Having emerged as the top 205-pound fighter in the sport in the eyes of many, the 30-year-old Russian will put his Bellator MMA light heavyweight championship on the line against onetime Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero in the Bellator 290 co-main event on Feb. 4 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Nemkov enters the cage unbeaten (10-0-1) across his past 11 appearances. He has delivered 12 of his 15 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
As Nemkov prepares for his forthcoming showdown with the frighteningly gifted Romero, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:
1. Mortal Combat
Jiri Prochazka emerged as the last man standing in the Rizin Fighting Federation heavyweight grand prix semifinals when he was awarded a technical knockout over Nemkov in between the first and second rounds of their “Iza no Mai” confrontation on Dec. 31, 2015 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The two men took turns leading the dance, as Prochazka flexed his superiority in the standup exchanges and Nemkov answered with takedowns, positional control, ground-and-pound and repeated submission attempts. However, the future Bellator champion paid a steep price for the gains he made. Nemkov suffered significant damage to his left eye and exhausted himself to such an extent that it became clear he had crossed the point of no return. When the bell sounded to end Round 1, the Fedor Emelianenko protege remained on the canvas, indicated he could not reach his corner under his own power and conceded defeat.
2. An Instructive and Destructive Introduction
When Nemkov made his promotional debut at Bellator 182, he did so in stealth mode. There, the under-the-radar Russian export put away Philipe Lins with first-round punches as part of a deep undercard on Aug. 25, 2017 at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York. Lins—who went on to win a Professional Fighters League tournament a little more than a year later—bowed out 3:03 into Round 1. Nemkov short-circuited the Brazilian with steady output, forcing him away from the center of the cage and onto the back foot. Leg kicks, jabs and one-twos all conspired against Lins, until his counterpart found the opening for which he was hunting. Nemkov floored the Nova Uniao product with a devastating right cross, hovered over him and pounded away with standing-to-ground punches to prompt the stoppage. Suddenly, Bellator’s light heavyweight division had a real problem on its hands.
3. One Last Hurdle
Nemkov blew away Ryan Bader with a head kick and follow-up punches in the second round of their Bellator 244 headliner on Aug. 21, 2020 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, where he etched his name in the promotion’s history books as the seventh man to claim its light heavyweight championship. Bader succumbed to blows 3:02 into Round 2, suffering his first defeat in almost four years. Nemkov surrendered a takedown in the first round but was otherwise responsible for virtually all of the meaningful offense. He tagged Bader with a straight right hand in Round 2, reset after an accidental eye poke paused the action and decked the two-time NCAA All-American wrestler with a perfectly placed high kick. Nemkov pursued the fallen champion to the floor, showered him with punches and allowed him to stand before one final left hand forced referee Kerry Hatley to act on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner’s behalf.
4. Wonderfully Complete
The polished and still-improving Russian successfully defended his undisputed 205-pound title and advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator MMA light heavyweight grand prix with a unanimous decision over Phil Davis in the Bellator 257 main event on April 16, 2021 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. All three judges struck 48-47 scorecards for Nemkov, who moved to 2-0 in his head-to-head series with the four-time NCAA All-American wrestler. Davis struggled to get in gear, and the slow start did him no favors. Nemkov—who managed to eke out a split decision over the Alliance MMA mainstay in their first encounter in November 2018—built a commanding lead on the strength of a crisp jab, well-timed punching combinations and occasional kicks to the lower leg. Even so, “Mr. Wonderful” had his moments. Davis cut the champion near his left eye with an overhand right in the second round and enjoyed some success in the clinch. However, he failed to give Nemkov true pause and instead watched his opportunity to reclaim the light heavyweight crown slip through his fingers.
5. Working ‘Overtime’
Nemkov tightened his stranglehold on the 205-pound championship and took a unanimous decision from Corey Anderson, as their Bellator MMA light heavyweight grand prix final headlined Bellator 288 on Nov. 18, 2022 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Scores were 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46, though the margins felt much wider. Nemkov leaned on a crisp jab, sharp counters and stingy takedown defense across the 25-minute affair. He sat down Anderson with a glancing wheel kick at the end of the first round, opened a cut near his right eye with persistent jabs in the third and later zeroed in on his base with crushing leg kicks. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 19 winner dug deep into his bag of tricks but went nowhere, as his bids for takedowns grew increasingly desperate and his attempts to lure Nemkov into the clinch proved fruitless. By the time the fifth round concluded, it had become clear the Bellator light heavyweight division was effectively on lockdown.