Nemkov vs Johnson

Who won Nemkov vs Johnson?

Vadim Nemkov beat Timothy Johnson by submission in the 1st round during the co-main event of PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series, on Saturday 25th January 2025 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 3 rounds in the Heavyweight division, which meant the weight limit was 265 pounds (18.9 stone or 120.2 KG).

Nemkov vs Johnson stats

Vadim Nemkov stepped into the octagon with a record of 17 wins, 2 losses and 0 draws, 9 of those wins coming by the way of knock out and 4 by submission.

Timothy Johnson made his way to the cage with a record of 18 wins, 10 losses and 0 draws, 10 of those wins coming by knock out and 3 by submission.

This was Vadim Nemkov's 11th fight in Bellator, having made his debut for the promotion in 2017. Timothy Johnson marked his 9th fight for them, having made his own debut for the promotion in 2018.

Vadim Nemkov's Bellator record stood at 10-0-0, while Timothy Johnson's came in at 4-5-0.

The stats suggested Johnson had a slight advantage in power over Nemkov, with a 56% knock out percentage over Nemkov's 53%.

If the fight went to the ground, their records suggested Nemkov had a slight advantage over Johnson, with a 24% submission rate over Johnson's 17%.

Vadim Nemkov was the younger man by 8 years, at 32 years old.

Johnson had a height advantage of 3 inches over Nemkov.

Nemkov was the less experienced professional fighter, having had 9 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2013, 2 years and 7 months later than Johnson, whose first professional fight was in 2010. He had fought 4 less professional rounds, 47 to Johnson's 51.

Nemkov vs Johnson form

Nemkov had won all 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 1 opponent and going to the judges 4 times.

In his last fight before this contest, he had won against Julius Anglickas at Bellator 266 on 16th October 2021 by submission in the 4th round in their Bellator Light Heavyweight championship fight at Footprint Center, Phoenix, United States.

Previous to that, he had beaten Phil Davis at Bellator 257 on 16th April 2021 by unanimous decision in their Bellator Light Heavyweight championship fight at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville.

Going into that contest, he had defeated Ryan Bader at Bellator 244 on 21st August 2020 by knockout in the 2nd round in their Bellator Light Heavyweight championship fight at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville.

Before that, he was victorious against Rafael Carvalho at Bellator 230 on 12th October 2019 by submission in the 2nd round at Allianz Cloud Arena, Milan, Italy.

He had won against Phil Davis at Bellator 209 on 15th November 2018 by split decision in their 3 round contest at Menora Mivtachim, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Johnson had beaten 2 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 1 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had lost to Denis Goltsov at PFL 7: 2024 Playoffs on 2nd August 2024 by knockout in the 1st round at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, United States.

Previous to that, he had beaten Danilo Marques at PFL 4: 2024 Regular Season on 13th June 2024 by knockout in the 1st round at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville.

Going into that contest, he had defeated Said Sowma at Bellator 294 on 21st April 2023 by unanimous decision in their 3 round contest at Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu.

Before that, he had been beaten by Linton Vassell at Bellator 277 on 15th April 2022 by knockout in the 1st round at SAP Center, San Jose.

He had been defeated by Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator MMA on 23rd October 2021 by knockout in the 1st round at VTB Arena, Moscow, Russia.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Timothy Johnson had been fighting more than Vadim Nemkov.

Going to this contest, Vadim Nemkov had last fought 3 years, 6 months and 21 days ago, while Timothy Johnson's last outing had been 9 months and 5 days ago.

Nemkov's last 5 fights had come over a period of 6 years, 5 months and 22 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 1 year, 3 months and 18 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 16 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 3.2 rounds on average.

Johnson's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 6 months and 14 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 8 months and 15 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 7 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 1.4 rounds on average.

What time did Nemkov vs Johnson start?

The fighters were expected to walk out at around 7:40 PM UTC , which was 2:40 PM EST or 11:40 AM PST on the West Coast of America, or 7:40 PM GMT in the UK.

What were the odds on Nemkov vs Johnson?

Vadim Nemkov was a 1/25 (-2500) favourite going into the contest, while Timothy Johnson made his way into the ring at 21/2 (+1100) with oddsmakers.