The fight between Vadim Nemkov and Ryan Bader can be considered, if not one of the most anticipated, then certainly one of the most important in 2020. In the main event of Bellator 244, not only the light heavyweight title but also the honor of the Fedor Team will be at stake. In January last year, the American knocked out Fedor Emelianenko and did not allow him to become the champion of the American promotion for the first time. His teammate will try to take revenge for the eminent comrade.
Despite its status and significance, the duel between Vadim Nemkov and Ryan Bader risked remaining almost unnoticed by the general public. The reason for this was the state of affairs at Bellator during the pandemic. Scott Cocker chose a strange strategy and, by and large, did not appear in the media space, as a result of which many fans began to completely forget about the existence of the promotion.
While Dana White and the UFC were looking for all sorts of ways to host the show, talking about "Fight Island" and organizing events on the Indian Reservation, their main competitor was in the shadows. As a result, the pause was five months, and the first tournament not only did not cause a stir among the MMA fans, but also had an unremarkable card. The reason for this was the postponement of the main duel of the evening, in which Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson were supposed to fight.
Subsequently, Cocker still arranged a fight between the former Bellator and UFC lightweight champions, but this hardly helped the organization to attract the attention of MMA fans. The new hope of the promotion will be a duel between Nemkov and Bader, who has a slightly better chance of completing the task. At least for the reasons that the championship title will be at stake, and the battle has an interesting background.
If everything is clear with the first point, then the second is that Nemkov represents the Fedor Team, the leader and founder of which is Fedor Emelianenko. In January 2019, the legendary athlete fought in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix final, but suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Bader. The last Emperor was knocked out after 35 seconds and lost the opportunity to become the champion of an American organization for the first time in his career. Then many advised him to end his career, but the fighter stayed and 11 months later defeated Quinton Rampage Jackson.
It is noteworthy that two months before the fight between Emelianenko and Bader, a fight took place that made Nemkov a star, if not of the MMA world, then at least Bellator. In November, the Russian made a sensation and took over the famous Phil Davis, known for his performances in the UFC. Even then, Vadim outlined his claims for the title, and in October 2019 he confirmed them by defeating ex-middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho. After that, the matchmakers had no doubts that it was the Russian who should become the next contender for the trophy.
The battle between Nemkov and Bader was scheduled for May 9, and its promotion was preceded by a major press conference. It was attended by participants from all the key shows planned for the summer. At the same time, the main focus was on the holder of two championship belts and his Russian opponent. The American spoke highly of the enemy and expressed confidence that the duel would not be an easy one, and the Russian assured that "he would fight for himself and for Fedor."
However, the pandemic confused all the cards, and at one point even doubts arose that Nemkov would remain in the status of a contender for the title. Due to the epidemiological situation in the world, the situation with international flights has become complicated. In view of this, Bader began to seriously doubt that his opponent would be able to reach the United States. In May, he openly told MMAJunkie that he was not sure about the fight with the Russian, and expressed his readiness to fight with another athlete. But in the end, all the issues were resolved.
According to bookmakers, Bader is the favorite of the confrontation. This is not surprising, given the experience and skill of the American athlete, who has more than successfully performed not only in Bellator, but also in the UFC. It is worth recalling that by the time he left the largest MMA promotion, he had seven victories in the last eight fights.
During this period, he cracked down on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, star Phil Davis, future contender for the interim belt Ovins Saint-Prue and ex-champion Rashad Evans. At the same time, he lost only to Anthony Johnson, at that time considered one of the most terrifying punchers in the world of mixed martial arts.
Bader is distinguished by physical strength and wrestling skills. In college, he competed in the NCAA First Division, and later trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and received a brown belt. True, he won by submission infrequently - only 16% of the time (five out of 30). The last time he forced an opponent to surrender was in 2013. Then he took over Vladimir Matyushenko.
Nevertheless, the Russian possesses all the qualities to shame the skeptics and surprise the American himself. In the stand, if Nemkov does not have an advantage, then at least he should look no worse than his counterpart. He moves well and is more like a middle or welterweight fighter in speed. In this he will definitely surpass the massive, but not the most maneuverable Bader.
As for the striking technique, Vadim not only actively uses his boxing skills, but also works great with his feet. He often uses low-kicks, which Liam McGeary knows firsthand. The ex-Bellator champion received so many kicks in the legs that he forced the referee to stop the duel.
In addition, Nemkov is an excellent example of a fighter who managed to get through a difficult stage in his career and become much stronger. In the period from late 2015 to early 2016, he suffered two defeats in a row. At first, he was unable to cope with Jiri Prochazka, and then lost by split decision to Karl Albrektsson. Moreover, in the first case, he himself refused to continue the fight. Some might think that Vadim would repeat the path of another heir to Emelianenko in the person of Kirill Sidelnikov, but he drew the right conclusions from the failures, pulled himself together and won six times in a row.
Also, two more Russians, as well as a number of fighters from the post-Soviet space, will perform at the tournament in Uncasville. However, only one of them found a place in the main card. Valentin Moldavsky will try to win the tenth career victory, and former UFC star Roy Nelson will try to prevent him. Until now, the domestic heavyweight had four fights in Bellator and each time he was stronger than his counterpart.
This time, the bookmakers also do not doubt his success, considering the clear favorite of the duel. This is due to the fact that the 44-year-old American has passed a lot and has not shown his best qualities for a long time. His unsuccessful streak is four fights, one of which ended ahead of schedule. The once granite jaw failed in a confrontation with Sergei Kharitonov.
For Moldavsky, this is a chance, if not to get involved in the fight for the title, then at least to define his claims to it. He has already defeated the rather famous Xavi Ayala and Linton Vassel, and the triumph in the battle with the once very bright Nelson will certainly contribute to his advancement to the top.
Another Fedor Team member Vladimir Tokov will also try to extend his successful streak. So far, Anatoly's younger brother has only played five fights in his professional career and has never lost. But in Uncasville, he will face the most dangerous opponent. Chris Gonzalez has just one less victory, and three of them were won at Bellator.
Also, a fighter from Tajikistan Salim Mukhidinov, as well as Ukrainians Vladislav Parubchenko and Yaroslav Amosov will perform at the show. The last of them has 23 victories and not a single defeat and may soon claim the Bellator welterweight belt. Initially, he was supposed to fight with another star of the past - John Fitch, but he withdrew due to injury. On replacement came yesterday's debutant of the organization Mark Lemminger. Such a change could not but affect the location of the battle in the tournament program, as a result of which it migrated from the main to the preliminary card.