Yaroslav Amosov Recalls Heartbreaking War Experience in Ukraine Ahead of Bellator 291 Title Fight

• Yaroslav Amosov spoke about his war experience in Ukraine ahead of his fight
• He remembered seeing many dead civilians while fighting the Russian forces
• Amosov is set to face Logan Storley for the unified Bellator welterweight title

Professional MMA fighters often say they are ready for war before their scheduled bouts occur.

That phrase has now taken a whole new meaning for Bellator Welterweight Champion, Yaroslav Amosov, who fought in an actual conflict in Ukraine this past year.

The Ukrainian fighter found himself in the war zone after Russian forces invaded his home country on February 24 last year.

Amosov shares his war experience

Amosov, who will return for a welterweight title unification fight against interim champion, Logan Storley at Bellator 291, recently described his painful war experiences in Ukraine, per CBS Sports.

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The 29-year-old said in a clip released by Bellator MMA that the memories of him fighting in his homeland still haunt him to this day.

Kindly note that this video depicts scenes of war, therefore is not advised for sensitive viewers.

Amosov’s main concern when the war started was the safety of his family, saying:

"I had a kid, six months, I said to my wife, 'Ok, let's go,' and we moved to a different city. I drove my car for 36 hours with no sleep. After, I knew I must go back to my city and help my country.”

Traumatic scenes welcomed Amosov when he returned to fight the Russian forces. He remembers seeing many dead civilians, including families, the elderly, and children.

Amosov said he still struggled to fathom the brutality the invaders brought to Ukraine.

“I don't know why you shoot an old woman. Why shoot kids? It's civilians; it’s not the army. Why does the Russian army do this? I don't understand. Sometimes I go to sleep and close my eyes, and I see this, and sometimes I don't sleep."

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Amosov survived that ordeal and managed to tell his story. His focus right now is to unify the belts and re-establish himself as one of the world's best mixed martial arts fighters.

Amosov recovers his championship belt

Amosov immediately contacted his mother when the Russian forces were driven out of their home city, asking if she had managed to save the title belt he won at Bellator.

Fortunately, he was able to recover the championship strap from where it had been hidden and this encouraged the undefeated champ to return to training.

Amosov's title defence fight against Storley will occur on February 25 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

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Sports Brief recently reported on Jon Jones chasing greatness ahead of his UFC 285 fight. He will battle Cyril Gane for the vacant heavyweight belt at that event.

The 35-year-old star believes he will be considered the greatest in the sport if he wins the title on March 4.

The belt became vacant when Francis Ngannou was stripped of the heavyweight title and released by the UFC earlier this year.