Oh shit.
The Bellator MMA heavyweight division just got a major upgrade, as feared heavyweight striker Sergei Kharitonov, 35, is expected to make his Spike TV debut in May, according to a recent report from MMA Fighting.
Some of our newer fans may not recognize the name, but the Russian smashing machine (23-5) holds a win over current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, as well as knockout wins over Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski.
In addition to his mixed martial arts (MMA) experience, the former Russian paratrooper holds a kickboxing win over Jerome LeBanner. In fact, I was at that fight in Tokyo covering the action for GLORY and after the event, I (accidentally) gave Kharitonov wrong directions to a sushi place in Shinjuku.
I did not leave my hotel room for the remainder of the trip.
This latest acquisition comes on the heels of Bellator’s blockbuster signing of former UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson. It should also be noted the aforementioned Overeem is currently a free agent, and that longtime heavyweight icon Fedor Emelianenko is competing on Spike TV.
2016 is going to be very, very interesting.