The PFL crowned two champions on Saturday, as Vadim Nemkov dominated a bigger opponent to win the heavyweight title and Cris Cyborg added the women’s featherweight belt to her packed trophy case in the headline bouts of PFL Lyon.
Nemkov, a former Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion, wasted no time in seizing control in the main event at LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, France. The 33-year-old Russian (19-2, 1 NC), a protégé of MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko, took down Renan Ferreira in the first minute and controlled the fight on the canvas before ending it with an arm triangle choke at 4 minutes of Round 1.
Ferreira (13-5, 3 NCs), who was 2023 heavyweight champion in the PFL’s old season format, had weighed in on Friday at 258.8 pounds, nearly 17 pounds heavier than Nemkov (241.9). The size disparity was evident at the faceoffs but made no difference once the fighters hit the mat.
“My plan was to wrestle with him because he’s so tall and he’s a good striker,” Nemkov said through an interpreter, speaking of the 6-foot-8 Ferreira. “I’m multidimensional, so for me it was better to wrestle.”
In the co-main event, Cyborg (29-2, 1 NC) secured another championship, then announced that she will fight just once more in MMA in order to focus on boxing. Cyborg, 40, had to fend off a third-round submission attempt by Sara Collins, a former judo international, before reversing position and securing a rear-naked choke at 2:55 of the round.
“I’ve been working this defense for judo side control,” Cyborg said.
It was just the seventh MMA fight for Collins, 35, and the experience gap showed. When Collins made her debut in 2019, Cyborg already had 24 pro fights under her belt and had been a UFC, Invicta FC and Strikeforce champion. A year later, Cyborg won a Bellator championship to become the only fighter to complete an MMA grand slam by holding those four titles. Last year, Cyborg added a PFL Super Fights championship, and on Saturday she added a belt in the PFL’s current format.
Afterward, Cyborg first called for a career finale against former Bellator featherweight Leah McCourt. But acknowledging that McCourt has been idle for 15 months, Cyborg then floated a possible superfight between her and unbeaten flyweight Dakota Ditcheva. “Meet me in the middle,” the longtime 145-pound fighter said, suggesting that Ditcheva, a 125-pounder who is “beating everyone in her division,” fight Cyborg at 135 pounds.
The crowning of two more champions pushes the PFL further beyond the season format in which the organization operated for its first seven years. Earlier this year, the organization crowned champions at middleweight (Costello van Steenis), light heavyweight (Corey Anderson) and lightweight (Usman Nurmagomedov).
On Friday, the PFL announced that Van Steenis will make his first title defense March 20 in Madrid against Fabian Edwards in a rematch of a 2020 Bellator bout won by Van Steenis by split decision. The promotion previously had announced that Nurmagomedov will defend his title against Alfie Davis on Feb. 7 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. That same night, Ramazan Kuramagomedov will fight Shamil Musaev for the vacant welterweight title.