Ukraine's Amosov dominates Storley in return, retains Bellator title
Yaroslav Amosov spent much of 2022 defending his home country of Ukraine. On Saturday, he returned to the Bellator cage to defend his welterweight championship for the first time - and he did so in dominant fashion.
Amosov defeated Logan Storley, who entered as the interim titleholder, via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) in the Bellator 291 main event in Dublin.
This was Amosov's first fight since June 2021. Amosov, who hails from Irpin, a city near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, stayed in his country after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. It was announced last November that Amosov would be returning to the cage against Storley.
"Ukrainian people, I love you," an emotional Amosov said in his postfight interview. "I love you, my people."
He added: "Thank you (to) my Ukrainian army for defending my country. ... Please don't forget what is happening."
Amosov, who did his training camp at American Top Team in Florida, said earlier this week he planned to return to Ukraine after the fight to continue defending his country.
Despite the 20-month layoff, Amosov looked better than ever - and like one of the best welterweights in the world. He pummeled Storley on the feet over 25 minutes and fended off all of his takedown attempts. Amosov mixed up his striking extremely well, landing combinations with his hands and connecting with blistering kicks.
Storley showed off his toughness, but Amosov was one step ahead of him for essentially the entire fight.
Amosov remained undefeated at 28-0 with the victory, and he now holds an 8-0 record in Bellator. He captured the 170-pound belt with a dominant win over Douglas Lima.
Storley, meanwhile, fell to 14-2 as a professional and saw his three-fight winning streak end. He captured the interim title with a win over Michael Page last May while Amosov was away from the sport.
This was the second time that Amosov and Storley met in the Bellator cage. Amosov beat Storley by split decision in a November 2020 non-title bout.