Ukraine’s Yaroslav Amosov returned from defending his country, then defended his Bellator welterweight title with a remarkable performance to shut out interim champion Logan Storley at Bellator 291 in Dublin.
Amosov returned to the Bellator cage after a 20-month absence, with the last year spent on the front line defending Ukraine from invading Russian forces. And, in a remarkable performance, he managed to deliver the best all-round performance of his Bellator career.
Amosov was outstanding in all aspects. His striking shone as he lit up Storley with strikes throughout the full five-round championship duration at the 3Arena, while his takedown defense was outstanding throughout. That was backed up by a deep gas tank as he kept up a relentless pace for the full 25 minutes to register scores of 50-45 on all three scorecards.
As championship performances go, and given the context involved, Amosov’s performance ranks up there with the best we’ve seen inside the Bellator cage.
After his victory, Amosov gave an impassioned post-fight interview with John McCarthy, where he thanked his colleagues in the Ukrainian armed forces, thanked people around the world for supporting Ukraine, and thanked those who had supported him in his journey back to the cage.
Amosov’s victory means his perfect professional record now stands at 27-0, just two fights shy of the mark set by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired at 29-0.
In the co-main event, Canadian featherweight contender Jeremy Kennedy produced a dominant performance to shut out Dublin-based Portuguese contender Pedro Carvalho and push his claims for a shot at the 145-pound title.
Kennedy used his mat skills to dominate Carvalho through all three rounds to claim scores of 30-27 on all three scorecards
It was a disappointing night at the office for Peter Queally who, despite a strong opening round against Bryce Logan, eventually succumbed to a huge elbow in the clinch in the second and was finished with unanswered ground strikes to give Logan his first victory inside the Bellator cage.
Earlier in the night, there were unanimous decision wins for local favorites Sinead Kavanagh and Ciaran Clarke. Kavanagh outpointed Janay Harding in their women’s featherweight rematch, while Clarke extended his undefeated record with a dominant display against Greece’s Leonardos Sinis.
Bellator 291: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Yaroslav Amosov vs. Logan Storley via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – for unified welterweight title
- Jeremy Kennedy def. Pedro Carvalho via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Bryce Logan def. Peter Queally via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:32
- Sinead Kavanagh def. Janay Harding via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ciaran Clarke def. Leonardos Sinis via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Karl Moore def. Maciej Rozanski via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mike Shipman def. Charlie Ward via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Oleg Popov def. Gokhan Saricam via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Norbert Novenyi Jr def. Andy Manzolo via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:12
- Brian Moore def. Luca Iovine via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Richie Smullen def. Piotr Niedzielski via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Darragh Kelly def. Dorval Jordan via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 3, 1:58
- Asael Adjoudj def. Liam McCracken via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Khasan Magomedsharipov def. Rafael Hudson via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 1, 4:40
- Jena Bishop def. Elina Kallionidou via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Kenny Mokhonoana def. Craig McIntosh via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 1, 3:13
- Dmytrii Hrytsenko def. Daniele Scatizzi via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Steven Hill def. Joel Kouadja via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:03