Matt Mitrione-Sergei Kharitonov Headlines Bellator 225 This August

Bellator will hold the first-ever MMA event at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. on Saturday, August 24 when Matt Mitrione (13-6, 1 NC) squares off against Sergei Kharitonov (28-6, 2 NC) in a heavyweight headliner.

Tickets for Bellator 225: Mitrione vs. Kharitonov 2 go on sale to the general public Friday, June 21 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets will be available in-person at the Click It or Ticket Box Office at Webster Bank Arena, as well as online at Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com.

The event will be broadcast live on Paramount Network and DAZN at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com, DAZN and globally on the Bellator Mobile App. Additional bouts will be announced in coming weeks.

Just six months after the pair of heavyweight sluggers first met, the rematch will take place just 75 miles south of Uncasville’s Mohegan Sun at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. The card will be overseen by the Connecticut Boxing Commission.

“Mohegan Sun, who has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Bellator, is pleased to present for the first time in Bridgeport, a world-class event of this caliber, and we look forward to hosting A-list entertainers in the coming months as well,” said Thomas Cantone, Sr. Corporate Vice President, Sports & Entertainment for Mohegan Sun.

Hailing from Indianapolis, Mitrione will once again lace up the gloves in a main event against Kharitonov after an inadvertent shot put an abrupt end to their first matchup at Bellator 215 this past February. The former Purdue University and New York Giant football standout is fresh off a strong run in Bellator’s Heavyweight World Grand Prix, where the knockout artist advanced all the way to the semifinal round after defeating Roy Nelson. With victories in four of his last five contests, including a highlight-reel first round knockout of Fedor Emelianenko, Mitrione will now focus on writing the second chapter of his story with Kharitonov.

Riding a seven-fight unbeaten streak, including four first-round finishes and three knockouts, “The Paratrooper” returns to the U.S. after an unfortunate end to the pair’s first meeting. Now, the Moscow-native will seek to add another name to his list of victories amassed in well-known promotions around the globe, such as Pride and Strikeforce, and against equally dominant fighters, including Roy Nelson, Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Alistair Overeem.