Bellator Fighter Yaroslav Amosov Says Title Belt Survived Bombing in Ukraine

Erin WalshApril 2, 2022

BRIDGEPORT, CT - AUGUST 24: David Rickels (red gloves) takes on Yaroslav Amosov (blue gloves) in a 175-pound catchweight bout on August 24, 2019 at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. . (Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Ukrainian MMA fighter Yaroslav Amosov put his career on pause to serve in the Ukrainian army amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

However, that wasn't enough to stop him from retrieving his Bellator welterweight championship belt from a building in Irpin, Ukraine.

BellatorMMA @BellatorMMA
🇺🇦 <a href="https://twitter.com/YaroslavAmosov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YaroslavAmosov</a> defending his country, but reminding everyone who the champ is. <a href="https://t.co/lwWMkPR3fX">pic.twitter.com/lwWMkPR3fX</a>

Ukrainian forces recently retook Irpin, a small town close to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, and Amosov wasn't going to walk away without his belt. According to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Amosov resides in Irpin, so it's possible he was retrieving the belt from his home.

In a statement released in February, Amosov announced that he had evacuated his family to a "safe zone" and vowed to "defend this country as best I can," according to Okamoto. The 28-year-old was supposed to defend his title against Michael Page on May 13 in London but withdrew to serve his country.

Amosov has a career record of 26-0 and has been competing since 2012.

With Amosov unavailable, Bellator has booked an interim title fight between Page and Logan Storley for May 13.

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