MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for Bellator 291.
Bellator 291 takes place Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Yaroslav Amosov (26-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA)
Staple info:
- Height: 5’11” Age: 29 Weight: 170 lbs. Reach: 75″
- Last fight: Decision win over Douglas Lima (June 11, 2021)
- Camp: American Top Team (Florida)
- Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/kickboxing
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
+ Bellator welterweight champion
+ 4x combat sambo world champion
^ European and Eurasian titles
+ 9 KO victories
+ 10 submission wins
+ 13 first-round finishes
+ Aggressive pace and pressure
+ Technical, well-versed striking
^ Off the back foot or coming forward
+ Strong inside the clinch
+ Excellent wrestling ability
^ Defensively and offensively
+ Good transitional grappler
^ Solid scrambles and submissions
Logan Storley (14-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA)
Staple info:
- Height: 5’9″ Age: 30 Weight: 170 lbs. Reach: 71.5″
- Last fight: Decision win over Michael Page (May 13, 2022)
- Camp: Kill Cliff (Florida)
- Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
+ Bellator welterweight champion (vacant title winner)
+ 4x Division-1 All-American wrestler
+ 6x SDHSAA state champion
+ 8 knockout victories
+ 6 first-round finishes
+ Aggressive pace and pressure
^ Good cardio and conditioning
+ Steadily improving striking
^ Counters in combination, head movement, etc.
+ Strong inside the clinch
+ Superb takedown game
^ Seamlessly chains attacks
+ Excellent transitional grappler
^ Good scrambles and back-takes
Point of interest: Striking the second time around
The main event for Bellator 291 features a rematch for the welterweight title between Yaroslav Amosov and Logan Storley.
Their first meeting back at Bellator 252 was an incredibly competitive affair that was full of fun scrambles and exchanges.
Yaroslov Amosov and Logan Storely’s first fight featured a ton of fun scrambles but this little gem that Storley hits from turtle is super slick and something I need to add to my turtle game…
Looks like a nice kick in conjunction with momentum/trapping Amosov’s reaching arm: pic.twitter.com/a8RjjPYAtV
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) February 21, 2023
Although Storley ultimately came up short on the scorecards due to the more damaging offense and counters from Amosov, the American seemingly had more and more moments as the fight wore on – both on the feet and the floor.
Since then, a lot has happened for each fighter.
Man, this promo is great. Well done by Bellator.
Yaroslav Amosov is quite the incredible fighter, in more ways than one. pic.twitter.com/fq1RmV8bx8
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) February 21, 2023
Amosov would go on to successfully take the welterweight title from Douglas Lima at Bellator 260 before returning home to help defend his country of Ukraine from the ongoing Russian invasion. Storley, on the other hand, has been able to stay active as a competitor, securing big wins over Neiman Gracie and Michael Page en route to this championship unification.
Despite being at an on-paper disadvantage in the striking department for the majority of his fights thus far, Storley has found ways to make his style work, all while making improvements along the way.
A longtime member of the recently rebranded “Kill Cliff,” Storley has made some visible strides while under the care of noted striking coach, Henri Hooft. Even though Storley has traditionally used his striking as a means to an end for his wrestling, there are clear glimpses of skill and substance when the American is working between shots standing.
From improved feints to combination striking, Storley does not appear fearful when pursuing fleeing opponents on the feet. The 30-year-old talent also does a good job of rolling his head offline when committing to crosses, as this helps Storley both defend strikes and disguise his level-changing shots.
Storley showed off even more of his striking improvements in his outing opposite Gracie, demonstrating some countering savvy by parrying straight shots and punctuating exchanges. That said, Storley will likely need to keep a healthy feinting presence if he means to not eat as many counters this time around.
Despite coming from a combat sambo background, Amosov displays a technical, well-versed striking style on the feet. The 29-year-old can fight from either stance, incorporating healthy lateral movement in the process.
Amosov also demonstrates some solid distance management and defense when he means to, typically doing a good job of rolling out underneath his crosses. The Ukrainian talent can fight and counter competently off the back foot, but can also do decent work when pressuring opponents toward the fence.
But whether Amasov elects to pressure or (once again) play off of the back foot and jab, he will need to be mindful of the potential counters and level-changing threats from Storley.
Point of interest: Winning the wrestling
Given that grappling is an arguable lynchpin in both fighters’ games, winning the wrestling will be paramount this weekend.
Storley, who wrestled at a Division-I All-American level for four straight years, will likely be looking to continue to ply his on-paper advantages again when you consider the successful moments he had late in their first encounter.
Wrestling since he was a small boy, Storley chains from singles to doubles like it’s second nature, no matter his positioning in the cage. The six-time state champ is also seamless when it comes to hitting peek-outs or shuck-bys when able to get his opposition to bite hard on the direction he’s selling, showing excellent adjustments on the fly.
Nevertheless, Storley will still need to respect the abilities of Amosov – whose offensive skills and defensive savvy have been on full display during his Bellator run.
A fighter who clearly has worked hard on his wrestling, Amosov carries a wide variety of takedown options that range from open space to against the fence. Whether Amosov’s changing levels for a reactionary double-leg or working from over-unders in the clinch, the champion flows fairly seamlessly when having to chain attacks together.
Once able to establish a position from topside, Amosov becomes even more difficult to deal with.
A four-time combat sambo world champ, Amosov shows all the submission and transitional savvy you’d expect from a fighter with those accolades. From his smooth positional flows to his ability to scramble with the best wrestlers in his division, Amosov appears to be a menace once he gets going.
But for as good as Amosov’s defensive wherewithal and balance may be, he’ll still need to be better about his tactical choices when it comes to position-compromising submissions and prolonged scrambles.
Although Amosov has a nasty front-headlock game that he was able to stifle Storley with during their first meeting, his choice to sell out for chokes put him in some precarious positions that forced him to expose his back in order to scramble back to his feet.
Amosov was able to successfully get away with this tactic for the early parts of their contest, but Storley – who appears to be the better wrestler in these positions – won more scrambles as they got into the third and final frame of their last fight.
Both men have proved they can grapple en route to winning five-round affairs since, but they will likely test each other’s limits once again this Saturday.
Point of interest: Odds and opinions
The oddsmakers and public are favoring the undefeated fighter, listing Amosov -175 and Storley +150 via Tipico Sportsbook.
Given how competitive their first fight was, I have no issue with money trickling in on the underdog in Storley.
The American may not be the biggest for the division, but Storley’s wrestling pedigree and dedication to pressure make for a prime Daniel Cormier comparison in regard to his style translating well to success in spite of size.
Should Storley successfully put on a breakneck pace for the first 12 minutes, then no one should be shocked to see the South Dakota native edge out frames down the stretch en route to an upset on the scorecards. That said, I still find myself slightly favoring the counters and defensive savvy from Amosov.
Storley has a knack for going second on his counters, while Amosov already demonstrates the process and ability to go first and third (which helps punctuate exchanges for opponents and judges alike). Both fighters will have to walk a fine line either way, but I’ll officially side with Amosov to accumulate enough solid moments to bank another decision win.
