SANTA MONICA (กุมภาพันธ์ 3, 2015) - Sergei คาริ (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, สัญญาหลายต่อสู้. 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, อังเดร Arlovski, เปโดร Rizzo, Murilo “Ninja” Rua, and Alistair Overeem.

“I have had the best seat in the house for some of Kharitonov’s heavyweight outings,"Bellator วีคประธานสกอตต์กล่าวว่า Coker, “and I know Sergei [Kharitonov] 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. มากกว่า, 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 Vitaly Minakov, other top names include บ๊อบบี้เลย์, Cheick คองโก, Vinicius Queiroz, Kimbo Slice, โทนี่จอห์นสัน, จัสตินนกกระจิบ, แดนชาร์ลส์, และ เจมส์ ธ อมป์สัน.