Sergei Kharitonov is one of the greatest heavyweights in mixed martial arts history to never compete in the UFC.
The Russian has lost just once since 2011 and he continued his hot streak at Bellator 225, knocking out Matt Mitrione in the second round of their main event bout over the weekend.
Kharitonov, who holds notable victories over Fabricio Werdum, Andrie Arlovski, Alistair Overeem, Semmy Schilt, Pedro Rizzo and Roy Nelson among others, stopped Mitrione with the same uppercut-to-knee combination he used to finish Nelson this past October.
Sergei Kharitonov landed a magnificent KO on Saturday and settled the score in his rematch at #Bellator225. pic.twitter.com/Bdnr24oX0F
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) August 27, 2019
This was a rematch of a fight from February that ended a mere 15 seconds into the opening round due to an inadvertent groin strike from Mitrione that left Kharitonov unable to continue.
None of the 14 fights on Saturday’s card, which took place at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn., went the distance.
Former Bellator MMA heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov earned a quick knockout win over late-replacement opponent Tim Johnson in the co-main event, while popular one-handed fighter Nick Newell was successful in his promotional debut on the preliminary card.
Here are the complete Bellator 225 results:
MAIN CARD
— Sergei Kharitonov def. Matt Mitrione by TKO
— Vitaly Minakov def. Tim Johnson by knockout
— Alejandra Lara def. Taylor Turner by TKO
— Yaroslav Amosov def. David Rickels by submission (D’Arce choke)
— Tyrell Fortune def. Rudy Schaffroth by submission (rear-naked choke)
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Khonry Gracie def. Oscar Vera by submission (armbar)
— Aviv Gozali def. Eduard Muravitskiy by submission (heel hook)
— Sabah Homasi def. Micah Terrill by knockout
— Austin Vanderford def. Joseph Creer by TKO (doctor stoppage due to cut)
— Ricky Bandejas def. Ahmet Kayretli by knockout
— Chris Disonell def. Mike Kimbel by TKO
— Nick Newell def. Corey Browning by submission (arm-triangle choke)
— Connor Dixon def. Kastriot Xhema by submission (armbar)
— Jon Manley def. Thiago Rela by submission (rear-naked choke)
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