Yaroslav Amosov would gladly take title shot after tough win over Ruth at Bellator 239

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – Yaroslav Amosov hasn’t left his Bellator bosses with many options after his most recent win.

Amosov (23-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) at times outwrestled wrestling standout Ed Ruth (8-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) on his way to a unanimous decision win in a back-and-forth fight in the Bellator 239 main event Friday. The win kept Amosov unbeaten, including 4-0 in Bellator over the past 18 months.

So what does he think should be next? A welterweight title fight sounds good, naturally.

“Of course – that’s what has to happen,” Amosov said backstage after his win. “(But) I’m here to fight, not to wait for the opportunity. I’m absolutely confident to fight anyone Bellator brings me, so let’s see what happens.”

Amosov’s win over Ruth headlined Bellator 239 at WinStar World Casino Resort. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

There’s a slight issue with Amosov’s title fight hopes, though. Current champion Douglas Lima is moving up to middleweight to take on former 185-pound champion Gegard Mousasi for the newly vacant belt.

Lima will attempt to become Bellator’s third current two-division champion. Ryan Bader holds the belts at heavyweight and light heavyweight. Patricio Freire holds the titles at featherweight and lightweight. And Lima’s fight with Mousasi isn’t until May. Then no matter what happens, Lima almost certainly will need a few months before he potentially could defend his 170-pound title, which would leave Amosov sidelined for a half-year or more if he truly wanted to wait around to be next in line.

Regardless, though, Amosov acknowledged Ruth gave him the biggest test of his career.

“It was a very, very tough fight,” he told MMA Junkie. “It was the most difficult fight of my life. But I always believe in myself. He was a very good wrestler, but I’m also a very good wrestler.

“I’m fighting in a very tough division in Bellator. It’s one of the toughest divisions in the world with a lot of wrestlers and strikers. I’m happy to be among these strong fighters.”

Check out the full post-fight video with Amosov above.