A trilogy fight will now co-headline Bellator Champions Series: Road To Dubai on Jan. 25 at Coca-Cola Arena as Corey Anderson steps in to face Vadim Nemkov after Ante Delija withdrew from the fight.
Bellator made the announcement on Wednesday.
Nemkov (18-2) is undefeated in his Bellator run. The former Bellator light heavyweight champion made his move up the heavyweight after defending his 205 title for a fourth time. Training under MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko he’s put together a 9-0-1 record in Bellator with one victory under PFL. He holds one victory over Anderson as their first bout was declared a No Contest after Nemkov suffered a cut over his left eye due to a headbutt.
Anderson (18-6) took the light heavyweight title shortly after Nemkov vacated it by beating Karl Moore in March. The light heavyweight champion has gone 5-1-1 in Bellator following a 10-5 run in the UFC earlier in his career.
It’s said closed mouths don’t get fed, and it seems to be true in Anderson’s case. Recently some of the top fighters in Bellator have taken to social media expressing frustration with lack of fight bookings.
Anderson joined Patchy Mix, Patricio Pitbull, Leandro Higo and others in expressing their disappointment with Bellator and PFL.
Seems like Bellator must have been listening as Anderson gets the call to fight Nemkov after Delija withdrew.
Bellator Champions Series: Road to Dubai takes place on Jan 25 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Currently the card looks as follows:
- Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes – Bellator Lightweight Championship
- Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderso – Heavyweight Bout
