Vadim Nemkov only needed four minutes to become PFL heavyweight champion on Saturday.

In the 2025 PFL Europe 4 main event, Nemkov (20-2) submitted Renan Ferreira (13-5) with an arm-triangle choke to capture the vacant strap. The event took place at LDLC Arena in Lyon, France.

Nemkov mediated the hulking nature of the 6-foot-8 Ferreira when he immediately dragged the fight down to the canvas. Ferreira was able to briefly reverse Nemkov, but the Fedor Emelianenko protege quickly gained position back. He moved into proper position for an arm-triangle choke and got the submission exactly 4:00 into Round 1.

After the fight, Nemkov said "I really want to fight Francis (Ngannou)."

PFL CEO John Martin has hinted the winner of Saturday's bout could be next for the heavyweight legend Francis Ngannou, who still has one fight left on his deal with the promotion.

Vadim Nemkov claims PFL heavyweight gold with a quick submission of Renan Ferreira at #PFLLyon then says he wants Francis Ngannou next.

🎥 @PFLMMApic.twitter.com/Ma4ClrJC0b

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 13, 2025

Nemkov, 33, has looked stellar since moving up to heavyweight, going 3-0. Success is nothing new for Nemkov, having held the Bellator light heavyweight title for an extensive period of time.

Full 2025 PFL Europe 4 results include:

• Vadim Nemkov def. Renan Ferreira via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:00 – for vacant heavyweight title
• Cris Cyborg def. Sara Collins via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:55 – for vacant women's featherweight title
• Patrick Habirora def. Kevin Jousset via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:42
• Taylor Lapilus def. Liam Gittins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Baris Adiguzel def. Dean Garnett via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:44 – to win PFL Europe bantamweight tournament championship
• Boris Mbarga Atangana def. Guilherme Santos via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:35
• Aleksandr Chizov def. Connor Hughes via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 0:50 – to win
• PFL Europe lightweight tournament championship
• Gustavo Oliveira def. Movsar Ibragimov via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:34
• Sabrinna de Sousa def. Paulina Wisniewska via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Rayan Balbali def. Levi Batchelor via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Vadim Nemkov quickly wins PFL title, calls for Francis Ngannou

PFL is back for what will be its second-to-last show of 2025.

Two title fights sit atop 2025 PFL Europe 4, which takes place Saturday at LDLC Arena in Lyon, France. The card streams on ESPN Ulmtd beginning at 11 a.m. ET.

In the main event, the vacant PFL heavyweight world title is up for grabs as Vadim Nemkov (19-2) and Renan Ferreira (13-4) go for gold. In the co-main event, all-time great Cris Cyborg (28-2) competes for one of the final times as she battles surging up-and-comer Sara Collins (6-0) for the women's featherweight title.

MMA Junkie will have you covered with live results updates which can be found below. Enjoy the fights!

The 2025 PFL Europe 4 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN Unlmtd, 11 a.m. ET)

• Vadim Nemkov vs. Renan Ferreira – for vacant heavyweight title
• Cris Cyborg vs. Sara Collins – for vacant women's featherweight title
• Patrick Habirora vs. Kevin Jousset
• Liam Gittins vs. Taylor Lapilus
• Asael Adjoudj vs. Fred Dupras
• Baris Adiguzel vs. Dean Garnett – PFL Europe bantamweight final
• Boris Mbarga Atangana vs. Guilherme Soares
• Aleksandr Chizov vs. Connor Hughes – PFL Europe lightweight final
• Movsar Ibragimov vs. Gustavo Oliveira
• Sabrinna de Sousa vs. Paulina Wisniewska
• Rayan Balbali vs. Levi Batchelor

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: 2025 PFL Europe 4 live updates, results (11 a.m. ET)

Vadim Nemkov believes a big fight could be on the horizon if he captures the PFL heavyweight title.

Former Bellator champion Nemkov (18-2) takes on 2024 PFL heavyweight season winner Renan Ferreira (13-4) for the heavyweight title in Saturday's PFL Lyon main event (ESPN Unlmtd) at LDLC Arena. With Francis Ngannou (18-3) waiting for PFL to offer him a fight before the conclusion of his contract, Nemkov could get the opportunity to face him with a win over Ferreira.

"Of course, I think about Francis and the possibility of fighting him," Nemkov told MMA Junkie Radio through an interpreter. "If that's what my next fight is then great. It's really for PFL to set up and make it work."

Nemkov will be facing a much taller opponent in Ferreira, but the 33-year-old explained how he's prepared for the challenge.

"I brought in some taller training partners for this camp, and I actually even started training for some of them before when I was an alternate for Francis' fight," Nemkov said. "So, I've been sparring with tall people for a while. I feel like I'm ready."

Ferreira is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Ngannou last October. With most of his fights not going past the first round, many are expecting a furious start from the Brazilian – but not Nemkov.

"I don't think he's just going to charge right at me," Nemkov said of Ferreira. "I think he understands that I'm a veteran. I'm not new to this game. That's not going to be to his advantage. Of course, with the fans energized and yelling and screaming, it energizes everybody. But we're both veterans, we've both been around, so I think we're going to be pretty level headed."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Vadim Nemkov open to Francis Ngannou fight with PFL Lyon win