The 26-0 Yaroslav Amosov will defend his welterweight title against Michael Page on May 13.
Expected to take place in London, England, these two welterweights will put it all on the line. The tantalizing fight was first announced by Bellator on Monday. This will be Yaroslav Amosov’s first chance to defend the title he captured in June against Douglas Lima. With a massive winning streak intact, Yaroslav Amasov will battle promotional darling, Michael Page for 170-pound gold.
Page is fresh off a razor-close split-decision victory against Douglas Lima — the only man to defeat and finish MVP in MMA competition.
🚨 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT 🚨
Welterweight Champion @YaroslavAmosov makes his first title defense against No.1️⃣ contender @Michaelpage247 in London.#BellatorLondon | @ssearena | May 13th pic.twitter.com/ny18Ajttbn
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) January 17, 2022
“ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT
Welterweight Champion @YaroslavAmosov makes his first title defense against No.
contender @Michaelpage247in London. #BellatorLondon | @ssearena| May 13th” Bellator revealed on Monday.
Yaroslav Amosov vs. MVP For 170-Pound Gold
Michael Page has acquired a 6-fight winning streak since enduring his first KO loss to former welterweight champion Lima. In the rematch, the fight was very close and history almost repeated itself. When MVP opted to get up off the canvas, Lima was almost able to land the same leg kick that led to his demise in their 2019 meeting. Nevertheless, MVP got the job done and showed that his striking is as dangerous as ever.
En route to getting the welterweight title shot, Page opened the eyes of many with his dismantling of Derek Anderson. After landing flush on his opponent’s nose, it became evident that MVP’s counter striking is incredibly hard to prepare for.
However, MVP will have his hands full in London when he is tasked with a fighter who has yet to taste defeat. Looking to expand his undefeated record to 27-0, Yaroslav Amasov may not have a lot of name recognition, but an unbeaten record of that stature speaks for itself. After Yaroslav Amasov took Lima’s belt in June at Bellator 260, many feel that MVP and Amasov have long been on a collision course.
Prior to going on his title run, Yaroslav Amasov defeated Mark Lemminger by a doctor’s stoppage. Then, established his name among welterweights with a commanding victory against the highly touted Logan Storley. Despite earning a split decision against Storley, many were surprised to see how stage-ready the Ukrainian native was for a bigger fight.
Given the counter striking skills of MVP, Yaroslav Amasov will no doubt need to be strategical about his entries. While the Ukrainian should have a clear edge in the grappling department, MVP is known for pulling rabbits out of hats in the middle of a heated fight. With strange and unusual knockout power being MVP’s modus operandi, it will be interesting to see what type of game plan each competitor architects for this massive fight on May. 13.