An MMA fighter dressed in military gear recovered his championship belt from a war-torn town in Ukra
- An MMA fighter's mother hid her son's world title belt before his childhood home was shelled.
- Yaroslav Amosov then retrieved it from Irpin, which has been under siege by Russian forces.
- Amosov posted video footage of the operation, and a photo of its success, on Instagram.
An MMA fighter dressed in military gear recovered his championship belt from a war-torn town in Ukraine.
A Bellator MMA source with knowledge of the situation told Insider the fighter's mother hid the Bellator title in the childhood home before it got shelled during the country's ongoing fight against Russian invaders.
In a video that welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov posted to Instagram, the 28-year-old can be seen climbing a ladder in what appeared to be the basement of a house in Irpin — his hometown, which has been under siege.
He's dressed in military gear, wearing a protective helmet, and inside a plastic bag is the Bellator strap intact — the same belt he won in 2021 for beating Douglas Lima by decision at Bellator 260.
Amosov was scheduled to defend the belt at an MMA event in London next month, in the headlining bout against Michael 'Venom' Page but told Bellator he had to withdraw from the show because he's "actively defending his home country."
In the caption of the video, Amosov said the belt has "great history" and he does not want to "give it away." He said: "Mom safely hid it, and it survived the bombing." He later added: "It's in one piece, and it's rescued."
See the video here:
In a statement sent to Insider last month, Bellator boss Scott Coker said: "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.
"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 is not the only Ukrainian athlete to have put his prizefighting career on pause, as Vasiliy Lomachenko — one of the world's top boxers — is also actively defending his country.
The heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk joined Ukrainian forces but is defending his titles in a high-stakes rematch with British athlete Anthony Joshua this summer.
Wladimir Klitschko and his brother, Kyiv mayor Vitali, have tasked Usyk with delivering "an important message" about the country in the build-up to his fight against Joshua.
"We do not know if in three months we will exist," said Vitali, according to Boxing Scene.
"I actually have plans to speak to Oleksandr Usyk to give him advice if he decides to make the fight, to have some special messages that he can put out there."
Wladimir added: "We need support. Since the beginning of the war, the economy is down to nothing, but please don't forget we are defending democratic principles of freedom and free choice."
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