Armchair soldiers?
Former Bellator Welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov made a thunderous Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut at UFC Vegas 112 last weekend (Sat., Dec. 13, 2025), steamrolling veteran Neil Magny and submitting him via first-round anaconda choke inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada (watch highlights).
Amosov’s arrival in the UFC has been years in the making. While competing in Bellator, the Ukrainian standout was scheduled to defend his title against Michael Page, but withdrew
from the bout after choosing to remain in Ukraine and assist in the country’s defense following Russia’s invasion — a decision that drew widespread respect across the MMA community.
That experience shaped Amosov’s blunt response when asked during his UFC Vegas 112 post-fight media scrum about fighters frequently claiming they are going to “war” inside the cage — a phrase commonly used throughout fight promotion.
“I think about how hard it was when I was in war,” Amosov said. “When people say, ‘This next fight will be like war,’ or ‘I go tomorrow to war,’ hey guys — if you don’t know what war is, shut up. You can’t talk about this. War is not the Octagon. This is not fighting. This is a different life.”
“You can be dead in a second, and your friend can be dead,” Amosov continued. “This is not hard training or cutting weight. My country has felt this for years.”
It’s a sobering perspective from someone who has experienced the realities of combat far beyond the cage — and carries that weight with him into competition.
Now competing under the UFC banner, Amosov (29-1) is riding a two-fight win streak, with both victories coming via first-round anaconda choke. After dismantling a longtime divisional staple in his debut, the Ukrainian standout figures to receive a ranked opponent in his sophomore Octagon appearance.
For complete UFC Vegas 112 results and play-by-play, click here.
