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Bellator MMA

Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov won't leave his home country of Ukraine to make his first title defense. Bellator MMA announced on Wednesday that Amosov has withdrawn from his scheduled bout against Michael "Venom" Page set for May 13 inside the OVO Arena Wembley in London amid the continuing war in Ukraine. In his place will step Logan Storley with the promotion putting an interim title at stake for the main event bout.

"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 president Scott Coker said in a statement. "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 earned the right to challenge for the full title with a win over Storley in November 2020 and followed it up with a decisive victory over Douglas Lima to earn the championship. Storley bounced back with a pair of wins over Dante Schiro and Neiman Gracie to regain his status as a top contender in the division.

Since losing to Lima via vicious knockout in May 2019, Page has been nothing short of impressive. The Englishman has ripped off six straight wins with four coming by knockout. He capped off his title opportunity with a decision over Lima in October.