Vadim Nemkov backs Fedor Emelianenko to beat Francis Ngannou in a boxing match

PFL heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov believes his coach and mentor Fedor Emelianenko would beat Francis Ngannou if the two ever met in a boxing ring. Nemkov made the prediction in an interview with MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz, published on Friday, November 13, 2026, one day before he defends his title against Sergei Bilostenniy in the main event of PFL Dubai at Coca-Cola Arena.

No Emelianenko vs Ngannou fight has been announced or reported to be in negotiation.

"I think Fedor will win"

Speaking through a translator, Nemkov said MVP should make the fight if it wants it.

"If MVP wants to offer [Emelianenko] a boxing fight, I think that'd be good for the fans, too. He's ready," Nemkov told MMA Fighting. "Believe it or not, he's still very fast on his feet, very explosive, heavy punch. It's not easy to hit Fedor, he moves a lot, he has a really good ring movement, so I think he has really good chances against Francis if they box. I think Fedor will win."

According to MMA Fighting, Emelianenko still puts the gloves on in the gym to help Nemkov get ready for his fights.

Where the Fedor vs Ngannou talk comes from

Emelianenko, 50, has not fought since February 2023, when he lost to Ryan Bader by first-round knockout at Bellator 290 in his retirement fight. His last win was a quick knockout of Tim Johnson in October 2021.

The idea of a boxing match with Ngannou came from Emelianenko himself. In an interview with the Russian outlet Ushatayka in late October, he said he could no longer manage MMA because of injuries but would "have a go" at Ngannou in boxing if he were talking about "a real dream". He also stressed that there were no negotiations and that the media had twisted his words.

Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion and a former PFL star, boxed Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua before returning to MMA. According to MMA Fighting, he stopped Philipe Lins with ease on the first MVP MMA card in May.

"A huge honor" to train with Fedor

Nemkov said he still cannot quite believe he gets to learn from the PRIDE legend every day.

"It's a big honor really to be able to train with him, to be able to be coached by him, to get his knowledge and his experience," Nemkov said. "There's people out there that are just excited to shake his hand or take a picture with him, you know, and I get to train with him and learn from him and get his wisdom, so it's a huge honor."

Nemkov vs Bilostenniy on Saturday

Nemkov, the former Bellator light heavyweight champion, brings a 14-fight unbeaten streak into Saturday's fight, per MMA Fighting. MMA Fighting also reports that this will be his final title defense before the company continues under the MVP MMA brand in 2027.

Nemkov has already studied Bilostenniy up close. He was in Valentin Moldavsky's corner in May 2025, the last time Bilostenniy lost.

"I cornered [Moldavsky] for that fight so I kind of have a game plan, I was already kind of game planning how I would fight Sergey when I was cornering Moldavsky," Nemkov said. "Me and Moldavsky have a different style so not necessarily the things he did might work for me and vice versa, but I have a plan."

Nemkov called Bilostenniy "very worthy of a title shot" after his stoppage wins over Karl Williams and Renan Ferreira, but said he is looking to end the fight early.

"I always train for five rounds because you never know how the fight's going to go," Nemkov said. "But I'm also always looking for a finish. If I get a finish, I'm ready to go for it whether it's on the ground, submission, knockout. Whatever it is, I'm always looking for a finish."