Two former training partners from Fedor Emelianenko’s camp will fight for the PFL heavyweight crown when champion Vadim Nemkov defends his title against Sergei Bilostenniy at PFL Dubai on Saturday, Nov. 14. The 15-fight card is set for Coca-Cola Arena.

Nemkov (20-2) is unbeaten in his last 15 appearances and trains under Emelianenko, the MMA legend known as “The Last Emperor.” Bilostenniy (15-4), ranked No. 3, also represents Team Fedor and has shared training camps with Nemkov.

Nemkov Faces Fellow Team Fedor Fighter

Bilostenniy became the first fighter to stop Karl Williams and also finished former PFL champion Renan Ferreira. Both fighters hope to carry on their mentor’s legacy in the heavyweight title bout.

Nemkov said: “I always try to finish fights with a submission or a choke. Like Fedor says, fights should end early. But fighting is unpredictable, things don’t always go according to plan, so you have to be ready to adjust during the fight.”

Bilostenniy is training in Moscow ahead of the fight. “I want to treat the fans to a great, exciting bout between two big Russian guys!” he said.

Dubai Card Packed With Contenders

Patrick Habirora (9-0), ranked No. 4, meets Egypt’s Omar El Dafrawy (16-6), ranked No. 5, in the welterweight co-main event. Habirora, from Namur, Belgium, fights outside Europe for the first time as a professional after a 20-second knockout of Benson Henderson.

El Dafrawy, the inaugural PFL MENA Welterweight champion, will fight in his home region. Habirora said: “This is the biggest fight of my career, against a highly experienced opponent, and I’ve put in one of the toughest training camps I’ve ever done.”

Dubai’s Pouya Rahmani (6-0) faces No. 1-ranked Oleg Popov (23-2) in a heavyweight bout. Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-4-1), cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, returns from a three-year hiatus against Australia’s David Martinez (17-6).

“Dubai has been central to the PFL story, and this is the biggest card we’ve ever brought to the city,” said MVP CEO Nakisa Bidarian. PFL Dubai is the promotion’s fourth card in the city and its first since the merger with Most Valuable Promotions.

The main card starts at 10 p.m. GST (1 p.m. ET), with the preliminary card at 6 p.m. GST (9 a.m. ET). Fans can watch on the ESPN App in the U.S. and on STARZPLAY in the MENA region.