Bellator free fight: Yaroslav Amosov stays perfect with impressive win over Ed Ruth

Unbeaten Ukrainain welterweight contender Yaroslav Amosov’s most recent appearance inside the Bellator cage saw him produce an impressive performance, and a statement victory, over fellow contender Ed Ruth at Bellator 239.

The two rising welterweight contenders went head to head at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okl. as seasoned grappler Amosov (23-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) took on former collegiate wrestling standout Ruth (8-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) in a fascinating contest.

Ruth started the better of the pair in Round 1 as he bounced back from an Amasov throw to take the Ukrainian to the mat with a double-leg takedown. But the grappling skills of both men tended to even out the exchanges as the bout returned to the feet, with Ruth looking marginally the more comfortable in the early going.

Round 2 saw Amosov up the intensity and turn the fight in his favor as he worked his striking and connected with a string of left hands, while looking sharper in the grappling exchanges. With the fight back on track and with Amosov seemingly in his groove, the unbeaten contender maintained the upper hand for the remainder of the matchup as the bout went all the way to the scorecards.

All three judges saw it the same, as they gave Amosov two rounds to Ruth’s one for 29-28 scores on all three cards as the 26-year-old from Kiev extended his perfect professional record and pushed his claims for a shot at Douglas Lima’s welterweight title.

Recap the full fight via the video above.