Corey Anderson has faced Vadim Nemkov twice, but he’s increasingly skeptical that their trilogy bout will materialize.
The two fighters first met in April 2022 at Bellator 277 during the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Final for the championship. Their clash ended in a no contest due to an accidental headbutt.
The rematch took place at Bellator 288, with Nemkov earning a decision victory to defend the Bellator light heavyweight belt. Since then, Anderson has rebounded with decision wins over Phil Davis and Karl Moore, with Anderson's last win seeing him capture the vacant light heavyweight title.
Anderson was eager to secure a third fight with Nemkov, and it appeared the trilogy was set for heavyweight at the PFL Road to Dubai: Champions Series event on on Jan. 25. However, the fight fell apart, leaving Anderson frustrated and convinced that Nemkov is avoiding him.
I told you a while ago before he moved to heavyweight, I believed he was scared of me,” he said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “Now I know for a fact. He doesn’t want to fight me. He got scared. It was time to go to the altar, and he got cold feet and ran.
Anderson expressed disappointment about how the situation unfolded, especially with rumors swirling that Nemkov is on the final fight of his current PFL contract.
I feel like after this, he’ll probably never take the opportunity to fight me again,” Anderson continued. “One, he knew I wanted the fight — that’s on him. He’ll finish his contract on a high note, and we’ll never do the trilogy. Two, if it keeps coming, he’s going to find another way out of it.
Anderson is ready to move on and remains confident in his ability and eager to get back to fighting, even if the Nemkov trilogy never comes to fruition.