Editor’s note: The is the first installment of a two-part interview with Pride Fighting Championships veteran and current Bellator MMA heavyweight Sergei “The Paratrooper” Kharitonov.
Sergei Kharitonov owns victories over Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, Roy Nelson, Andrei Arlovski, and a host of others. Before the coronavirus quarantine shut down much of the globe, he captured the World Total Kombat Federation heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of Fernando Rodrigues Jr. in the WTKF 5 main event on Feb. 23 in Minsk, Belarus.
Kharitonov then planned to dive into preparation for a Bellator MMA rematch with Linton Vassel—the man who interrupted his eight-fight unbeaten streak at Bellator 234 in November.