If there was any question about Sergei Kharitonov’s punching power, the 6-foot-4 heavyweight ended the debate with a strategic TKO of Roy Nelson at Bellator 207.
After a two-fight stint from 2016-17 saw him bat .500, Kharitonov (28-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) returned to Bellator in 2018. The Russian heavyweight reentered the promotion after going 4-0 with one no-contest during his time back in his native country.
Paired up with the UFC veteran Nelson, Kharitonov made the most of the opportunity when he finished “Big Country” via uppercuts and knees. The stoppage came from referee Dan Miragliotta when only one second remained in the opening round.
The finish set up Kharitonov for a marquee matchup against Matt Mitrione in the Bellator 215 headliner. However, an errant low kick from Mitrione (13-6 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) in an early exchange signaled the end of the bout when Kharitonov was no longer able to continue.
Sat. Aug. 24 at Bellator 225, Mitrione and Kharitonov will meet inside the Bellator cage once again. The event will take place Aug. 24 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. The main card will air on Paramount Network after prelims stream live on MMA Junkie.
Before he rematches Matt Mitrione, check out Sergei Kharitonov’s finish victory over Roy Nelson in the video above.
The current Bellator 225 includes:
- Matt Mitrione vs. Sergei Kharitonov
- Vitaly Minakov vs. Javy Ayala
- Timothy Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky
- David Rickels vs. Yaroslav Amosov
- Tyrell Fortune vs. Rudy Schaffroth
- Nick Newell vs. Corey Browning
- Ricky Bandejas vs. Ahmet Kayretli
- Kastriot Xhema vs. Rodolfo Rocha
- Mike Kimbel vs. Chris Disonell
- Grant Neal vs. Alpha Toure
- Khonry Gracie vs. Oscar Vera
- Alejandra Lara vs. Taylor Turner
- Austin Vanderford vs. Douglas Usher
- Sabah Homasi vs. Micah Terrill
