Bellator 244: Fedor protégé Vadim Nemkov TKOs Ryan Bader to win light heavyweight title
- Nemkov makes history as first Russian 205-pound champ in a major organisation with second-round finish
- UFC legend Jon Jones praises the 28-year-old, who proclaims himself the No 1 light heavyweight in the world
Vadim Nemkov said he didn’t want to exact revenge for his mentor Fedor Emelianenko against Ryan Bader. But that he did at Bellator 244, taking the American’s light heavyweight title and pronouncing himself the No 1 205-pound fighter on the planet.
The 28-year-old Russian (12-2) secured a stunning second-round TKO at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Friday night. “The Last Emperor” – whom Bader beat in 35 seconds to win the heavyweight title last year – was left applauding in his corner.
Nemkov hurt Bader with a head kick early in the second round and swarmed him with ground and pound. The referee let it go on as the 37-year-old “Darth” (27-6) showed tremendous heart and grit to stay in the fight and get to his feet. But there was too much time left and once the former UFC star was clipped again and dropped, it was all over at 3:03 of round two.
Following Jon Jones’ move up to the UFC heavyweight ranks, and Daniel Cormier’s retirement, Bader had proclaimed himself as the greatest light heavyweight in the world going into the fight. But Nemkov crashed the party.
“I feel like with all the changes going on in the 205 division and the calibre of opponent I just beat, a two-time champ in two different weight classes, I feel like I’m No 1 right now,” Nemkov said. “I think to back up why I’m saying this, I didn’t just go through five rounds of a fight, I finished a top, top contender in decisive manner in two rounds.”
