Mark Lemminger was helping his father fix a boat and the two had gone to a tavern after a day of work to relax. It was there that he received a call from his manager that Bellator wanted him for another fight for the promotion. Yaroslav Amosov had been training in the remote mountains of the Ukraine prior to heading to the United States to face an opponent on August 21st. Lemminger (11-1) and Amosov (23-0) face each other in a welterweight tilt on the prelims of the Bellator card Friday night.
The undefeated Sambo specialist, Amosov trained in his native Ukraine where he had no problems with quarantine. He then spent some time in Florida at American Top Team where he worked out with the likes of Jorge Masvidal.
Amosov began his martial arts training at the age of 15. “I liked wrestling a lot and use it as a base,” Amsov said through an interpreter. “I always have liked martial arts with a wrestling component.” A decorated Sambo world champion, he has earned the gold medal in World Combat Sambo and Combat Jiu Jitsu.
Amosov ran through competitors in his professional days in Russia and made his Bellator debut with Bellator in July 2018 with a win over Gerald Harris. Thus far, he’s 4-0 with the promotion with his last victory coming up against Ed Ruth this past December.
Lemminger’s debut with Bellator came last month as the promotion returned to action. The Wisconsin pro earned a second-round stoppage over Jake Smith on July 24th. “I like the quick turnaround,” Lemminger said of his upcoming bout against Amosov. “I’m ‘damage-free’ and still in good shape.”
With his win, Lemminger picked up a 2-fight deal with Bellator.
During the pandemic, Lemminger has kept up with training as he has his own gym at home. He’s worked out with a small group of teammates.
Lemminger, a veteran of the Fightsphere that Bellator has set up to ensure fighter health and safety noted that he feels the precautions taken have made everyone feel safe. He noted that he was tested for COVID-19 prior to traveling to Uncasville, Connecticut, the location of Bellator events, and then was immediately tested upon getting there. “The last fight I was in [quarantine] for more than a day waiting for test results,” Lemminger recalled of the protocol implemented by Bellator. “I was just in my room and relaxed and watched tv.” Even when he was out of quarantine, his movement around was limited, “I could only go down and work out, that was about it.”
The two square-off on the prelims of Bellator 244 on Friday night from the Mohegan Sun Arena. The event will be available on DAZN and the Paramount Network.
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