Ukrainian MMA champion recovers Welterweight World Championship belt from bombed house

Ukrainian MMA champion Yaroslav Amosov is one of several sports figures in the country who have joined the fight against Russia and are actively committed to defending their homeland. The 26-year-old is the current Bellator welterweight world champion, a title that he earned last year after defeating Douglas Lima of Brazil. The championship belt had been preserved by Amosov at his residence in Irpin, a Ukrainian city on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv.

The Russian Army recently bombed Amosov's home during an assault on Irpin, putting his championship belt in jeopardy. Amosov, on the other hand, has now recovered the belt from the damaged house and has taken to social media to announce the good news. After the Russian military incursion on Ukraine in February, Amosov said that he had requested his mother to put the belt somewhere safe inside the house.

In a video shared on Instagram, Amosov can be seen coming out of a bunker-like place from his home by climbing up a ladder. The video shows Amosov bringing out his belt with him, which his mother had hidden safely before the bombings happened. Amosov then shows the belt to his fellow soldiers, who appeared to have helped him get down the place.  

"A belt with a great history! Now I definitely won't give it away. My mother hid it safely and it survived the bombings," Amosov wrote on Instagram. 

Amosov refuses to fight against Michael Page

Amosov joined the Ukrainian Army after Russia launched the military operation on February 24. Amosov was scheduled to defend his title against Michael Page on May 13 in London but the welterweight champion refused to do it in the wake of the war. Page has accepted Amosov's decision, which will allow the MMA champion to keep the belt for now. 

"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 after Amosov announced his decision to not fight on May 13.