Get All Access for $5/mo

Mixed martial arts athlete Yaroslav Amosov recovers his championship belt from the rubble in Irpin, Ukraine The belt that accredits the athlete's championship was protected by his mother in a bomb shelter.

This article was translated from our Spanish edition.

Icon Sportswire | Getty Images

Mixed martial arts fighter Yaroslav Amosov fights an uphill battle. The 28-year-old Ukrainian is on the front lines, defending his country from the Russian invasion. With an impressive record of 26 wins and zero losses, his sports career is currently on hiatus due to the war. A couple of days ago Amosov uploaded an image to his Instagram profile in which he can be seen holding up his championship belt wearing his military uniform and surrounded by other soldiers.

Dynamo , as he is also known, had entrusted his family with the belt that accredits him as the Bellator MMA world champion. After his mother took him to a bomb shelter in the city of Irpin, which has been hit hard by Russian troops, Amosov recovered the precious object.

On the social networks of Bellator and Scott Coker , its executive director, you can see the exact moment in which Yaroslav Amosov recovers the belt he won by beating the Brazilian, Douglas Lima, on June 11, 2021 and which he has defended since then.

The fighter had his next fight scheduled for May 13 against Englishman Michael Page in London.

The effects of war on sport in Ukraine

Yaroslav Amosov's story is not the only one. Last week, FIFA held the draw to define the groups for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. There we were reminded that there are some countries vying for the last tickets to participate in the most anticipated sporting event in the world. One of these countries is Ukraine who will play the UEFA playoff with Scotland in a match that has been postponed indefinitely due to the war. Sports activity has come to a complete halt in the country besieged by the Russian onslaught and high-performance athletes who, until a few weeks ago, competed in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and in the main international tournaments, have had to change their sports uniforms. by the military.

Professional athletes who have joined the army to defend their country include biathlete Dmytro Pidruchnyi, tennis player Serhiy Stakhovskiy, boxers Vasyl Lomanchenko, Oleksandr Usyk and brothers Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko, footballers Oleksandr Aliyev, Mykhailo Kopolovets, Oleh Luzhnyi and soccer coach Yuri Vernydub, among others.

What the Ukrainian Defense Minister indicates is that any man between the ages of 18 and 60 can be enlisted to defend his country from the Russian attack that has already lasted for 41 days.

Unfortunately some of the athletes who fought to defend their country have lost their lives. Among them are footballers Vitalii Saplyo, Dmytro Martynenko and 19-year-old biathlete Yevhen Malyshev.

It is estimated that this war has cost the lives of more than 13,000 people between military and civilians.
Entrepreneur Staff

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor

For more than 30 years, Entrepreneur has set the course for success for millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners. We'll teach you the secrets of the winners and give you exactly what you need to lay the groundwork for success.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Side Hustle He Started in His College Apartment Turned Into a $70,000-a-Month Income Stream — Then Earned Nearly $2 Million Last Year

Kyle Morrand and his college roommates loved playing retro video games — and the pastime would help launch his career.

Business News

A Former Corporate Lawyer Now Makes Six Figures on YouTube — Here's How She Does It

Here are the secrets to starting and growing a successful YouTube channel, according to a YouTuber with millions of subscribers.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Growing a Business

How to Determine The Ideal Length of Your Marketing Emails Your Customers Will Actually Read

Wondering how long your marketing emails should be? Here's what consumers say — so you can send them exactly what they like.

Business News

Y Combinator Helped Launch Reddit, Airbnb and Dropbox. Here's What I Learned From Its Free Startup School.

The famed startup accelerator offers a free course on building a business — and answers five pressing questions for founders.