Nemkov Sees Fedor Beating Ngannou In Boxing

PFL champion Vadim Nemkov believes his longtime mentor Fedor Emelianenko retains the speed and power to defeat Francis Ngannou should the two meet in a boxing ring.

The Russian legend turned 50 this year and has not competed since dropping a Bellator championship bout to Ryan Bader in 2023. Emelianenko continues to work mitts with Nemkov in the gym, and the reigning PFL titleholder sees enough in those sessions to back his coach against the former UFC heavyweight king. Nemkov described Emelianenko's footwork as sharp, his explosiveness intact, and his ring craft difficult to solve even now, per MMA Fighting.

Potential Ngannou Showdown Under MVP Banner

Emelianenko recently shut down talk of an MMA comeback but described facing Ngannou in the squared circle as something he would genuinely pursue. The Cameroonian knockout artist scored a one-sided stoppage of Philipe Lins in May under the MVP MMA banner after a pair of high-profile bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Nemkov said the promotion should put the matchup together and predicted a win for his mentor.

Nemkov defends his title against Sergey Bilostennyi on Saturday in Dubai, the final championship bout under the PFL name before the outfit transitions to MVP MMA in 2027. The champion cornered Valentin Moldavsky when Bilostennyi last tasted defeat in May 2025 and said he already mapped out an approach from that night. Bilostennyi has since finished Karl Williams and Renan Ferreira, earning the shot, but Nemkov is hunting a finish of his own.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Vadim Nemkov sees ‘really good’ chance Fedor Emelianenko beats Francis Ngannou in boxing