Vadim Nemkov signs new contract with the PFL

Vadim Nemkov (19-2) is staying with the PFL. There had been some rumblings that he was interested in fighting in the UFC, but at the end of the day, he’s staying right where he’s at. PFL Chairman Donn Davis posted on X last night that Nemkov has signed a new contract which takes him through 2027.

In the announcement, Davis mentioned potential fights for Nemkov including recent tournament champion Oleg Popov and heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Renan Ferreira was also mentioned by Davis in the post regarding Nemkov’s next opponents.

The PFL should immediately look to book Nemkov against Francis Ngannou if that’s a fight that they can make happen. After vacating the Bellator light heavyweight title to move up to heavyweight, Nemkov is 2-0 with two finishes at heavyweight. The last time we saw him was back in January when he submitted Tim Johnson.

Nemkov hasn’t lost since 2016 and considering the lack of overall talent in the global heavyweight division, he was looked at as a pretty hot free agent. Part of me thought he’d end up in the UFC, but after doing some digging, I’m not shocked he’s staying put.

In talking to a few people, Nemkov’s deal is significantly higher with the PFL on the financial side of things. It also doesn’t surprise me that the Fedor Emelianenko product is not signing with the UFC.