Vadim Nemkov only needed four minutes to become PFL heavyweight champion on Saturday.
In the 2025 PFL Europe 4 main event, Nemkov (20-2) submitted Renan Ferreira (13-5) with an arm-triangle choke to capture the vacant strap. The event took place at LDLC Arena in Lyon, France.
Advertisement
Nemkov mediated the hulking nature of the 6-foot-8 Ferreira when he immediately dragged the fight down to the canvas. Ferreira was able to briefly reverse Nemkov, but the Fedor Emelianenko protege quickly gained position back. He moved into proper position for an arm-triangle choke and got the submission exactly 4:00 into Round 1.
After the fight, Nemkov said “I really want to fight Francis (Ngannou).”
PFL CEO John Martin has hinted the winner of Saturday’s bout could be next for the heavyweight legend Francis Ngannou, who still has one fight left on his deal with the promotion.
Nemkov, 33, has looked stellar since moving up to heavyweight, going 3-0. Success is nothing new for Nemkov, having held the Bellator light heavyweight title for an extensive period of time.
Advertisement
Full 2025 PFL Europe 4 results include:
-
Vadim Nemkov def. Renan Ferreira via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:00 – for vacant heavyweight title
-
Cris Cyborg def. Sara Collins via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:55 – for vacant women’s featherweight title
-
Patrick Habirora def. Kevin Jousset via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:42
-
Taylor Lapilus def. Liam Gittins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
-
Baris Adiguzel def. Dean Garnett via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:44 – to win PFL Europe bantamweight tournament championship
-
Boris Mbarga Atangana def. Guilherme Santos via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:35
-
Aleksandr Chizov def. Connor Hughes via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 0:50 – to win
-
PFL Europe lightweight tournament championship
-
Gustavo Oliveira def. Movsar Ibragimov via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:34
-
Sabrinna de Sousa def. Paulina Wisniewska via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
-
Rayan Balbali def. Levi Batchelor via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Vadim Nemkov quickly wins PFL title, calls for Francis Ngannou
