner’s view of what worked, don’t usually waste that. Nemkov by stoppage, probably late, and expect him to start the MVP MMA era still holding the belt.
