On the night of October 16, the Russian fighter Vadim Nemkov will meet Lithuanian Julius Anglickas in the main event of Bellator 268. The fight will be held as a part of the Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix semifinals.
Julius Englikas is coming out to replace Anthony Johnson, who unexpectedly got sick. Nevertheless, he has been preparing for the tournament, as the Lithuanian was supposed to fight in the preliminary card. But he was suddenly promoted to the main event, and now he could become champion. All he has to do is to beat Vadim Nemkov. Anglickas is #5 in Bellator rankings.
Vadim Nemkov: a big, very big favorite
Vadim Nemkov is not only the reigning Bellator champion, but also objectively one of the strongest light heavyweight fighters in the world. After encounters with Phil Davis and Ryan Bader, his current opponent, frankly, looks like an easy walk. But this is MMA and anything can happen here.
«I'm confident of winning, and why go out to fight if you doubt? Anglickas is a physically tough fighter who fights well and punches not that badly. I think he'll be easier than Anthony Johnson. But he has his quirks: Anthony Johnson was exhausted after the first or second round, and he is more of a puncher. He hits hard. And Anglickas fights well and breathes well. Rumble would have been much more dangerous. But again, they're two completely different fighters».
Vadim Nemkov
Julius Anglickas: the dark horse
Anglickas clearly doesn’t consider himself an underdog.
«Nemkov is a real tough guy. He's got a great standing, he likes to feint, making his opponent react and then kicking his leg away. That, I think, is one of the most important things. We're going to try to level that out and punish him as much as possible when he tries to do that».
Julius Anglickas
He's a big, powerful, athletic fighter, and that's probably all his advantages. Nemkov will be in charge and the Russian's job is to make sure he doesn't miss a tricky punch. However, there's also reason to doubt that Julius has a knockout punch.
So far, he's fought not the strongest guys, but only twice managed to beat underdogs by TKOs in some scrappy leagues back in 2016.
The fighters comparison
| Criteria | Nemkov | Anglickas |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 29 | 30 |
| Height (cm) | 183 | 191 |
| Record | 13-2 | 9-1 |
| Wins by knockout | 9 | 2 |
| Wins by submission | 2 | 4 |
Expert Betting Tips
Anglickas doesn't just want to beat Nemkov, he wants to win early.
«I feel like it's going to be an early win. I don't know why. I don't like to say that because I don't want to seem overconfident, but for some reason, I feel like I'm going to win early. People around me say I'm just destined to win this fight. I feel a tremendous amount of support. It makes me believe it's really going to happen. Prediction? I don't have a crystal ball, but for some reason, I feel like there will be a finish».
Julius Anglickas
Out of respect for him let's be cautious: Total Under 3.5 for 1.775. But, most likely, the Russian will have a better result. 1xbet analysts offer odds of only 1.168 on Vadim's victory, and Anglickas’ victory is for 5.10 already. The option “Fight To Go The Distance” is at odds of 2.34.