Phil Davis embraces raised stakes ahead of Vadim Nemkov rematch at Bellator 257

Former Bellator light heavyweight champion Phil Davis has always wanted to run things back with Vadim Nemkov but, now he has landed his ideal fight, the stakes have never been higher.

After narrowly losing a via split decision to Nemkov in November 2018, Davis (22-5 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) will finally get an opportunity to avenge his loss when he squares off with the newly crowned champion in the quarterfinals of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix at Bellator 257 on April 16.

Since losing to Nemkov (12-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), Davis has won three in a row, scoring stoppages of Liam McGeary and Karl Albrektsson before edging a split decision against Lyoto Machida in September.

Since beating Davis in their first meeting, Nemkov submitted Rafael Carvalho, then stunned Ryan Bader with a second-round TKO to win the Bellator light heavyweight title in August.

Now Davis and Nemkov are on collision course once again and, thanks to Nemkov’s rise to the top of the division, it means Davis not only has the opportunity to exact revenge, he also has the chance to recapture the light heavyweight title.

“It feels very good,” Davis told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a media availability following Bellator’s press conference announcing the fight. “Vadim, his stock is only going up since we fought. He obviously defeated the champion and he won in impressive fashion and he’s a good fighter. Now a lot more people know it and they look forward to this fight a lot more and it’s definitely gonna be one to remember.”

Kicks were a big part of Nemkov’s game plan when the pair squared off the first time and Davis knows he has to be wary of them again, especially considering it was a head kick that saw Nemkov stun Bader in his title-winning performance.

“A lot of the positions I did win, I definitely need to tweak those, and a lot of the positions I didn’t win, as well,” Davis said. “Normally, I just concentrate on the areas I didn’t win and correct those, but I really want to drill in a lot of the areas where I did really well against him.

“He’s a really good kicker and, preparing for that fight, we drilled a lot of kicks and just stopping his kicks, making sure we had good counters on deck, ready to go and it’s gonna be one of things I make sure I’m ready for. His high kick – I think he just caught Ryan Bader out of position, but either way, gotta prepare for that too.”