Yaroslav Amosov to fight Alvarez in the UFC on May 9

Ukrainian mixed martial artist Yaroslav Amosov is preparing for his next UFC appearance, and this time the attention from fans is especially high. His opponent will be Spain’s Joel Alvarez (23–3), one of the most dangerous finishers in the division. But this time, he will be facing a completely different level of opposition.

The bout will take place on the night of May 10 at the Prudential Center in Newark, USA, as part of UFC 328.

For Amosov, this will be his second fight in the world’s most prestigious promotion. But even in such a short time, he has already managed to make a very convincing statement: in his UFC debut in December 2025, the Ukrainian confidently finished American fighter Neil Magny with a submission in the very first round.

Joel Alvarez has an impressive record: 23 wins in 26 fights, most of them by finish. He has been in the UFC for a long time and is currently riding a winning streak. But the style and level of opposition he has faced before are not the same kind of pressure that Amosov is capable of creating.

Yaroslav is a fighter from a different system: discipline, control, world-class wrestling, and cold execution of the game plan inside the Octagon. His approach leaves opponents no room for improvisation — which is why many experts are already calling this fight a classic “bad matchup” for Alvarez.

Amosov is traditionally holding his training camp at American Top Team and is approaching the fight fully focused:

“Every opponent is tough, and you have to find the right key for each one. So we’ll be looking for those keys on May 9. Improvisation is our plan,” Amosov said with a laugh. “Every opponent is strong no matter what — at this level, there are no weak fighters.”

Ahead of the fight, the Ukrainian also entered the UFC welterweight top 15 rankings, taking the No. 15 spot and pushing Colby Covington out of the rankings.

And if we look at the style, form, and pace of progress of both athletes, Amosov looks like the fighter who is already dictating the terms of this matchup before the first bell even rings.

Can Alvarez impose his own game plan? Can he withstand the wrestling pressure and control that the Ukrainian usually brings? And most importantly — will we see another confident statement from Amosov on his path toward the title race?