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PFL confirms full Dubai card: Vadim Nemkov defends heavyweight title against training partner

The November 14 Coca-Cola Arena show is PFL's first Dubai date since merging with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, with champion Vadim Nemkov making his first heavyweight title defense against Sergei Bilostenniy, who trains alongside him under Fedor Emelianenko.

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Nighttime exterior of Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, showing its illuminated red lattice facade, lit signage, and patrons entering through the doors.
The exterior of Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, pictured at an earlier, unrelated event. The venue hosts PFL Dubai, headlined by Vadim Nemkov's heavyweight title defense, on November 14. Display crop and resize applied.Ninoksha Maria · CC BY-SA 4.0

PFL has confirmed its full fight card for PFL Dubai on November 14 at Coca-Cola Arena, according to the promotion's press release. It is PFL's fourth event in Dubai and its first there since the promotion merged with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).

The main event is a heavyweight world title fight between champion Vadim Nemkov (20-2, 1 no contest) and the number three ranked contender, Sergei Bilostenniy (15-4), PFL announced in September. It will be Nemkov's first defense of the belt he won in December by beating Renan Ferreira, having moved up to heavyweight in 2024 after holding the Bellator light heavyweight title. Bilostenniy, who has finished Karl Williams, Tyrell Fortune and Ferreira himself, trains alongside Nemkov under Fedor Emelianenko at a Moscow gym, making this a matchup between training partners. Cageside Press independently reported the same bout and card details when the main event was first announced.

The co-main event pairs unbeaten Belgian welterweight Patrick Habirora (9-0), who stopped former UFC champion Benson Henderson in 20 seconds, against Omar El Dafrawy (16-6), the inaugural PFL MENA welterweight champion, marking Habirora's first fight outside Europe. Dubai's own Pouya Rahmani (6-0) fights in front of his hometown fans against the number one ranked heavyweight, Oleg Popov (23-2). Abubakar Nurmagomedov, a cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, returns from a three-year layoff against David Martinez at welterweight, and former Bellator champion Sergio Pettis meets Joji Goto at bantamweight to round out the main card.

Ten additional bouts are set for the preliminary card, including ranked featherweights Adam Borics and Khasan Magomedsharipov, plus heavyweight contender Denis Goltsov against Maxwell Djantou Nana.

PFL Dubai streams live in the United States on the ESPN App and across the Middle East and North Africa on STARZPLAY.

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  1. PFL (Professional Fighters League)PFL Dubai Full Card Confirmed For November 14 At Coca-Cola Arena
  2. PFL (Professional Fighters League)Heavyweight Gold On The Line As Vadim Nemkov Defends His PFL World Title Against Sergei Bilostenniy At PFL Dubai
  3. Cageside PressPFL Dubai Sees Vadim Nemkov Face Sergei Bilostenniy, Popov vs. Rahmani Added

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