Vadim Nemkov at an Impossible Intersection of Sports, Politics

SAN JOSE, California—Vadim Nemkov will awaken Friday morning in a clean and comfortable hotel room. The Russian light heavyweight will then be free to do whatever he typically does on fight day before defending the Bellator MMA light heavyweight title against Corey Anderson in the Bellator 277 co-main event on Showtime.

The winner receives $1 million on top of his regular fight purse to go with plaudits as one of the top 205-pound fighters in mixed martial arts. As the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix concludes, this is all part of the prize package for which the tournament participants have competed during the past 12 months. Glory. Money. Recognition. Everything Nemkov, who turns 30 in June, could want out of his mixed martial arts career is there for the taking.

“This grand prix is again something I want to keep part of my legacy. I take it very seriously,” the Russian said Monday in Los Angeles. “I want to win beautifully against a good opponent, so this is my chance.”

Nemkov’s chance comes 51 days after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine. The protégé of Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko is not alone among professional fighters from his country who have competed since Russia moved militarily on its neighbor. Nemkov is just the latest example.

After traveling to the United States in advance of Friday’s fight at the SAP Center, Nemkov, whose visa is good through the end of 2022, fielded numerous questions about a war that resulted in a cascade of global consequences, including assertions from the top of the American government regarding genocide and war crimes perpetrated by the Russians against the Ukrainian civilian population.

“I can imagine he’s going to be very careful how he answers because he has to go back to his homeland,” Bellator President Scott Coker said. “He’s going to be under scrutiny if he does say something.”

That does not alter the fact that as Russians continue to ply their trade in combat sports following the invasion on Feb. 24, the vast majority of Ukrainian fighters have not been so fortunate. Nemkov’s fellow Bellator champion, welterweight Yaroslav Amosov, was scheduled to defend his title on May 13 in London but pulled out of the bout a couple weeks ago to focus instead on safeguarding his family and his country.

“Like the rest of the world, we’ve been shocked by the tragic events in Ukraine, and the thoughts of everyone at Bellator MMA are with Yaroslav and all the Ukrainian people during this time,” Coker said in a statement in March. “We wish he and his family the best and look forward to seeing him return safely to happier times, both inside and out of the Bellator cage.”

Amosov was in Thailand preparing for his first title defense against challenger Michael Page when the conflict broke out. He informed Bellator officials that he would pause his camp to move his family out of harm’s way.

“I think he took them out of the country,” Coker said. “He said he would let us know if he was going back to Thailand, but he called us and said he’s not coming back. He was going to stay there and fight the Russian army. He asked for us to say a prayer.”

Earlier this month, a social media post showed Amosov retrieving the Bellator championship belt that his mother hid in a basement of a home for safekeeping. The video made Coker speechless.

“It really hit me,” the promoter said. “The picture of him and his squadron holding the belt up, you can see how much it means to these guys. It was really a touching moment.”

Nemkov, meanwhile, was secluded in the Russian mountains as he trained for Anderson, a 16-5 veteran who departed the Ultimate Fighting Championship to sign with Bellator in 2020 as a Top 5 light heavyweight.

“Corey is a very strong fighter,” Nemkov said. “He did not come from the UFC as champion. He’s just a regular fighter, so there’s nothing super specific that he brings with him. He’s just a regular fighter, and I plan on beating him.”

Seeking his 10th consecutive victory, Nemkov (15-2) said the war “hasn’t really affected me that much” in terms of preparation. “The war has affected me emotionally. I try not to watch the news but, again, all over the news terrible things have happened.” Nemkov, a Russian army veteran, spoke through an interpreter provided by Bellator. He indicated that he has also avoided news reports about Ukraine after traveling to the U.S.

“I am very happy to represent Russia,” he said. “Obviously, I am Russian. I will always stick to it. As I said, I want the fighters to be treated like fighters and not any political subject. Again, sports should stay out of politics.”

On this point, Coker is aligned with Nemkov.

“Personally, I feel sports should not involve politics,” Coker said. “It’s unfair. These guys don’t want this. There’s nobody from Team Fedor saying we want this. Nobody is supporting [the war] from the people I talk to, but they’re in a tight spot. They have no say in the matter. They just kind of have to go with it, and that’s what you’re seeing over there.

“Hopefully this war ends, because none of the people I talk to in Russia want this war,” he added. “Seriously. They’re not about that. They want to move on.”

The current conflict scuttled plans for a Bellator event in July at Moscow’s Red Square, which took more than a year to negotiate with the Russian government. It would have served as Emelianenko’s final appearance as an MMA fighter. The iconic former Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight titleholder is expected to speak with Coker in San Jose this weekend about other options. However, if the war widens, Coker admitted it could make using Russian fighters exceedingly difficult.

“I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Russia on a business front,” he said.

While Nemkov responded to the questions that were posed to him about the war, Amosov has been altogether silent beyond social media. Despite repeated requests, the 28-year-old combat sambo specialist from Irpin, Ukraine, has not spoken with the press since taking up arms against the Russians. No headlines. No fights. No paydays. No glory—not the kind Nemkov will pursue in the cage in California, at least.

When asked how it feels knowing that he can fight while Amosov was forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout, Nemkov expressed thanks to Bellator for the opportunity.

“For Amosov,” said Nemkov, “I send my condolences to him that all of this is going on on his ground.”