Russian MMA fighter Vadim Nemkov explained in an interview with why he decided to change weight class and move from the light heavyweight division to the heavyweight division.
Previously, Nemkov announced that he would give up the title of Bellator champion in the weight category up to 93 kg and move to the weight category up to 120.2 kg. Nemkov, 31, has been in the league since 2017 and has not suffered a single defeat in Bellator, occupying the first line in the rankings of the best fighters regardless of weight categories.
— You have said several times in interviews that you are leaving the light heavyweight belt and moving up to heavyweight. To what extent is Bellator aware of this and how is it, in principle, officially supported, because so far on their website you are listed as the light heavyweight champion. Could there be a situation where all this would remain only in Russian media?
– Initially, I talked about it in an interview for one of the media in the USA in August, when we were at a tournament with Valentin Moldavsky (Bellator 298, August 11 – ), and there I just clarified that I was moving to heavyweight. I think I remain the champion on the Bellator site only because there is no new champion. Most likely, they will determine this in the near future. For example, they will face Corey Anderson against Phil Davis (even though they fought not too long ago). There is also Carl Moore, a young fighter. I think a belt will be played between one of them.
– What shape are you in now?
— I now train twice a day. I just arrived in Moscow today on business. But usually I train twice a day.
— You said that you want to move up to heavyweights, because it is increasingly difficult for you to ride at 93 kg and you even have kidney problems when removing fluids from the body. And you didn’t have the theory that you just gained a lot of muscle by doing CrossFit and working out with weights, and maybe you just had to give up some muscle mass by working out with iron.
“The thing is, when I give up the iron, my shoulders and knees start to drop. Injuries begin to appear. That is to say that when I lift, all my muscles are toned and my joints work well, my joints are in a serious muscular corset: my back, my shoulders, my knees.
— But in the heavyweight division, almost all fighters are over 190cm tall. Could this be a problem with your height of 182 cm?
“I don’t know, for Fedor the difference of 10 cm was not a problem when he fought… Everything will be fine, don’t worry,” Nemkov told .
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Source : MatchTV

I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.