Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov has withdrawn from his title bout against Michael Page in May as he continues to defend his native Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.
Amosov won the welterweight title in a unanimous decision over Douglas Lima in June and was due to defend his belt for the first time in Bellator’s May 13 event at Wembley Arena, but Page will now face Logan Storley, the organisation has said.
“Like the rest of the world, we’ve been shocked by the tragic events in Ukraine and the thoughts of everyone at Bellator MMA are with Yaroslav and all the Ukrainian people during this time,” Bellator MMA president Scott Coker said in a statement Wednesday.
“We wish he and his family the best and look forward to seeing him return safely to happier times, both inside and out of the Bellator cage.”
Amosov (26-0) said in a video posted to Instagram last month that he intended to defend Ukraine “as best I can.”
“Probably, many will think that I ran away, I’m hiding or something like that, but this is not so,” he said.
“I took my family to the safe zone. Now I have returned and will defend this country as best I can, with what I can. I love this country, our own. Russia came to our house and started a war here, many people are dying — innocents, women and children.”