That experience shaped Amosov\u2019s blunt response when asked during his UFC Vegas 112 post-fight media scrum about fighters frequently claiming they are going to \u201cwar\u201d inside the cage \u2014 a phrase commonly used throughout fight promotion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think about how hard it was when I was in war,\u201d Amosov said. \u201cWhen people say, \u2018This next fight will be like war,\u2019 or \u2018I go tomorrow to war,\u2019 hey guys \u2014 if you don\u2019t know what war is, shut up. You can\u2019t talk about this. War is not the Octagon. This is not fighting. This is a different life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can be dead in a second, and your friend can be dead,\u201d Amosov continued. \u201cThis is not hard training or cutting weight. My country has felt this for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a sobering perspective from someone who has experienced the realities of combat far beyond the cage \u2014 and carries that weight with him into competition.<\/p>\n
Now competing under the UFC banner, Amosov (29-1) is riding a two-fight win streak, with both victories coming via first-round anaconda choke<\/a>. After dismantling a longtime divisional staple in his debut, the Ukrainian standout figures to receive a ranked opponent in his sophomore Octagon appearance.<\/p>\n