Bellator 265 To Feature Cheick Kongo-Sergei Kharitonov

Heavyweights will headline the upcoming Bellator 265 event as Cheick Kongo meets Sergei Kharitonov.

Set for August 20 from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the main card will air live on Showtime. 

The card will also feature a No. 1 contender match in the featherweight division between Adam Borics and Jay-Jay Wilson. That winner will face either Patricio “Pitbull” or AJ McKee, who meet next Saturday night.

Holding an impressive MMA record of 30-11-2, 1 NC, No. 3-ranked Kongo returns to action for the first time since headlining the first-ever major MMA event in his native France last October. The former kickboxer remains a force to be reckoned with and holds records for the most fights (16) and wins (12) in Bellator heavyweight history. 

The man nicknamed “The Paratrooper,” Kharitonov is the owner of an equally notable MMA resume, with the Russian scoring vicious wins against some of the sport’s marquee names, such as Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, Pedro Rizzo, Murilo “Ninja” Rua, Matt Mitrione, and Alistair Overeem.

BELLATOR MMA 265: Kongo vs. Kharitonov Main Card:

SHOWTIME

Friday, August 20 – 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT 

Heavyweight Main Event: #3-Cheick Kongo (30-11-2) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (32-8)

Featherweight No. 1 Contender’s Bout: #3-Adam Borics (17-1) vs. #4-Jay-Jay Wilson (8-0) 

Preliminary Card: 

BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV

6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT

Flyweight Bout: #5-Alejandra Lara (9-4) vs. DeAnna Bennett (10-7-1)