Nemkov defends the heavyweight title in Dubai

Vadim Nemkov defends the PFL heavyweight title against Sergei Bilostenniy on Saturday, November 14, at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. It is a 15-fight card, the promotion’s fourth in the city and the first there since the merger with Most Valuable Promotions. Prelims are listed for 6 p.m. Gulf Standard Time. The main card is listed for 10.

The matchups

Nemkov is 20-2, with one no contest. He won the title on December 13, 2025, submitting Renan Ferreira with an arm-triangle choke at 4:00 of the first round at PFL Lyon. He has not fought since. The filed record lists ten knockouts and six submissions. He is unbeaten in his last 15 appearances. In the PFL release he said he tries to finish with a submission or a choke, and that a fight can force a change of plan.

Bilostenniy is 15-4. He is the first fighter to stop Karl Williams, and he finished Ferreira, the former champion, with strikes. He and Nemkov have shared camps under Fedor Emelianenko. PFL posted that finish on October 29.

The co-main is at welterweight. Patrick Habirora (9-0) meets Omar El Dafrawy (16-6), the inaugural PFL MENA welterweight champion. Habirora knocked out former UFC champion Benson Henderson in 20 seconds in Brussels. This is his first professional fight outside Europe.

The rest of the main card, in the order PFL posted it: Pouya Rahmani (6-0) vs. Oleg Popov (23-2) at heavyweight, Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-4-1) vs. David Martinez (17-6) at welterweight, and Sergio Pettis (25-8) vs. Joji Goto (21-9-1) at bantamweight. Heavyweight is 265 pounds. Nurmagomedov is back after three years away.

The prelims

PFL posted ten more fights:

• Lightweight: Shem Rock (12-3-1) vs. Connor Hughes (12-3)
• Bantamweight: Lewis McGrillen (13-2) vs. Nawras Abzakh (15-6)
• Featherweight: Asaël Adjoudj (11-1) vs. Movlid Khaybulaev (23-0-1)
• Lightweight: Alexei Pergande (8-0) vs. Akhmed Magomedov (11-2)
• Featherweight: Khasan Magomedsharipov (11-0) vs. Adam Borics (20-4)
• Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov (37-9) vs. Maxwell Djantou Nana (9-2)
• Welterweight: Ernesto Rodriguez (11-2) vs. Rhys McKee (15-7-1)
• Light heavyweight: Khabib Nabiev (12-0) vs. Styve Ngono (8-1)
• Welterweight: Khamzat Abaev (6-1) vs. Leon Hill (10-2)
• Women’s strawweight: Aleksandra Savicheva (8-2) vs. Jacinta Austin (9-2)

Start times

Gulf Standard Time is four hours ahead of UTC and stays there through November. The United States is on standard time. London is on Greenwich Mean Time. Sydney is on daylight time, eleven hours ahead of UTC.

Prelims at 6 p.m. Gulf Standard Time, main card at 10:

• Dubai: 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
• London: 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
• Sydney: 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday

10 p.m. in Dubai is the listed start of the main card. Five fights are on it, with Nemkov vs. Bilostenniy at the top of the list PFL posted. In New York that is 1 p.m. Eastern. In Las Vegas it is 10 a.m. Pacific. The United States broadcast is the ESPN App. STARZPLAY has the card in the Middle East and North Africa.