5 Things You Might Not Know About Yaroslav Amosov

Once the contender no one wanted to face, Yaroslav Amosov has now morphed into the champion perhaps no one can beat.

The undefeated Ukrainian sambo stylist completed his climb to the top of the Bellator MMA mountain on June 11, when his unanimous decision over Douglas Lima in the Bellator 260 main event brought him the promotion’s undisputed welterweight crown. Amosov has won all seven of his bouts since he linked arms with the Scott Coker-fronted company in 2018, emerging as one of the sport’s premier competitors at 170 pounds in the process. Victories over the aforementioned Lima, Logan Storley and three-time NCAA wrestling champion Ed Ruth anchor his resume, which features a robust 73% finishing rate.

As Amosov awaits his first title defense in 2022, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. His success was immediate.

Amosov made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 18 on June 14, 2012, as he struck down Vitaliy Maystrenko with punches in the first round of their encounter under the Combat Sambo Federation of Ukraine banner. Amosov went 4-0 as a teenager, following his victory over Maystrenko with subsequent wins against Artiom Cula, Vitaliy Matornika and Vadim Sandulskiy.

2. He built his reputation on fight-stopping violence.

The Ukrainian “Dynamo” was quick to establish his reputation as a potent finisher on the regional scene, stopping 15 of his first 16 opponents. The lone outlier? A three-round unanimous decision over Oleg Olenichev at a Tech-Krep Fighting Championship event in December 2014.

3. Constriction often tips his spear.

Amosov has secured eight of his 10 submission victories via neck attack. His methods of choice: three rear-naked chokes, two north-south chokes, two anaconda chokes and one brabo chokes. Amosov has also been credited with two armbars, lest anyone make the mistake of labeling him a one-trick pony.

4. He breathes rarified air.

The American Top Team representative improved to 26-0 when he captured the Bellator welterweight championship and became just the third man to claim the 170-pound title with an undefeated record. Lyman Good (10-0) and Ben Askren (7-0) were the others.

5. The cage could not contain him.

Amosov holds the distinction as a four-time world champion in combat sambo. He struck gold at the World Combat Sambo Federation Championships in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017.