“The debut of the former Bellator champion under the auspices of the UFC will take place on the night of December 14 in Las Vegas”, — write: sport.ua
The main event of the show will be a confrontation in the weight category up to 56.7 kg – the American Brandon Royval (17-8) and the representative of Angola Manel Cape (21-7) will meet in the octagon.
The preliminary card will feature a well-known Ukrainian fighter, a former Bellator champion Yaroslav Amosov (28–1), who is making his UFC debut. His opponent will be star veteran Neil Magny (31–13) from the USA. The fight will take place in the welterweight limit (up to 77.1 kg).
Yaroslav Amosov (Ukraine)
The representative of Ukraine played 29 matches in his career, in which he won 28 and suffered one defeat. For several years, he fought in regional promotions (Tech-Krep FC, CSFU, ECSF), after which he agreed to cooperate with Bellator.
In the new organization, Yaroslav immediately declared his title claims, defeating Ed Root, Logan Storley and four other opponents of a fairly high level. He entered the title fight in June 2021 and won a unanimous decision against the famous Brazilian Douglas Lima.
After successfully defending the belt against Logan Storley, it seemed that no one would stop the Ukrainian from staying at the top of the division, but everything changed in November 2023, when Amosov suffered a sensational defeat against Jason Jackson of Jamaica.
The Ukrainian never managed to regain his title – at the beginning of 2024, Bellator was purchased by a competitor (PFL), a few months later Amosov’s contract with the organization expired, and the fighter himself did not hide that he plans to try his hand at the strongest mixed martial arts league.
We had to wait quite a long time.
The Ukrainian rarely appeared in the press, and only in February of this year, in one of the interviews, he admitted that he had not finished his career and was planning to “start his own bulldozer.” Returning to the Octagon in March, Amosov cold-bloodedly dealt with the American Curtis Millender, but the level of the opponent and the organization (Cage Fury) could not give an unequivocal answer in what form the fighter is in after leaving Bellator.
Ukrainian fans of mixed martial arts continued to wait for Amosov’s debut in the UFC. In the fall, it became known that the representative of Ukraine signed a contract with Dana White’s organization, and soon the name of the opponent appeared – he became the experienced and star veteran Magny, who, like no one else, will be able to test the level and prospects of the former Bellator champion.
Neil Magney (USA)
Magni is an elite gatekeeper and living legend of the UFC, who holds the record for the most welterweight victories in the history of the organization.
While Amosov was just taking his first steps in professional MMA and fighting in regional promotions, the American already stormed the UFC, where he continues to maintain a fairly high level that many fighters envy.
The veteran’s statistics are impressive: 43 fights in his career, 36 of which took place under the auspices of the UFC. Neal’s number of losses (12) in the UFC should definitely not mislead Amosov fans – Magni’s track record, level of opponents and 24 wins are truly impressive.
The American has many victories over top opponents – the veteran, for example, defeated Calvin Gastelum, Johny Hendricks, Carlos Condit, Li Jingliang, Robbie Lawler, Jeff Neal.
Among those who managed to upset Magni – Carlos Prates, Gilbert Burns, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Michael Chiesa, Rafael dos Anjos, Demian Maia. As you can see, 90% of the current representatives of the UFC cannot boast of such a level of opposition.
Forecast for the fight between Amosov and Magni
Amosov is a four-time combat sambo world champion, one of Bellator’s strongest fighters in recent years, whom bookmakers consider the clear favorite for the upcoming match. He successfully pressures opponents in the Octagon using incredible wrestling skills and control at the net.
The elite Ukrainian grappler has incredible physical strength and solid endurance, which allows him to fight at a high pace.
Despite the fact that experts are sure of Yaroslav’s victory, underestimating the opponent is the worst thing that can happen in the octagon. Magni can respond well on the ground, but his main trump card is anthropometry, which he uses at a high level.
And in the match with Amosov, the American will be a serious threat, given the difference in height (191 vs. 180 cm in favor of the Ukrainian opponent).
Neal effortlessly throws a huge amount of ranged punches, alternating between jabs and kicks, and while he doesn’t have a reputation as a knockout, the tonnage of his attacks is a serious challenge for even the highest-level opponents.
The main question that is of primary concern: in what form is Amosov, who actually spent two years without high-level fights? More than two years have passed since November 2023, and a victory over Millender (with all due respect to this fighter) could hardly give an unequivocal answer to the question of the prospects of the Ukrainian in the UFC.
Still, Magni is a threat of a completely different, much higher level.
Fans who have closely followed Amosov’s training camp may have noticed his excellent physical condition, but one cannot forget the pressure that haunts a fighter during his debut in the cage of the strongest organization in the world of mixed martial arts.
The main task of the Ukrainian is to constantly move, not to stay in one place and at the first opportunity to impose a close-range fight on the veteran.
Amosov needs to regularly press Magni, sharply shorten the distance, get closer and try to get a takedown. When Neal is on the cover, it is certain that the former Bellator champion will be able to break him down with heavy punches and cause maximum damage in the ground and pound.
However, it will be extremely difficult to do this given the vast experience of the veteran. It is obvious that Magni will meet the opponent with low kicks and jabs, regularly throwing high kicks to prevent getting close.
The fight at a long distance is extremely beneficial for the star American, who will be able to score points and dry up the fight, winning by unanimous decision of the judges.
Magni is not so easy to finish, he is quite a stable fighter, so Amosov cannot be satisfied with single attacks and be passive. Pressing, high tonnage of blows, maneuverability and control of the opponent in the ground with further attacks in the grand and pound will allow the Ukrainian to successfully prove himself in Las Vegas.
Yaroslav has never had any particular problems with endurance, and considering that the upcoming fight will be 3 rounds, it is necessary to demonstrate his best sides. In favor of the fighter from Ukraine and age (32 years against 38 in Magna).
In addition, when we talk about the experience of the star veteran, we cannot forget about the damage (missed shots) that he received in 44 fights. This factor should also play in favor of the Ukrainian.
Forecast: Amosov’s early victory in the second round