Former Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov has the same date and opponent for his return to the cage – but it’ll take place in a different city under a more recognizable promotional banner.
Amosov (27-1) will now fight UFC alumni Curtis Millender (21-10) in a 183-pound catchweight bout March 14 at CFFC 140 at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The event streams on UFC Fight Pass.
The matchup was originally slated to be promoted by Fightality, a debuting fight company, at Compass Arena in Chicago. It’s unclear if the event has been canceled, though it does not appear on the venue’s website.
Amosov, 31, was touted by many as one of the best welterweights in the world during his title reign as Bellator champion from 2021 to 2023 – which occurred as he fought in war for Ukraine against Russia.
The upcoming fight will be his first since November 2023 when he lost the title to Jason Jackson in a surprising TKO upset.
Shortly after the merger of PFL and Bellator, Amosov informed MMA Junkie he was a free agent and planned on working his way to the UFC.
“We have a plan,” Amosov told MMA Junkie in October during his first interview after his Bellator departure. “We want to sign a contract for just one fight (somewhere). After one fight, we want to go to the UFC.”
Millender, 37, competed for the UFC five times and compiled a 3-2 record. Since his promotional departure in 2019, Millender has competed for Bellator, PFL, XMMA, and Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA among other promotions. He enters the bout on a two-fight skid that came after four-straight wins.
