PRIDE veteran Kharitonov debuts in Bellator this month

Kharitonov (photo) has already beaten, among others, Werdum and Arlovski. Photo: Disclosure

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Considered one of the main heavyweights in MMA in the last decade, Sergei Kharitonov had his first fight in Bellator confirmed. It will take place on May 14th, in San Jose, California (USA), against local athlete Josh Appelt.

The fight was scheduled at the last minute precisely to make up for the ex-UFC's absence. Josh thomson, who was cut off from his fight against Michael chandler for being injured during his preparation for the fight.

At 35 years old, Kharitonov gained international notoriety during his PRIDE days, when he faced names like Fabricio Werdum, Rodrigo Minotauro, alistair overeem, Semmy Schilt, Murilo Ninja and Pedro Rizzo. Then, in Strikeforce, he knocked out Andrei Arlovski and ended up defeated by Josh Barnett. His professional MMA record is 25 wins and five losses.

Appelt, three years younger, has a more unimpressive record in MMA, with 12 wins and five losses. In his most recent fight, he defeated Roy Boughton via technical knockout in January.

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