Bellator is making its way out of Connecticut.
The MMA promotion announced it would be hosting an event in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on August 20th. The card will be headlined by a heavyweight pairing between UFC veteran Cheick Kongo and Sergei Kharitonov. The bout will likely act as a title eliminator for the (interim) heavyweight strap, which is currently on hold, while Bader is at 205.
#Bellator is coming to Sioux Falls! A scintillating heavyweight matchup between @Kongo4Real
and Sergei Kharitonov will headline #Bellator265 on Friday, August 20th. #MMA
🚨 BREAKING 🚨#Bellator is coming to Sioux Falls! A scintillating heavyweight matchup between @Kongo4Real and Sergei Kharitonov will headline #Bellator265 on Friday, August 2️⃣0️⃣th.#MMA pic.twitter.com/2hMFfUS1uT
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 20, 2021
Age Is Just A Number
The 46 year-old Kongo will make his long-awaited comeback after losing to Tim Johnson at Bellator 248 last year. Before this the Frenchman was on a 9 fight unbeaten streak. One of which was a no-contest to the current champ Ryan Bader.
Kongo looks to not only get back to winning ways but also back into the title picture with a win over Kharitonov.
The Paratrooper Flies Again
Kharitonov, 40, is riding a 2-fight win streak. “The Paratrooper” lands in Bellator once again after picking up wins in the boxing ring and other MMA promotions. Kharitonov amasses a record of 3-2, 1 NC under the Bellator banner in 2 promotional runs. The Russian striker is no stranger to the game having fought in PRIDE, DREAM, and Strikeforce.
The heavyweight has wins over former UFC fighters, Roy Nelson, Matt Mitrione, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, and Andrei Arlovski. He will look to pick another win over the UFC veteran that is Cheick Kongo.
Also on the card:
DeAnna Bennett vs. Alejandra Lara
Adam Borics vs. Jay-Jay Wilson
Logan Storley vs. TBD
