Y. Amosov is Bellator welterweight champion (Photo: Bellator MMA)
O Bellator 291, an event that takes place this Saturday (25), marks the return of welterweight champion (up to 77kg) Yaroslav Amosov to the cage after months of fighting a different and much more dangerous battle.
After a long period working on the front line of the Ukrainian army, the champion explained, in an interview with the North American website “MMA Junkie”, the reasons that led him to leave the war against Russia and return to the organization to defend the title against interim champion Logan storley.
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“Once the central part of Ukraine was liberated, once my city became free from the Russians, I started to receive a lot of pressure from my family, my friends and my loved ones. They said that since our immediate area was clear, it would be time for me to return to fighting and use my notoriety and my platform to be the voice of what is happening there, rather than physically having boots on the ground. It wasn't an easy decision. There was a lot of pressure from my family and friends, but eventually I decided that this is what I would do”, explained Amosov.
Y. Amosov took the Bellator belt to the front lines of the war in Ukraine (Photo: Instagram/Amosov)
Although the situation in his home region is momentarily calmed, Yaroslav Amosov knows that the dangers in times of war are constant.
“The war is still going on. People are still dying. But in the central part of Ukraine there is no more military action. But there is still danger. Russia has been sending missiles across Ukraine. At any time, they can fall anywhere. There is always danger. We have a lot of problems with electricity and heat throughout Ukraine. Things are marginally better in some parts, but I'm far from saying things are good,” said the fighter.
Finally, Yaroslav Amosov assured that everything he has been through in recent months and the current situation of his country and its people serve as extra fuel to motivate him in defending his belt.
“It’s very motivating, now, more than ever, to know what it means to my people and my fans. It even helped me with training. There were moments in training when I was feeling bad, but then I realized that some of my friends are right now sitting in the trenches, being shot at and missiles flying everywhere. Compared to them, my mission is easy. This helped me and motivated me in training”, he concluded.
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