Vadim Nemkov is the new Bellator light heavyweight champion stopping Ryan Bader in the second round of their Bellator 244 main event Friday in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Bader withstood a lot of damage following a right head kick in the second round as Nemkov capitalized on his damaged opponent. Nemov swarmed Bader on top with relentless ground and pound, which Bader weathered and got to his feet before he was dropped again, and the fight was waved off.
It was the first loss for the 37-year old Bader since entering Bellator with last defeat occurring in January 2016 when he was knocked out by Anthony Johnson.
Bader remains the Bellator heavyweight champion, which he won in January 2019 when he was victorious in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix.
For Nemkov, the Russian-based fighter continued his win streak extending that mark to seven fights dating back to June 2016. He joined Bellator in 2017 and defeated former champion Liam McGeary, Phil Davis, and Rafael Carvalho before receiving the title fight against Bader.
Vadim Nemkov came away with his 7th straight W and light heavyweight gold tonight at #Bellator244. pic.twitter.com/oMMFzUryzL
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 22, 2020
Earlier in the card, Julia Budd bounced back from her featherweight title loss to Cris Cyborg in January, defeating Jessica Miele by unanimous decision and improves to 14-3.
Valentin Moldavsky extended his winning streak to five earning the decision against Roy Nelson. The loss represents the fifth in a row for the 44-year old Nelson, who had not won since his Bellator debut in September 2017.
Below are the complete results from Bellator 244:
*Vadim Nemkov def. Ryan Bader by TKO at 3:02 of Round 2
*Julia Budd def. Jessica Miele by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
*Valentin Moldavsky def. Roy Nelson by unanimous decision (30-27 all)
*John Salter def. Andrew Kapel by arm-triangle at 3:11 of Round 3
*Yaroslav Amosov def. Mark Lemminger by TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 1
*Sidney Outlaw def. Adam Piccolotti by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
*Josh Hill def. Erik Perez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
*Weber Almeida def. Salim Mukhidinov by TKO at 3:57 of Round 1
*John de Jesus def. Vladyslav Parubchenko by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
*Chris Gonzalez def. Vladimir Tokov by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
*Lucas Brennan def. Will Smith by TKO at 4:14 of Round 2
