On the verge of the UFC Apex on December 13, 2025, when the last Fight Night of a turbulent year is taking its course, a welterweight bout is burdened with the sensation of eras colliding. Yaroslav Amosov, the Ukrainian dynamo with the 28-1 ledger that reads more like a combat sambo fairytale, enters the Octagon in his first match against Neil Magny, the division dirtbag with 24 UFC wins of his own.
It is not merely a first but a trial balloon for the UFC of its radical shift into taking over the remnants of a dead competitor. As Bellator was disbanded under the ownership of PFL earlier this year, a tidal wave of experienced outsiders has hit the roster, adding new storylines to divisions that had stagnated due to a long line of title holders and longtime competitors.
The entry of Amosov, who has just made a submission in the first round in a local outlier, is the gamble of the underdog: is his imported pedigree going to survive in the shark tank, or will it be cut meat of the establishment? With the welterweight grappling with its own identity crisis, caught in between an explosion of featherweight and a logjam of middleweight fights, this match may be the birth of a renaissance or strengthening a vice of iron on the part of the gatekeeper.
The Unbeatable Outsider: Bellator Odyssey of Amosov and UFC Dreams
The road that Yaroslav Amosov has followed to this ledge is marked with endurance, a mixture of Eastern European doggedness and inexorable grappling skills with which he was once invulnerable. Reputed as a 32-year-old, four-time Combat Sambo World Champion, Kirchoff, who was promoted to Tech-Krep FC and eventually Bellator, was acquired in 2017, on a streak of 27 consecutive promotions without a loss.
There he was, a heavy-handed fighter: eight consecutive victories, one in which he controlled the whole school of thought, beating Douglas Lima to win the welterweight title in 2021 and then a hard-fought title defence over Logan Storley in 2023.
His wrestling is the symphony of a wrestler, unremitting chain wrestling, top control suffocation, opportunistic submissions that have completed 14 of his wins before the bell. Amosov has an average of 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes at 6’0″ and a 74-inch reach, earning a 52% rate, and his ground-and-pound has been compared to a young Khabib Nurmagomedov.
But glory came with shadows. Amosov responded to the call of his country and joined the Ukrainian army in the conflict against Russia in 2022, halfway through his reign. He defended his belt, without needing to be there physically, making his training in bunkhouses, and coming to take revenge on Storley, a gesture of rebellion. The fairy tale was broken at Bellator 301, when Jason Jackson defeated him by unanimous decision, after 27 consecutive victories.
In early 2025, after the merger with PFL, Amosov negotiated freedom of action with the following statement: a rear-naked choke in March of 2025 in Cage Fury FC over UFC alum Curtis Millender, is an announcement of his willingness to appear on bigger stages.
At this time, having become a member of the drug-testing pool of the UFC and having a shot at the top-15 position, he bears the burden of a diaspora. Analysts put him at -220 based on his 85% takedown defence and composure to endure the storm. There are rumours, though they exist, that the retrenchment blurred his blade, or will the scintillation and electric light of the Octagon make a cleaner blade?
The Gatekeeper to Eternal Life: the Perseverance of Magny and the Burden of History
Against this new face is Neil Magny, the 38-year-old Haitian-American pillar on which the UFC has rested its fortunes, with his 31-13 record in general disguising a UFC career of survival by calculation. With a one-season appearance on The Ultimate Fighter, Magny made his name in the books: most wins (24), most fights (36), and most important hits made (more than 1,500) in the history of the welterweight.
Standing at 6’3″ with an 80-inch reach, he is the scrawny technician who transforms five-round marathons into clinics with a combination of Muay Thai knees, a piston jab, and opportunistic wrestling, making him last longer than his enemies. His takedown accuracy is at 42% but it is his cardio that kills with an output of 20 or more minutes that kills the spirit.
The 2025 shape of Magny was a phoenix due to the defeat of 2024 when the first round knockouts to Michael Morales and Carlos Prates revealed the weakness in his chin. He made a comeback viciously: in August, he TKOed a third round via ground-and-pound, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and in September at UFC Pert,h he won a controversial second-round choke of Jake Matthewswhich was upheld despite complaints of an early termination.
These were his first two consecutive finishes in a long time since 2022, and it quieted the critics, putting his UFC record at 24-12. However, critics highlight that his 1-4 slide against the top-10 elites, such as Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry, puts him into the label as the ultimate gatekeeper: an +180 underdog in that case, surviving on volume (4.8 significant strikes per minute) to wear down prospects as irrelevant. To Magny, it is not personal, but it is professional. By defeating Amosov, he gives it 3 in a row, which may earn him a ranked rematch and why he has survived the ages.
Clash of Styles: Apex Crucible Grappling Chess
What takes place on December 13 may be a melodious symphony of style or a dissecting, bloody massacre. Amosov applies to chain takedowns at an early stage, mauling Maggy in the clinches, where the veteran has lost 60% of the control time. Provided the Ukrainian performs his 2.1 submission attempts per fight, the cage of the Apex will turn into a tomb for the stand-up of Magny.
On the other hand, the American is long and has the footwork-illustrated in chramming 72 of the take downs-to encourage a bloody war with the 58% accuracy of his shots, able to scratch Amosov with the 62%% striking defence. Analysts are correct in decisions 70% of the time, Amosov being good in grappling situations, but weak at knees in the pocket. A first-round finish? Doubtful, considering that Magny has survived 85% since 5:00, but the sambo traps of Amosov lurk in case the fight goes to the mat.
The fans can look forward to a technical tussle: there will be twists, reverses and lunges that will leave their heart rate soaring in the ardent glow of the Apex. It is the first dream and the reality of the veteran, a microcosm of the fluidity of the welterweight, with underdogs like Belal Muhammad having made it out of the same position.
Roster Renaissance: Infusion and Division Revival of UFC After Bellator
This rivalry is not a singular case, as it represents the precursor of the 2025 seismic changes. The sale of Bellator to PFL in January created a talent drain, as UFC CEO Dana White openly pursued releases of such stars as featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and middleweight champion Johnny Eblen.
By mid-year, the rush was factual: when the split-decision nod of former Bellator bantamweight titlist Patchy Mix over Mario Bautista came in June, the division was yearning to see finishes. Others were behind them, lightweight prospect Aaron Pico flaunted a Seattle slot, and James Gallagher threatened bantamweight fireworks. The fights, such as Diana Belbita’s, have filled the void in releases, but with every cut, there is a Bellator import filling the gap, and the active roster has grown to more than 600 fighters.
This is a salvation in the welterweight division, which has been long inactive due to Usman and has an empty gap after Colby Covington. Unenthusiastic battles, such as mid-carders re-evangelising choices, are replaced with wrestlers such as Amosov questioning the pecking order. Should he win, he will be quick to bouts with Geoff Neal or Ian Machado Garry, freshening up the heavy congestion on the top.
Broader ripples? The opportunities of such divisions as middleweight, with such prospects in sight as Norbert Novenyi Jr., may see the hybrid styles reinvigorating fan weariness. The vision of 2026 is the payoff of the transition of a deeper, more dynamic pool that White has, and new blood does not just enter but interrupts.
Beyond the Bell: Tradition, Myth, and the Echo of the Underdog
Amosov wins the fight, which puts him in the competition, justifying the existence of the Bellator pipeline and making him a gold medal winner in the Octagon. The Magny masterclass, however, upholds the legend of the vet, halts the hype and reminds imports of the grind.
In any case, UFC Vegas 112 brings out an insurrectionary ending to 2025: underdogs are not exceptions; they are the builders of the epoch. With the welterweight throne hailing a new king, this introduction intones that it is not erosion, it is evolution, one chokehold at a time.
