This past Saturday night in the headliner of Bellator 291, we saw a unification bout for the welterweight title. Yaroslav Amosov (27-0) returned after nearly two years away to take on a familiar foe in interim champion Logan Storley (14-2).
These two men originally fought back in 2019 with Amosov winning a close split decision. Last year, Amosov was set to take on Michael Page for the welterweight title when his home country of Ukraine came under attack from Russia.
Amosov pulled out of the fight with Page to take on a much bigger fight with his countrymen. This past Saturday, he returned to action to defend the title he never lost. I was expecting a close fight at Bellator 291 given the way the first fight went. That is not what happened on Saturday night.
From the opening bell, this fight was all Amosov. From his volume striking to his takedown defense, he was outclassing Storley wherever the fight went. After the first fight was incredibly close, this fight looked like Storley didn’t even belong. In the end, it was a dominant decision win for the undisputed welterweight champ.
Who is next after Bellator 291?
Fortunately for Bellator fans, I don’t think they will have to wait long to figure out who the champion will be fighting next. On March 10th, the promotion returns and there is a big time welterweight matchup on the main card.
Michael “Venom” Page returns and he will be taking on Goiti Yamauchi. Yamauchi is on a winning streak and Page is still one of the best in the world and has big name recognition. Whoever wins this bout is likely going to get the next shot against Amosov.
If I was betting, I’d say to expect Amosov’s next title defense to come sometime in the summer. While whoever wins the March 10th bout will be a tough test, it’s hard to see anyone dethroning the Bellator champ anytime soon.