سانتا مونيكا (فبراير 3, 2015) - سيرجي خاريتونوف (23-5) is the newest free agent by Bellator MMA, with the news that the Russian heavyweight has been signed to an exclusive multi-year, متعددة المعركة العقد. A veteran of both Strikeforce and Pride Fighting Championships, Kharitonov remains on active duty with the Russian Airborne Troops.

Doubling as a kickboxer at different points throughout his combat sports career, “The Paratrooper” has decided to parlay his recent five-fight winning streak and focus purely on mixed martial arts. Kharitonov’s resume is extensive, with the 35-year-old scoring wins against some of the sport’s most notable names including UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum, اندريه Arlovski, بيدرو ريزو, Murilo “Ninja” Rua, and Alistair Overeem.

“I have had the best seat in the house for some of Kharitonov’s heavyweight outings,"قال Bellator الرئيس MMA سكوت كوكر, “and I know Sergei [خاريتونوف] can come in and make an immediate impact on our heavyweight division. He is an extremely skilled and experienced fighter who can end a fight in the blink of an eye, and we look forward to having him do just that inside the Bellator cage. أكثر, he’s already competed at one ‘Dynamite’ event before, maybe he could do so again in the future!"

Kharitonov joins a division that is currently championed by fellow Russian fighter فيتالي Minakov, other top names include بوبي لاشلي, شيخ كونغو, فينيسيوس كيروش, كيمبو سلايس, توني جونسون, جوستين رين, دان تشارلز, و جيمس طومسون.