Being the target does not appear to bother Vadim Nemkov in the least.
The stoic Russian will defend his undisputed Bellator MMA light heavyweight crown when he confronts Yoel Romero in the Bellator 297 main event on Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Nemkov steps back into the spotlight on the strength of an 11-fight unbeaten streak that has seen him go 10-0 with one no contest. He last competed on Nov. 18, when he laid claim to a five-round unanimous decision over Corey Anderson in their light heavyweight grand prix final at Bellator 288. Romero, meanwhile, has rattled off back-to-back wins. The American Top Team star last fought at Bellator 285, where he cut through Melvin Manhoef with a volley of elbows in the third round of their Sept. 23 pairing.
As Nemkov and Romero make final preparations for their looming showdown at 205 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
30: Years of age for Nemkov, who was born on June 20, 1992 in Belgorod, Russia.
9: Nemkov victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 60% of his career total (15). Ryan Bader, Liam McGeary and Philipe Lins comprise his list of Bellator victims. Nemkov holds three other victories by submission (20%) and three more by decision (20%).
22: Seconds needed for Nemkov to punch out Joaquim Ferreira at a League S-70 show on Aug. 29, 2015. Nearly eight years later it remains his fastest finish to date.
6: Fighters besides Nemkov who have held the undisputed Bellator light heavyweight championship. The list: Bader, McGeary, Christian M’Pumbu, Attila Vegh, Phil Davis and Emanuel Newton.
.833: Cumulative winning percentage between the two opponents—Karl Albrektsson and Jiri Prochazka—who have beaten Nemkov. They sport a combined record of 42-8-1.
46: Years of age for Romero, who was born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on April 30, 1977.
13: Romero wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 87% of his career total (15). Manhoef, Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida highlight his list of victims. Romero owns two other wins by decision (13%).
400,000: Dollars in post-fight bonuses banked by Romero across his 13 appearances in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was awarded “Fight of the Night” five times, “Performance of the Night” twice and “Knockout of the Night” once.
60: Rounds started by Romero as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on seven different occasions and carries a 2-5 record in those bouts.
99: Combined victories between the five opponents—Davis, Robert Whittaker (twice), Israel Adesanya, Paulo Costa and Rafael Cavalcante—who have defeated Romero. They boast a cumulative .811 winning percentage at 99-23.
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