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Vadim Nemkov is one of the greatest light heavyweights in the world, as evidenced by his three-year reign as Bellator's resident champion at 205 pounds. Throughout his title run, the 31-year-old Russian has beaten the best that the promotion had to offer, including four talented UFC alumni.
But in the wake of his recent successful title defense against Yoel Romero, Vadim Nemkov has expressed a desire to vacate his light heavyweight title in pursuit of heavyweight glory. He hopes to enthrone himself as one of the greats at 265 pounds, like his hero Fedor Emelianenko.
While Nemkov remains a Bellator fighter and shows no indication of signing with any other promotion, his potential move to the heavyweight division opens up a door of fantasy matchups, both in the promotion and elsewhere. While they may never happen, they would be fun scraps for fans to behold.
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#5 Vadim Nemkov vs. Ryan Bader 2
If Vadim Nemkov intends to conquer Bellator's heavyweight division, he must first dethrone the reigning heavyweight king, Ryan Bader. To add fuel to the fire, Nemkov has beaten him before, so Bader will want vengeance, but so will the Russian, as Ryan Bader recently defeated his idol Fedor Emelianenko.
Furthermore, being known as a fighter who has held gold at light heavyweight and heavyweight is a distinction that Ryan Bader can claim, as he was once a two-division Bellator champion in both weight classes. By defeating Bader, Nemkov would be separating himself from the rest of the pack.
More than that, he'd wrestling another title away from Bader, just as he did with the American's light heavyweight strap. If Ryan Bader is still the heavyweight champion by the time Vadim Nemkov makes his move, it would be a massive rematch.
#4 Vadim Nemkov vs. Tai Tuivasa
This bout is unlikely to happen, but it is no less intriguing. Vadim Nemkov is currently signed to Bellator, but if he decides to make a splash in the UFC heavyweight division, who better to welcome him into the fold than Tai Tuivasa? The power-punching Australian is an entertaining fan-favorite.
Not only would he draw a significant amount of fan attention to the bout, but Tuivasa's absence of a dedicated grappling skill-set along with his defensive liabilities would give Nemkov the largest possible audience in front of whom to showcase his skills, while limiting the risk he'd be taking.
With 'Bam Bam,' all the reigning Bellator light heavyweight champion would have to do is avoid a big punch and comfortably outstrike his foe from a distance, while mixing in takedowns.
#3 Vadim Nemkov vs. Tom Aspinall
As things stand, Tom Aspinall has a fully realized plan to ascend to the UFC heavyweight throne. The Englishman has finally returned from a catastrophic knee injury, and did so in stunning fashion by dispatching his good friend Marcin Tybura with relative ease. Now, he intends to face Ciryl Gane, and ultimately, Jon Jones.
He is widely regarded as an elite heavyweight with a well-rounded skill-set. Aspinall is fast, has crisp boxing, crushing knockout power and has an excellent transition game that allows him to sneak in takedowns before overwhelming his foes with high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills on the mat.
Fans, however, are eager to see him face a well-rounded threat. Who is more well-rounded than Vadim Nemkov, who can strike and wrestle with nearly anyone put in front of him? Such a bout would be a tough litmus test that would ultimately determine whether Nemkov belongs in the top five if he ever heads to the UFC.
#2 Vadim Nemkov vs. Jon Jones
This matchup is exceedingly unlikely. Jon Jones doesn't even seem interested in facing Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich, both of whom are more well-known to the casual fanbase and actually fight in the UFC. Instead, 'Bones' is in the business of dolling up his legacy with recognizable names.
For this reason, he has chosen to defend his title against former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. A win over him would bring even more prestige to his record. But it has been some time since Jones fought a fighter with strong grappling skills of their own, who is in their physical prime.
His most recent win, after a long hiatus, came against Ciryl Gane, who has a known vulnerability to wrestling. This would not be the case with Vadim Nemkov. And if 'Bones' can't outwrestle him, can he outstrike him? How would Jones fair against the grappling threat of a four-time Combat Sambo world champion?
#1 Vadim Nemkov vs. Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou is the former UFC heavyweight champion, but he has since made a historic move to the PFL. With rumors afloat about Bellator being up for sale, and the PFL being highlighted as a potential buyer, there is a possibility of seeing a future clash between Vadim Nemkov and 'The Predator.'
Such a matchup would be one of the biggest heavyweight MMA fights outside of the UFC. Not only would it provide Ngannou with a respectable foe and world champion, as opposed to the overmatched cans many expect him to now face, but it would also give Nemkov the opportunity of a lifetime.
If he defeats a former UFC heavyweight champion, who never lost his belt inside the octagon, it would elevate his legacy past its current limits, and add to the list of former UFC elites he has beaten.
