Sergei Kharitonov is out of his fight with Josh Appelt due to an illness, Bellator spokesperson Danny Brener confirmed with MMA Fighting on Tuesday. ESPN's Brett Okamoto was the first to report the news. The event is scheduled for Saturday night in San Jose.
Kharitonov (23-5) would have been making his Bellator debut. The well-known heavyweight is a veteran of PRIDE, K-1, M-1 and Strikeforce. Kharitonov, 35, won five straight in Europe before being inked by Bellator. The Russian striker has victories over the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski.