7. Yaroslav Amosov
Bellator's superb undefeated welterweight champion, whom I consider as good as any welterweight in the world, takes seventh place, the highest of the four first-timers on this list A four-time world combat sambo champion, Amosov is one of the best grapplers in MMA despite a lack of accolades in either wrestling or BJJ. He can take down almost anyone, has very good submissions, and is utterly impossible to take and keep down himself, even by the very best wrestlers in MMA, several of which he has faced. Amosov's striking has also steadily improved over his time in MMA, becoming genuinely good in his last outing, and he has outstanding cardio, able to wrestle and strike energetically for all five rounds. Before joining Bellator, Amosov amassed a 19-0 record in smaller promotions. Truthfully, most of his opponents were weak, with one exception: a split decision over then-undefeated Roberto Soldic. This was also the only time Amosov was remotely threatened in his early bouts, as he recorded 17 stoppages and one lopsided decision in the other 18 victories. Amosov recorded back-to-back clear decisions over solid UFC veterans in Gerald Harris and Erick Silva, stopped long-time Bellator contender David Rickels with a second-round choke, and then faced two of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers MMA has ever seen, three-time NCAA Division 1 champion Ed Ruth and four-time All-American Logan Storley. This was a big challenge for Amosov, who relied on his own wrestling, but his striking proved to be the difference, winning decisions against both men. He then captured the Bellator welterweight crown from three-time champion Douglas Lima, dominating him for all five rounds with takedowns. After this, Amosov had the longest layoff of his career, just over a year and a half, returning in February 2023 against interim champion Storley. Storley's lone loss had been to Amosov and he had improved a lot in the two years since, developing effective boxing. A lot of people, myself included, thought he was a serious challenge for Amosov. Instead, Amosov showcased significant improvement in his time away and put on the greatest performance of his career, shutting down Storley's myriad takedown attempts and punishing him with accurate, textbook striking. On several occasions, Amosov even took Storley down himself. It was a superb, crowning triumph, with Amosov dominating every round. Like many Bellator champions, Amosov is heavily underrated and being just 29 years old, I can't wait to see what further achievements his legendary career will bring.
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