Yaroslav Amosov Out From Title Fight To Defend Ukraine

Yaroslav Amosov will not defend his title because he will help Ukraine in the war against Russia.

The undefeated fighter declared that he would not be fighting against Michael “Venom” Page for his first title defense on May 13. Page will instead face Logan Storley for the interim title, Bellator said.

“Like the rest of the world, we’ve been shocked by the tragic events in Ukraine and the thoughts of everyone at Bellator MMA are with Yaroslav and all the Ukrainian people during this time,” Coker said in a statement Wednesday.

“We wish he and his family the best and look forward to seeing him return safely to happier times, both inside and out of the Bellator cage.”

The undefeated fighter said that he would do his best to help Ukraine against Russian aggression.

“Probably, many will think that I ran away, I’m hiding or something like that, but this is not so,” Amosov said.

“I took my family to the safe zone. Now I have returned and will defend this country as best I can, with what I can. I love this country, our own. Russia came to our house and started a war here; many people are dying — innocents, women and children.”

The undefeated fighter earned his title by defeating Douglas Lima via unanimous decision after a five-rounder battle.