Sergei Bilostenniy produces a five-round performance to dethrone Vadim Nemkov, using his striking power and take down defense to secure a unanimous decision and become the new PFL heavyweight champion.
Sergei Bilostenniy claims the PFL heavyweight championship after defeating defending champion Vadim Nemkov by unanimous decision in the main event of PFL Dubai on Saturday, November 14, at the Coca-Cola Arena.
Nemkov opens the contest by looking to establish his grappling advantage. After attempting a head kick that misses, Bilostenniy immediately shoots for a take down and manages to take Bilostenniy down.
Nemkov works his way into full mount and begins attacking with an armbar, putting the challenger in an uncomfortable position. However, Bilostenniy manages to escape the submission attempt and returns to his feet. The escape allows Bilostenniy to avoid spending the rest of the round underneath the champion, while Nemkov demonstrates the grappling threat that makes him such a dangerous opponent.
Both heavyweights come out aggressively in the second round, with the striking exchanges becoming more important. Bilostenniy begins finding more success on the feet, connecting with the more effective strikes while Nemkov continues looking for opportunities to take the fight to the ground. The champion attempts several takedowns but cannot complete them. Bilostenniy does a better job of defending the wrestling attempts and keeping the contest standing, allowing him to make his striking advantage count.
Nemkov continues searching for takedowns in the third round, but Bilostenniy remains difficult to bring down. Bilostenniy easily defends another. take down attempt, forcing the champion to continue fighting on the feet. Nemkov attempts a head kick during the exchanges, but Bilostenniy blocks it. Neither fighter produces a particularly high volume of offence during the remainder of the round. However, Bilostenniy connects with the harder strikes, continuing to make his punches count against the defending champion.
Bilostenniy continues to find success in the fourth round as Nemkov struggles to establish his wrestling game. With fewer take down attempts coming from the champion, the challenger has more opportunities to work on the feet. Bilostenniy continues landing damaging strikes and makes Nemkov work to stay competitive in the exchanges. The round further highlights the difference between the two fighters’ approaches. Nemkov looks for ways to bring the contest into his preferred grappling territory, but Bilostenniy continues to deny him those opportunities.
The final round begins with Nemkov needing a strong finish to turn the contest around. Although the champion records more total strikes according to the official statistics, Bilostenniy’s strikes carry more damage and continue to influence the fight. Nemkov works from the outside with his jab, but he struggles to create the openings needed to complete another take down.
Both heavyweights show caution during the closing minutes, with neither committing heavily to a finishing attack. The final bell eventually brings the five-round contest to an end, leaving the decision in the hands of the judges. All three officials score the fight in Bilostenniy’s favour, awarding him a unanimous decision victory and the PFL heavyweight championship.
The victory marks another major achievement for Bilostenniy, who enters the contest with back-to-back knockout victories over Karl Williams and former PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira. Against Nemkov, however, he demonstrates that his game goes beyond knockout power. His ability to defend takedowns, escape an early submission attempt and land the more damaging strikes proves decisive over 25 minutes. For Nemkov, the defeat ends his heavyweight title reign. Despite showing his grappling ability in the opening round, he struggles to impose that advantage consistently as the fight progresses.
The co-main event also sees Patrick Habirora extend his impressive run with a first-round submission victory over Omar El Dafrawy. The Belgian welterweight faces early pressure from El Dafrawy, who looks to take the fight to the ground. Habirora has to put his take down defense to work, but he finds an effective answer when he uses a guillotine choke to counter the wrestling attempt.
Habirora locks in the submission and puts El Dafrawy unconscious before the opening round comes to an end, securing a technical submission victory at 3:11. The result continues Habirora’s rise in the PFL welterweight division and gives him another impressive finish on a major international card.
Check out PFL Dubai results below.
Main Card
Sergei Bilostenniy def. Vadim Nemkov via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
Patrick Habirora def. Omar El Dafrawy via first-round technical submission (guillotine choke) (3:11)
Oleg Popov def. Pouya Rahmani via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)
Joji Goto def. Sergio Pettis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Lewis McGrillen def. Nawras Abzakh via first-round TKO (5:00)
Preliminary Card
Connor Hughes def. Shem Rock via second-round KO (1:04) | Watch the KO
Saygid Izagakhmaev def. David Martinez via third-round submission (rear-naked choke) (4:27)
Akhmed Magomedov def. Alexei Pergande via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Adam Borics def. Khasan Magomedsharipov via first-round submission (triangle choke) (4:17)
Denis Goltsov def. Maxwell Djantou Nana via first-round TKO (3:41)
Ernesto Rodriguez def. Rhys McKee via first-round TKO (2:28)
Khabib Nabiev def. Styve Ngono via third-round TKO (0:46)
Aleksandra Savicheva def. Jacinta Austin via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
