Nemkov defends PFL heavyweight title against Bilostenniy on 15-fight Dubai card

Vadim Nemkov puts his PFL heavyweight title on the line for the first time when he faces fellow Russian Sergei Bilostenniy at PFL Dubai on November 14 at the Coca-Cola Arena, with the promotion confirming a full 15-fight card for the event.

Nemkov (20-2, 1 no-contest) claimed the belt in December 2025 by stopping Renan Ferreira inside four minutes and has not lost in a decade, going undefeated across 15 fights under the RIZIN, Bellator and PFL banners. The Fedor Emelianenko protege is a former Bellator light heavyweight champion and enters as a heavy favourite.

“I always try to finish fights with a submission or a choke. Like Fedor says, fights should end early,” Nemkov said. “But fighting is unpredictable, things don’t always go according to plan, so you have to be ready to adjust during the fight.”

Bilostenniy (15-4) earned his title shot by knocking out Ferreira in the second round in May, going 4-1 inside the PFL cage. The 31-year-old has finished two-thirds of his MMA victories by knockout, including three of his four PFL wins against Ferreira, Karl Williams, Tyrell Fortune and Kasim Aras.

“I’m in the middle of my training in Moscow, there’s not long left now until a real, action-packed fight,” Bilostenniy said. “I want to treat the fans to a great, exciting bout between two big Russian guys. My mindset is excellent, I’m ready for battle.”

The co-main event pits undefeated Belgian welterweight prospect Patrick Habirora (9-0) against PFL MENA welterweight champion Omar El Dafrawy (16-6). Habirora went 3-0 in PFL Europe with three first-round knockouts, most recently stopping former UFC champion Benson Henderson in just 20 seconds. El Dafrawy enters on a two-fight winning streak.

The main card also features undefeated heavyweight Pouya Rahmani against Oleg Popov, former Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis against Joji Goto, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov — cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov — against David Martinez at welterweight.

The preliminary card includes Khasan Magomedsharipov versus Adam Borics and Ernesto Rodriguez versus Rhys McKee among ten additional bouts.