Inked that @BellatorMMA fight agreement! pic.twitter.com/7rlQscKOi4
— David Rickels (@TheCaveman316) July 26, 2019
Bellator MMA is stacking its trip to Bridgeport, Connecticut, adding a major welterweight battle between David Rickels and Yaroslav Amosov to Bellator 225.
Sherdog.com has confirmed the matchup with a promotion official following a report late Thursday night from MMAJunkie.com. Rickels (21-5, 2 NC) will be facing the unbeaten Amosov (21-0) at welterweight at Bellator 225, which will take place at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Aug. 24.
Rickels has competed in the Bellator cage more times than any other fighter, with 22 appearances in total. "The Caveman" also holds the most wins of any Bellator fighter to never earn a title with the organization, and the third-most overall, with 15. Only two-division champ Patricio Freire (17) and three-time lightweight king Michael Chandler (16) have won more times under the Bellator banner. Rickels has won his last two, taking a decision over Guilherme Vasconcelos last November and a stoppage victory due to an eye injury against A.J. Matthews in March.
Undefeated as a professional since debuting in 2012, Amosov has finished 17 of his 21 opponents before the final bell, including 12 in the opening round. As a Bellator fighter, he has beaten a pair of Ultimate Fighting Championship veterans Gerald Harris and Erick Silva both by decision. The Ukranian currently sits with the second-most wins for an MMA fighter in a major promotion, trailing only UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Bellator 225 takes place on Aug. 24 at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Headlining the card is a heavyweight rematch between Matt Mitrione and Sergei Kharitonov, and heavyweights Valentin Moldavsky and Timothy Johnson will also square off at the event.