Bellator MMA welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov, who has postponed his professional career in order to serve his native Ukraine, posted a video of himself recovering his 170-pound title belt amid the ongoing Russian invasion on Friday.
Amosov, 28, posted several videos on Instagram, as well as a picture of himself with a military unit holding the belt. He included his location as Irpin, a town located just outside of the capital of Kyiv. Ukrainian forces recently retook Irpin from the Russian army.
According to Bellator officials, Amosov normally resides in Irpin.
Amosov (26-0) was scheduled to defend his championship against Michael Page on May 13 in London, but withdrew from the bout in late February to defend his country. He is one of several combat sports athletes to do so, including retired boxers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko and active boxers Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk.
In the video, Amosov is shown emerging from an underground room with a bag that contained his Bellator strap. In a translation provided by Bellator officials, Amosov credited his mother for stashing the belt where it “survived the bombing.”
According to a statement in February, Amosov said he had evacuated his family to a “safe zone” and pledged to “defend this country as best I can.” There is no time frame on an eventual return to the cage. In his absence, Bellator has booked an interim title fight between Page and Logan Storley on May 13.