Friday 9 October 2020 13:01, UK
Vadim Nemkov produced a second-round TKO to beat Ryan Bader and become the new light heavyweight champion at Bellator 244 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Friday night.
In doing so he put an end to Bader's six-fight unbeaten streak with Bellator and his reign as two-division champion, while extending his own winning run under Bellator to five.
"I feel like me and Ryan Bader are the top two light heavyweights in the world right now," Nemkov said in his post-fight interview.
"I know there are a lot of top heavyweights in the UFC, but I think we could beat any one of them."
Nemkow took control of the fight in round two when he put his opponent to the floor with a high kick before landing a series of tough shots, only for Bader, to his credit, to somehow get back to his feet.
The Russian capitalised on his stronghold with a string of follow-up shots to floor Bader again, this time referee Kerry Hatley bringing an end to the punishment.
"I was actually more surprised that the referee wasn't stop
Julia Budd meanwhile overcame Jessy Miele by unanimous decision to claim her first win since surrendering the women's featherweight title to Cris Cyborg in January, which had ended her 11-fight winning run.ping the fight," Nemkov added. "I sent him to the canvas three times. I did what I had to do to win the fight."
