Sergei Kharitonov

Sergei Valerievich Kharitonov (, ; born August 18, 1980) is a Russian professional boxer, mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2000, Kharitonov has previously fought in Japanese MMA organizations PRIDE Fighting Championships & DREAM (Both in Japan), Bellator MMA, M-1 Global, Strikeforce, and GLORY.

Kharitonov has competed in two major mixed martial arts tournaments and one major kickboxing tournament. He holds notable wins over former EliteXC Middleweight Champion Murilo Rua, former K-1 Champion Semmy Schilt, former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, and former UFC Heavyweight Champions Andrei Arlovski and Fabrício Werdum.

Biography Sergei Kharitonov was born on August 18, 1980, in Plesetsk, Russian SFSR, (now Russia). His parents were very athletic: Sergei's mother was a volleyball coach, and his father at various times studied boxing, skating, football, and long distance marathon running. Under their influence, Sergei was very active physically while growing up.

Kharitonov graduated from a high school with a specialization in music (accordion). Following the advice of his parents as well as his own dreams, Sergei went to the Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School, and enlisted in the Russian Airborne Troops after finishing the academy. Kharitonov credits the army and the academy with giving him psychological skills he relies on during his fights.

Until resigning from the military in the late 2010s, Sergei remained on the active duty while training full-time.

At the age of sixteen, Kharitonov started studying Combat Sambo. During his studies in the Airborne Troops Academy, Sergei started competing in hand-to-hand combat (simplified form of Combat Sambo) and MMA. After Kharitonov graduated from the Academy, he was contacted by Vladimir Pogodin, the manager of the Russian Top Team, who invited him to join the club. At first, Sergei was invited to be Fedor Emelianenko's sparring partner, who taught him many ground fighting techniques, including striking on the ground and submissions. Sergei kept competing at various Russian MMA competitions, and in October 2003 he debuted in Pride Fighting Championships, one of the top two leading MMA organizations in the world at that time.

Sergei trains with the Russian national boxing and Sambo teams, as well as some freestyle wrestlers. He also recently added Muay Thai training to his regimen, and, according to him, he even borrows some elements from karate.

K-1 Hero's On September 17, 2007, Kharitonov TKO's Alistair Overeem in the first round in the Hero's 10: Middleweight Tournament Final event, avenging a previous loss.

DREAM Kharitonov's next fight was scheduled to be against Mighty Mo at DREAM 6 on September 23, 2008. However Mighty Mo was forced to withdraw due to a back injury. Jimmy Ambriz was Mighty Mo's replacement. Sergei scored a win in the first round by submission via strikes. At Dream 8 Jeff Monson secured Sergei in a North/South Choke. The Russian tried punching his way out but was soon forced to tap for the first time in his career.

Strikeforce Sergei signed a deal to fight for Strikeforce and made his debut on February 12, 2011. He faced former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in the opening round of Strikeforce 2011 Heavyweight Grand-Prix. Sergei defeated Andrei Arlovski by knockout in the first round. Sergei faced Josh Barnett, who defeated Brett Rogers on June 18, 2011, at Strikeforce: Dallas, in the next round. He lost via submission in the first round.

Post-Strikeforce On June 1, 2012, he submitted John Delgado by keylock at the MMA: Russian Open Championship in St.Petersburg, Russia. Kharitonov has signed with M-1 Global and Oleg Taktarov's Fight Star MMA Promotion and was expected to fight Travis Wiuff in December 2013. This fight did not materialize, but on November 15 of that year Kharitonov faced Alexey Kudin at M-1 Challenge in Surgut, Russia and defeated him by TKO (punches) in the second round.

In his next appearance, Sergei defeated Tyler East via second-round TKO at Tech-Krep Fighting Championship - Prime on March 21, 2014.

Kharitonov was expected to face Satoshi Ishii on November 11, 2014, at M-1 Challenge 53: Battle in the Celestial Empire. However, Ishii withdrew from the bout due to injury. He instead faced Kenny Garner at the event, which took place on November 25, with Kharitonov winning via doctor stoppage in the third round.

M-1 Global Kharitonov faced Alexei Kudin on November 15, 2013, at M-1 Challenge 43. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Kharitonov beat Kenny Garner at M-1 Challenge 53 on November 25, 2014, via TKO (doctor stoppage) in 3 round.

In the rematch he wins over Kenny Garner again on July 3, 2015, at M-1 Challenge 59 via TKO in the first round.

Bellator MMA On February 3, 2016, it was announced that Kharitonov had signed with Bellator. Kharitonov made his debut against Javy Ayala on November 4, 2016, at Bellator 163. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Kharitonov faced Chase Gormley at Bellator 175 on March 31, 2017. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Kharitonov faced Roy Nelson in the Bellator 207 co-main event on October 12, 2018. He won the fight via knockout in round one.

After the Nelson fight, Kharitonov signed a new multi-fight contract with Bellator and headlined Bellator 215 against Matt Mitrione on February 15, 2019. Unfortunately, the bout ended in a No Contest just 15 seconds into the first round after Mitrione landed an accidental groin strike and Kharitonov was unable to continue.

Kharitonov faced Mitrione in an immediate rematch six months later at Bellator 225 on August 24, 2019. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Kharitonov headlined Bellator 234 against Linton Vassell on November 14, 2019. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Kharitonov faced Fernando Rodrigues Jr. at World Total Kombat Federation 5 on February 23, 2020. He claimed the WTKF Heavyweight Championship via second-round knockout.

Kharitonov faced Cheick Kongo on August 20, 2021, at Bellator 265. He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two.

Parus FC Kharitonov defended his Parus FC Heavyweight Championship against Fábio Maldonado at an Parus FC event on November 6, 2021. He won the bout via TKO in the first round.

Eagle FC Kharitonov, as a replacement for Antônio Silva, faced Tyrone Spong on January 28, 2022, at EFC 44. He won the fight by technical knockout in the second round.

MMA Series Kharitonov returned after a year and half break from MMA to face Tiago Cardoso on September 23, 2023 at MMA Series 72, winning the bout via TKO stoppage in the first round.

Kickboxing K-1 Since signing with team Golden Glory Breda in July 2007, Sergei has been in the Netherlands training with some of the best standup fighters in the world. After his loss to Jeff Monson in April, the decision was made to make the last fight on his Dream contract a K-1 match at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final on December 5. On November 28, K-1 announced that his opponent would be Daniel Ghita in the second reserve match of the Grand Prix. Ghita was originally scheduled to face Kharitonov's teammate Chalid Arrab, who had to withdraw due to an injury. Ghita defeated Kharitonov by TKO (right low kick) in the third round.

Kharitonov fought Takumi Sato at the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix in Seoul. Kharitonov won by KO in the first round. On December 11 at the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix Final Sergei was defeated by Singh Jaideep by TKO (punches) in the first round. Kharitonov faced Samoan kickboxer Mighty Mo at the United Glory World Series Finals in Moscow on May 28, 2011. He won via KO in the first round. On March 23, 2012, Kharitonov met Mark Miller at United Glory 15 in Moscow, and won by KO (right hook) in the first round.

Glory He lost to Rico Verhoeven at the opening round of the sixteen-man 2012 Glory Heavyweight Grand Slam held at Glory 4: Tokyo - 2012 Heavyweight Grand Slam in Saitama, Japan on December 31, 2012. Verhoeven was leading the judges' scorecards after the first two, two-minute rounds and so was given the victory.

He was set to fight Jérôme Le Banner at Glory 10: Los Angeles in Ontario, California, United States on September 28, 2013 but the Frenchman withdrew after suffering a neck injury.

Kharitonov defeated Daniel Sam via unanimous decision at Glory 11: Chicago - Heavyweight World Championship Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, on October 12, 2013.

The Jérôme Le Banner fight was rescheduled for Glory 13: Tokyo - Welterweight World Championship Tournament in Tokyo, Japan on December 21, 2013. Kharitonov won by unanimous decision.

He lost to Anderson "Braddock" Silva via UD the semi-finals of the Glory 16: Denver - Heavyweight Contendership Tournament in Broomfield, Colorado, US on May 3, 2014.

Replacing Pat Barry who withdrew from the fight for undisclosed reasons, Kharitonov was scheduled to face Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović at Glory 17: Los Angeles in Inglewood, California, on June 21, 2014. Kharitonov then also withdrew, citing a finger injury, and was replaced by Jarrell Miller. On October 11, 2014, at the W5 Grand Prix in Moscow, Kharitonov again faced Silva, winning the rematch by second-round TKO.

Boxing Kharitonov started his Amateur Boxing Career in 2000. He tried to get into the Russian Olympic Boxing team but got injured in the semi-finals during a live boxing TV event. Instead he competed for Tajikistan in 2003 at the Central Asian Games where he won a silver medal. Kharitonov earned a shot at that year’s Olympics, representing former Tajikistan (the former Soviet republics often have ethnic Russians on their teams) but passed on the chance to instead fight in the Pride 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Kharitonov nearly qualified for the Athens Games by winning the silver medal at the 2004 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa, Philippines. In the final he was defeated by Uzbekistan's Rustam Saidov. In the fall of 2004 he competed in the Russian Boxing Championship and placed second. Sergei could not fight in the final match due to an injury.

Personal life Kharitonov and his wife Natalya have one child.

Championships and accomplishments Boxing 2003 Central Asian Games silver medalist 2004 Asian Championships silver medalist 2007 Russian Championship silver medalist.

Mixed martial arts MMA Series MMSR Heavyweight Championship (One time) Modern Fighting Pankration MFP Heavyweight Championship (One time) MFP Parus Fight Championship Parus FC Heavyweight Championship (One time) One successful title defense World Total Kombat Federation WTKF Heavyweight Championship (One time) PRIDE Fighting Championship PRIDE 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finalist Strikeforce Strikeforce 2011 Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finalist Other Tournament of Real Men 8 champion. Brilliant 2 – Yalta's Brilliant 2000 champion.

Kickboxing W5 W5 World Heavyweight Championship

Other Six times champion Russian Airborne Troops Hand-to-hand combat fight. Russian Airborne Troops Sambo champion. Eurasia Combat Sambo champion. Three times champion Russian Army combat fight. Three times champion Russian combat Hand-to-hand fight. World Universal Fight Unifight champion. Two times Russian Free Fight champion

Mixed martial arts record Win

Marcus Vinicius TKO (knee) Grand Bellagio 1

Batumi, Georgia Win

Tiago Cardoso TKO (punches) MMA Series 72

Moscow, Russia Win

Roggers Souza TKO (punches) MFP 241

Vladivostok, Russia Win

Tyrone Spong TKO (punches) Eagle FC 44

Miami, Florida, United States Win

Fabio Maldonado TKO (punches) MFP Parus Fight Championship

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Loss

Cheick Kongo Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 265

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States Win

Oli Thompson KO (punch) MFP Parus Fight Championship

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Loss

Linton Vassell TKO (punches) Bellator 234

Tel Aviv, Israel Win

Matt Mitrione TKO (knee and punches) Bellator 225

Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States NC

Matt Mitrione NC (accidental groin strike) Bellator 215

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Roy Nelson KO (punches and knee) Bellator 207

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States NC

Anton Vyazigin NC (accidental eye poke) M-1 Challenge 92: Kharitonov vs. Vyazigin

St. Petersburg, Russia Win

Joey Beltran Decision (unanimous) Russian Cagefighting Championship

Yekaterinburg, Russia Win

Geronimo dos Santos Submission (ankle lock) M-1 Challenge 81: Battle in the Mountains 6

Nazran, Russia Win

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou KO (punch) M-1 Challenge 80: Kharitonov vs. Sokoudjou

Harbin, China Win

Chase Gormley KO (punch) Bellator 175

Rosemont, Illinois, United States Loss

Javy Ayala KO (punch) Bellator 163

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Kenny Garner TKO (punches) M-1 Challenge 59: Battle of Nomads 5

Astana, Kazakhstan Win

Kenny Garner TKO (doctor stoppage) M-1 Challenge 53: Battle in the Celestial Empire

Beijing, China Win

Tyler East TKO (punches) Tech-Krep Fighting Championship: Prime

Krasnodar, Russia Win

Alexei Kudin TKO (punches) M-1 Challenge 43

Surgut, Russia Win

John Delgado Submission (americana) MMA: Russian Open Championship

St.Petersburg, Russia Loss

Josh Barnett Submission (arm-triangle choke) Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Win

Andrei Arlovski KO (punches) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva

East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States Win

Tatsuya Mizuno KO (knee) Dynamite!! 2010

Saitama, Japan Loss

Jeff Monson Submission (north-south choke) DREAM 8

Nagoya, Japan Win

Jimmy Ambriz TKO (submission to punches) DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round

Saitama, Japan Win

Alistair Overeem KO (punch) HERO'S 10: Middleweight Tournament Final

Yokohama, Japan Win

Mike Russow Submission (armbar) PRIDE 33

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Alexander Emelianenko TKO (punches and knees) PRIDE FC: Final Conflict Absolute

Saitama, Japan Loss

Alistair Overeem TKO (knees) PRIDE 31: Dreamers

Saitama, Japan Win

Fabrício Werdum Decision (split) PRIDE 30: Fully Loaded

Saitama, Japan Win

Peter Mulder Submission (armbar) RINGS Russia: CIS vs. The World

Yekaterinburg, Russia Win

Pedro Rizzo TKO (soccer kick and punches) PRIDE FC: Critical Countdown 2005

Saitama, Japan Win

Choi Mu-Bae KO (punches) PRIDE 29: Fists of Fire

Saitama, Japan Loss

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Decision (unanimous) PRIDE Final Conflict 2004

Saitama, Japan Win

Semmy Schilt TKO (punches) PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004

Saitama, Japan Win

Murilo Rua KO (punches) PRIDE Total Elimination 2004

Saitama, Japan Win

Cory Peterson Submission (armbar) PRIDE 27

Osaka, Japan Win

Jason Suttie Submission (armbar) PRIDE Bushido 1

Saitama, Japan Loss

Martin Malkhasyan Submission (knee bar) Legion Fight Black Sea Cup 2003 (Stage 2)

Rostov-on-Don, Russia Win

David Shvelidze Submission (heel hook)

Win

Osman Vagabov Submission (rear-naked choke)

Win

Sergey Kaznovsky Submission IAFC: Mega-Sphere Cup 2

Moscow, Russia Win

Roman Savochka TKO (hand injury)

Win

Viacheslav Kolesnik TKO (punch)

Win

Zamir Syrgabayev TKO (submission to punches)

Kickboxing record

Professional boxing record

Exhibition boxing record

Bareknuckle boxing record Win

Mike Cook TKO (punch) BYB Extreme Fight Series

Miami, Florida, United States