They say war changes a man. In the case of Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov, it might’ve made him a better fighter.
Amosov looked his best Saturday night at Bellator 291, where he dominated Logan Storley for five rounds and cruised to a unanimous decision win to defend his 170-pound title for the first time. Amosov’s successful title defense came after he spent nearly 10 months defending Ukraine in the war against Russia, which invaded his country almost exactly one year ago.
After his impressive display, Amosov’s attention turned back to the ongoing struggle in his country.
“It was one year yesterday when crazy Putin started war in my country,” Amosov said on the mic inside Dublin’s 3Arena. “He wants to kill kids who are Ukrainian. I want to say thank you to Ukrainian military for the defense of my county. Thank you to everyone who helps my country.”
WHAT A MOMENT! 👏
📺 #Bellator291 LIVE | @SHOsports | @BBCiPlayer | @VMSportIE pic.twitter.com/hIytrc5Ixz
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) February 25, 2023
It had been 20 months since Amosov last competed in an MMA fight, when he won the title from then-champion Douglas Lima in June 2021. The question heading into the Storley fight – a rematch of a November 2020 split decision win for Amosov – was how he’d look physically after the long layoff and mentally considering all that he’s been through as a soldier of war.
Amosov (27-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) quelled any concerns right from the start, showing sharp hands and good movement. Early on he found success with both volume and damage as he consistently pelted Storley (14-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) with three, four, and sometimes five-punch combinations, causing a cut to Storley’s right eye in the first round.
That continued to be the theme as the fight progressed, as well as Amosov stuffing all of Storley’s takedowns.
All in all, it was a triumphant return for an undefeated champion who put his career on hold for a greater purpose.
“Ukrainian people, I love you,” Amosov said. “I love all my people.”
Below are complete Bellator 291 results:
- Yaroslav Amosov def. Logan Storley via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – to defend welterweight title
- Jeremy Kennedy def. Pedro Carvalho via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Bryce Logan def. Peter Queally via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:32
- Sinead Kavanagh def. Janay Harding via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ciaran Clarke def. Leonardo Sinis via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Karl Moore def. Maciej Rozanski via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mike Shipman def. Charlie Ward via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Oleg Popov def. Gokhan Saricam via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Norbert Novenyi Jr. def. Andy Manzolo via TKO (punch) – Round 1, 3:13
- Brian Moore def. Luca Iovine via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Richie Smullen def. Piotr Niedzielski via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Darragh Kelly def. Dorval Jordan via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:58
- Asael Adjoudj def. Liam McCracken via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Khasan Magomedsharipov def. Rafael Hudson via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:40
- Jena Bishop def. Elina Kallionidou via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Kenny Mokhonoana def. Craig McIntosh via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:13
- Dmytrii Hrytsenko def. Daniele Scatizzi via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Steven Hill def. Joel Kouadja via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:03
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 291.
