Nemkov backs 50-year-old Fedor to beat Ngannou if boxing match is made

Vadim Nemkov is backing Fedor Emelianenko to beat Francis Ngannou if the two heavyweights ever meet in a boxing ring — a remarkable vote of confidence given that the Russian MMA legend is 50 years old and has not competed since losing to Ryan Bader for the Bellator championship in early 2021.

Emelianenko recently ruled out a return to MMA but described a boxing match with Ngannou as a “real dream.” Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, most recently stopped Philipe Lins on the first MVP MMA card in May 2025 following high-profile boxing bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

“Believe it or not, he’s still very fast on his feet, very explosive, heavy punch,” Nemkov told MMA Fighting through a translator. “It’s not easy to hit Fedor, he moves a lot, he has a really good ring movement, so I think he has really good chances against Francis if they box. I think Fedor will win.”

Nemkov’s endorsement carries weight given how closely he works with Emelianenko. The PRIDE heavyweight legend still trains alongside Nemkov as a coach, helping him prepare for his PFL title defence against Sergey Bilostennyi in Dubai this Saturday.

“It’s a big honor really to be able to train with him, to be able to be coached by him, to get his knowledge and his experience,” Nemkov said. “There’s people out there that are just excited to shake his hand or take a picture with him, and I get to train with him and learn from him — so it’s a huge honor.”

Nemkov enters the Bilostennyi fight riding a 14-fight unbeaten streak, with victories over Renan Ferreira, Yoel Romero, Corey Anderson, Phil Davis and Ryan Bader among his scalps. He acknowledged a useful edge heading into Saturday’s contest: he was in Valentin Moldavsky’s corner the last time Bilostennyi was beaten.

“I kind of have a game plan — I was already game planning how I would fight Sergey when I was cornering Moldavsky,” Nemkov said. “Me and Moldavsky have a different style so not necessarily the things he did might work for me, but I have a plan.”

Bilostennyi earned his shot by finishing Karl Williams and Ferreira in back-to-back bouts since that defeat, and Nemkov acknowledged him as “very worthy of a title shot.” The champion is nonetheless targeting a finish, noting he always prepares for the full five rounds regardless of intent.

The bout also carries broader significance: it is Nemkov’s final title defence under the PFL banner before the promotion transitions to the MVP MMA brand in 2027.