Bellator champ reveals secrets of his life as an ex-soldier of the Russia-Ukraine War

Bellator 291 will be a special night for reigning welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov. He has overcome a great deal of adversity during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and sacrificed his career to defend his nation of Ukraine.

While speaking to MMA Junkie, Amosov opened up about the current state of the war. He mentioned that although there seems to be improvements in certain areas of the country, there are still frequent attacks.

He said:

"People are still dying. But in central Ukraine, there isn't any military action. But there's still danger. Russia has been launching rockets all over Ukraine. At any given time, they can land anywhere. There is always danger. There are a lot of issues with electricity and heat all over Ukraine."

Amosov will return to the Bellator cage this Saturday, when he fights interim welterweight champion Logan Storley in a title unification bout. The undefeated welterweight champion also brought up that once central Ukraine were liberated, he began receiving pressure from his loved ones to resume his MMA career, saying:

"They said, 'Listen, our immediate area is liberated. It's free. It's time for you to return to fighting and use your notoriety and your platform to be the voice of what's going here, as opposed to being physically boots on the ground. It wasn't an easy decision. There was a lot of pressure from my family, from my friends. But eventually, I decided that's what I was going to do."

The Bellator welterweight champion has been through a lot and now has an opportunity to use the promotion's platform to bring awareness and share his experiences.

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Bellator returns to 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland

Bellator makes their return to the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland this Saturday for Bellator 291.

Irish fans in Dublin have always been great hosts for the promotion as they provide an electric atmosphere with the way they rally behind their local hometown fighters. Although the event isn't headlined by an Irish native, there are plenty of Irish fighters featured on the main card.

Undefeated Irish featherweight prospect Ciaran Clarke kicks-off the main card against Leonardos Sinis. Also on the main card, Sinead Kavanagh will look to avenge a loss as she competes against Janay Harding in a rematch of their 2018 encounter, and former lightweight title challenger Peter Queally takes on Bryce Logan.

The co-main event could possibly have future title implications as Canadian Jeremy Kennedy looks to get one-step closer to a featherweight title shot when he takes on SBG Ireland's Pedro Carvalho.