Vadim Nemkov defends his PFL heavyweight title against Sergei Bilostenniy in the main event of PFL Dubai at Coca-Cola Arena on Saturday, November 14, 2026.
The 15-fight card marks the promotion’s fourth event in Dubai and its first since a merger with Most Valuable Promotions announced on July 30, according to Scoresandstats. The main card starts at 1 p.m. Eastern, corresponding to 10 p.m. in Dubai and 15:29 UTC, while the preliminary card begins at 9 a.m. Eastern on the ESPN app.
Heavyweight Title Bout
Nemkov enters the title fight with a professional record of 20 wins and two losses. He has not lost in a decade across RIZIN, Bellator, and the PFL, claiming the heavyweight strap last December by finishing Renan Ferreira in under four minutes, Knockoutodds reported.
I always try to finish fights with a submission or a choke. But fighting is unpredictable, things don’t always go according to plan, so you have to be ready to adjust during the fight.
Vadim Nemkov
Bilostenniy holds a 15-4 record and secured his title opportunity with a second-round knockout of Ferreira in May.
The two athletes share a background as former training partners from Fedor Emelianenko’s team and have shared camps, Scoresandstats stated. Russian heavyweight Oleg Popov noted in an interview with Telecom Asia Sport that both men are familiar with about 80% of each other’s game due to extensive sparring sessions.
Sergey will push forward and apply pressure early on.
Oleg Popov, Russian PFL heavyweight
Popov further noted that conditioning will be the deciding factor in the five-round championship contest. Both fighters know where the other poses a threat, and Popov stated that while the opening rounds may see cautious exchanges, Nemkov possesses elite endurance, natural cardio, and movement comparable to a lightweight competitor.
Heavyweight and Bantamweight Bouts Feature on the Main Card
- Vadim Nemkov vs. Sergei Bilostenniy (Heavyweight)
- Patrick Habirora vs. Omar El Dafrawy (Welterweight)
- Oleg Popov (23-2) vs. Pouya Rahmani (6-0) (Heavyweight)
- Joji Goto (21-9-1) vs. Sergio Pettis (25-8) (Bantamweight)
- Lewis McGrillen (13-2-1) vs. Nawras Abzakh (15-4) (Bantamweight)
