Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson will meet for a third time, now at heavyweight, in the co-main event of Bellator Dubai on Jan. 25. The promotion announced the match-up Wednesday, not disclosing why Nemkov’s original opponent Ante Delija withdrew from the card.
Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson set for heavyweight trilogy at Bellator Dubai
Guilherme Cruz is a Brazilian journalist covering combat sports since 2008.
The Road to Dubai Champions Series card will be headlined by a lightweight championship showdown between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes.
Nemkov (18-2, 1 no contest) and Anderson (18-6, 1 no contest) first met in April of 2022, but an accidental clash of heads forced a premature end of their light heavyweight title bout.
The rematch was booked for seven months after the no-contest, and Nemkov successfully defended his title for the third time with a unanimous decision.
The Russian talent defended the belt once, topping former UFC title contender Yoel Romero, before moving up to heavyweight this year and beating Bruno Cappelozza via submission.
Anderson rebounded with a split decision win over Phil Davis and then re-claimed the vacant light heavyweight throne this past March, defeating Karl Moore in a five-round decision in Belfast.
