Sergei Bilostenniy pulled off a huge upset in the PFL Dubai main event, defeating Vadim Nemkov via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) to claim the PFL heavyweight championship Saturday at Coca-Cola Arena.
Bilostenniy handed Nemkov his first loss since April 2016, ending his 15-fight unbeaten streak.
Nemkov, widely considered one of the best fighters outside the UFC, was a sizable betting favorite heading into the bout, but Bilostenniy had other plans. After Nemkov won the first round with his wrestling, Bilostenniy edged out Nemkov throughout the rest of the fight with a tactical game plan in the striking department. He landed the harder punches and bloodied Nemkov's face.
Nemkov was defending the PFL heavyweight title for the first time after winning the belt with a first-round submission of Renan Ferreira last December.
The 34-year-old Russian was a longtime Bellator light heavyweight champion before the PFL acquired the promotion in late 2023. He moved up to heavyweight in early 2024, beating Bruno Cappelozza and Tim Johnson before facing Ferreira in a vacant PFL heavyweight title bout.
Nemkov suffered his first loss since a split-decision defeat to Karl Albrektsson at Rizin FF 1 more than 10 years ago. Nemkov now sits at 20-3 (1 NC) as a professional.
Bilostenniy earned a shot at the title with a third-round TKO win over Ferreira in May. The 31-year-old Russian is riding a three-fight winning streak and is 6-1 in his last seven outings. Bilostenniy holds a 5-1 record under the PFL banner and is 16-4 as a pro.
