Ukraine’s Yaroslav Amosov — After Fighting Russian Forces — Returns To The Cage Saturday At Bellator 291

For a moment, Yaroslav Amosov went quiet.

The great MMA champion glanced down — stayed silent for a few seconds — then spoke on the war in Ukraine. “People are dying, women are dying, children are dying,” he said through a Ukrainian interpreter. “And I want the war to end so it can go back to normal.”

One thing will go back to normal on Saturday night: Amosov will step back into the cage and compete for the first time since helping to defend Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. With his welterweight title on the line at Bellator 291, Amosov will face Logan Storley in a rematch at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The main card will air on Showtime.

It was only a year ago when Amosov left his hometown of Irpin, which sits 12 miles west of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, and got his wife and six-month-old son to safety on the outskirts of the country, before enlisting in Ukraine’s territorial defense to fight back Russian forces.

Amosov witnessed the brutality — unforgettable brutality. “I saw many, many pictures in my head and saw many, many dead civilians,” he said in “A Champion’s Story” — a video produced by Bellator. “Sometimes when I try to go to sleep and close my eyes, I still see this.”

Watch the video here — it’s powerful:

Amasov spent several months alongside Ukrainian soldiers, defending his country. And, once they successfully liberated central Ukraine, friends and family began pressuring Amosov to fight again.

He said Ukraine will be in his heart when he battles Storley on Saturday night. “Ukraine is a big motivating factor for me and never a distraction. I want to do well on Saturday for my country,” he said.

Amosov took a split-decision victory over Storley at Bellator 252 in November 2020 and earned himself a title shot. He went on to defeat champ Douglas Lima to win the welterweight crown before volunteering to fight in the Ukraine war. Bellator subsequently introduced an interim title, which Storley won with a controversial decision over Michael Page.

This time versus Storley, Amosov expects “a different fight” but “not an easy one.” He also said his 20-month layoff won’t hinder his performance, adding: “I’m ready and not worried about ring rust.”

Amosov has something else on the line on Saturday: his undefeated streak. At 26-0, he currently holds the longest active unbeaten streak in all of MMA, needing just three wins to equal Khabib Nurmagomedov’s all-time record of 29-0. But he said Nurmagomedov’s record is never on his mind. “I have my path and Khabib had his path. I’m just going to keep fighting and if I go undefeated, then great,” Amosov said.

Amosov said the war — and Ukraine — will be in his thoughts before and after the fight. And he said it’s his quest to use his platform as a champion MMA fighter to remind the world of what’s happening in his country. He said: “I want people to know that the war is still there and people are still dying.”