NEW YORK – On Friday at Bellator 215, veteran heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov will get to add a Bellator headliner to what’s already been a pretty eventful career. Don’t expect the big spot, however, to be accompanied by big words. Speaking to MMAjunkie prior to the main event opposite Matt Mitrione (13-6 MMA, 4-1 BMMA), which airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., Kharitonov (28-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) was direct in his answers about the matchup and its possible implications. Asked to break down Mitrione based on his most recent performances, Kharitonov simply said, through an interpreter, that “his weak side is wrestling.” Kharitonov also avoided stacking up Mitrione against other names on his extensive list of previous rivals, saying only that the fellow headliner is “one of the top fighters in Bellator.” Kharitonov isn’t exactly off in either assessment. Mitrione is, after all, coming off a loss in which Ryan Bader exploited his self-admitted wrestling weakness and “rode me like a pony.” The loss spoiled Mitrione’s perfect Bellator run after significant wins over Roy Nelson and Fedor Emelianenko, and it’s fair to say he remains a force in the promotion’s heavyweight division.
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