After winning Ryan Bader in the Grand Prix and winning the heavyweight title, it was necessary for the promotion to begin searching for future opponents for the American. Therefore, two fights between the star representatives of this weight category were appointed at once, which were supposed to narrow the circle of possible candidates for the honorary title. It is noteworthy that in both of them Russian athletes were represented. One of them was Sergey Kharitonov, the battle with whose participation he headed the Bellator 215 tournament.
His rival was not easy. Matt Mitrion has already been remembered by the Russian fans for inflicting Fyodor Emelyanenko on his first defeat at Bellator. The athletes met each other in June 2017, and the bout itself lasted only 74 seconds. Already in the opening bout, the fighters synchronously hit each other in honor and were on the floor, but the American recovered much faster and struck a smashing blow to the Russian who was rising to his feet.
It is no secret that many experts and fans compared the fight between Kharitonov and Mitrion with his previous fight with Emelianenko. They expected from Sergey not just success, but revenge for their illustrious compatriot. However, the Russian fighter himself on the eve of the clash confessed that he did not take this into account.
“I didn't think about anything at all. I was told - I agreed. It was not even an offer, I was just put before the fact. The rival was appointed, I began training, ”Sport-Express quotes Kharitonov.
But as it turned out, the fight between Kharitonov and Mitrion was destined to become even shorter than the battle between the American and Emelianenko. The fighters steadily began to fight and were not going to force the course of events. However, their very first collision in the center of the octagon drew a line to the confrontation.
Matt tried to break through the internal low-kick (kicked on the inner surface of the opponent's thigh), but missed a little and hit Sergei exactly in the groin.
The Russian fell on the floor, all kind of showing that the hit turned out extremely painful and unpleasant.
It is worth noting that for mixed martial arts such moments are not uncommon. Opponents very often fall into the groin of the opponent in the performance of the internal low-kicks and knees while working in the clinch. Suffice it to recall the duel between Joseph Benavides and Henry Sehudo. During the starting minutes, the future champion of the UFC in the lightest weight twice hit his opponent between the legs, for which he was fined one point. By the way, then the pain did not prevent Benavides not only to continue the fight, but also to win a judicial decision.
According to the rules of MMA, after such hits, an athlete is given five minutes to recover. But by the appearance of Kharitonov it was clear that he could hardly continue the fight. For several minutes, the Russians observed the condition of both members of his team and referee Leon Roberts, who eventually decided to stop the bout. Sergey could not come to his senses and was forced to leave the cell on a stretcher.
Only the official result of the fight remained in question. In the event that Mitrion’s actions were qualified as deliberate, Kharitonov could have given the victory. But in this episode to talk about it was not necessary. Matt clearly did not plan to injure his opponent, which Roberts explained to him.
“No, I did not see any malicious intent. It was unintentional. The fight was declared invalid, ”the referee said.
By the way, Mitrion himself also looked upset and hurried to turn to his rival, as well as to the fans gathered at the Mohigan Sun arena in the American Uncasville.
“Of course, I did not want anything like that. I apologize to Sergey and all the fans. I feel terrible, ”said Mithrion after the end of the fight.
As it became known, the damage to Kharitonov turned out to be so serious that he had to be taken to the nearest hospital. This was told by his trainer Ruslan Krivusha.
“Sergey can not straighten the left leg, the pain immediately begins. The blow came in an unfortunate place of the bandage, so it was dangerous. Kharitonov could not even say anything in the octagon, ”the TASS athlete mentor quotes.
Later Kharitonov himself commented on the incident. He admitted that he regretted such an outcome of the fight and expressed confidence that Mithrion did not want to hurt him.
“I am disappointed because I have been waiting for this fight for a very long time. But, unfortunately, everything turned out that way. I think this is 100% random. Mitrion wanted to conduct an internal low-kick, but he is a clumsy fighter, therefore he did not hit, ”the Russian fighter said.
It is worth noting that Kharitonov is not the first fighter who had to go to the hospital after such a hit. A similar case occurred in South Korea in 2017. In a duel with Hun-Man Myun, Aorigele suffered a similar injury. The blow was so strong that the fighter nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda" could not only continue to fight, but was forced to seek medical help.