The main test in Nemkov's career

In 2020, Vadim Nemkov strengthened his status as one of the main Russian stars of mixed martial arts.

Yes, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the fighter had only one fight, but won the most important career victory to date.

At the Bellator 244 tournament, Fyodor Emelianenko's pupil knocked out Ryan Bader and became the fifth national champion of the promotion.

It is already known who will be Nemkov's opponent during his first defense.

According to the head of Bellator Scott Cocker, it will be Phil Davis, who has a streak of three victories.

At the same time, the American suffered the last defeat from Vadim, failing to win the judges over to his side in a tense battle.

The repeated battle between Nemkov and Davis, although it will be a major event, is unlikely to cause a stir among MMA fans.

Firstly, it is still difficult to call both of them superstars of martial arts, and secondly, the fans already had the opportunity to watch their confrontation.

Nevertheless, if successful, Vadim can take part in a fight that promises to be one of the brightest in his professional career.

We are talking about a possible meeting with ex-contenders for the UFC title - Anthony Johnson or Yoel Romero.

The signing of both became one of the main events in December in MMA, and their possible fight promises to be the most striking in 2021.

It’s not surprising if the status of the first contender is at stake, and the winner will get the opportunity to fight the champion.

In this case, Nemkov will have an excellent opportunity to declare himself to the whole world and not only approach the record for the number of title defenses among Russians, but also attract the attention of the UFC.

Despite the long career break and age, Johnson and Romero are still considered to be one of the strongest fighters on the planet.

Prospects for Magomedsharipov, Makhachev and Askarov

If Nemkov has already won the belt in the American organization, then Zabit Magomedsharipov, Islam Makhachev and Askar Askarov are still hoping to win the title.

At the same time, each of them can get a chance to do it already in 2021 and increase the number of Russian champions in the Absolute Fighting Championship.

At the moment, Zabit and Askar are closer to this, while Islam has a much longer way to go.

Magomedsharipov is in the top 3 of the featherweight division and for a year and a half has been in one won fight from the status of the first contender.

If it were not for the pandemic, Yair Rodriguez's injuries and the inability of the UFC to find a worthy opponent, the Russian could have earned the right to fight Alexander Volkanovski or Max Holloway long ago, but he will be able to make another attempt to achieve this only in 2021.

As for Askarov, the key will be the confrontation with Joseph Benavidez in March 2021.

If he wins, he will most likely be named the first contender for the belt.

In this case, a winning streak of four fights under the auspices of the championship will speak for him - the longest among the representatives of the top ten rating.

Only the desire of the matchmakers to arrange a rematch between Daveson Figueredo and Brandon Moreno, as well as the possible return of Henry Sejudo, can prevent him.

Makhachev is in a more difficult position and is unlikely to be able to compete for the belt in 2021.

The success for him will be getting into the top 5 lightweight rankings, which will also be difficult to do.

To do this, he needs not only to confidently pass Drew Dober in March, but also to carry out at least two fights in the remaining nine months.

Given Ramadan, this is unlikely to be an easy task, but chances are there.

The only question is whether he will be able to find suitable opponents.

In case of a victory over Dober, it would be ideal for Makhachev to fight first with a fighter of the caliber of Kevin Lee or Al Iaquinta, and by the end of the year - to get the right to meet with Tony Ferguson.

Despite two defeats, El Cucuy continues to be considered one of the brightest representatives of the division, and success in the battle with him will not only help Islam break into the top 5, but will also become a significant line in the resume.

After that, he can not only get the right to fight the stars of the division, but also claim a trophy.

Ismailov's revenge with Mineev

In Russia, the title of potentially the main MMA event of this year was determined in December 2020.

Hardly anyone had doubts that one of its participants would be Magomed Ismailov, who had strengthened his status as one of the brightest representatives of domestic mixed martial arts.

The only intrigue was who exactly would become his rival.

By and large, the list of candidates included three fighters - Alexander Shlemenko, Alexander Emelianenko and Vladimir Mineev.

However, the incident at the AMC Fight Nights show removed all questions as to who exactly the fans would like to see Ismailov fight with.

The scuffle with Mineev attracted the attention of a huge audience and made people start talking again about the long-awaited revenge.

And at the moment there are practically no obstacles to its organization.

Kamil Hajiyev again has the necessary funds to host a major tournament, and Magomed is not bound by contractual obligations with the ACA.

The only question is whether Ismailov wants to take part in the confrontation again, during which he is threatened with constant insults and humiliation from the enemy.

If his battles with Emelianenko and Ivan Shtyrkov took place in a very warm and friendly atmosphere, then this should not be expected with Mineev.

Magomed himself has repeatedly mentioned that such methods of promotion are not interesting to him, as well as a repeated meeting with Vladimir.

However, his opinion may well be changed by a round sum.

Jan's battle with Dillashaw

Already in March, Peter Jan will hold the first defense of the UFC bantamweight title, and his opponent will be Aljemein Sterling.

The duel between the fighters was supposed to take place at the end of 2020, but was postponed due to the problems with the preparation of the Russian.

But by March, the reigning champion promises to come up fully armed and is already actively training in the American Top Team gym.

However, for Ian, the fight with Sterling is more like a warm-up on the eve of the most difficult test of his career.

In January, the period of suspension for doping of TJ Dillashaw expired, and the American has already announced his intention to regain his belt as soon as possible.

He also called Peter "interim champion" and spoke out harshly about his victory over Jose Aldo, who had two losses at the time.

Given Dillashaw's status and accomplishments, the UFC could make him the first challenger and oblige Ian to fight him in the summer.

One way or another, the fight promises to be one of the brightest events in the bantamweight division, not only in 2021, but throughout history.

Both are flamboyant fighters who prefer to fight in a standing position, which the audience loves so much.

At the same time, the victory over T. Jay, if not put Peter on a par with his compatriot Khabib Nurmagomedov, will at least bring him closer to this.

The return of Nurmagomedov

At the moment, Khabib Nurmagomedov is not only the main Russian MMA star, but also one of the most popular athletes in the world.

This is evidenced by 26.6 million followers on Instagram, the title of the strongest fighter regardless of weight categories according to the UFC, as well as recognition from foreign media.

So, in December, the BBC put Eagle above LeBron James and named him the main sports star in 2020.

It is not surprising that fans still do not believe in the end of Nurmagomedov's career and hope for his early return.

This is constantly talked about by both his colleagues and UFC President Dana White.

And even though Khabib himself has not yet announced the resumption of his career, he made it clear that he was considering a similar option.

True, for this one of his potential rivals will have to "impress" the champion.

If one of the top 5 lightweight fighters manages to attract the attention of Nurmagomedov, then closer to the end of the year one can expect another performance by the Russian.

This may become known after the end of UFC 257, where four stars of the category will fight at once.

Of course, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have the greatest chances to deserve a fight with Khabib, the fight between which will reveal the first contender for the belt.

The # UFC257 stakes have been raised!

đź‘€ @ DanaWhite gives us an update on @ TeamKhabib's fighting status.

pic.twitter.com/FFC2GNeIUY

- UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021

Farewell tour of Emelianenko

At the end of 2019, Fedor Emelianenko knocked out Quinton Jackson at the Bellator tournament in Japan and fought the first of three final fights in his career.

Initially, the end of the Last Emperor's farewell tour was supposed to take place in 2020, but a pandemic intervened.

The promotion was against arranging fights for the legendary athlete in front of empty stands, in connection with which it was decided to postpone them until next year.

At the moment, it is not known when to expect Emelianenko to return to the cage.

The head of Bellator, Scott Coker, cannot give a definite answer either, while noting that he intends to follow the designated plan and wait for the fans to return to the arenas.

If all goes well, then first Fedor will have to fight in Europe or the USA, and the last fight under the contract will be held in Moscow - as part of the organization's first show in Russia.

As for the rivals, there is no certainty on this issue either.

Rumors surfaced in the media about a possible superfight between Emelianenko and ex-UFC champion Brock Lesnar, but in the end there was no confirmation.

They also talked about the likely organization of a rematch with Fabricio Werdum, but these plans have not yet come true.