Bellator 215: Matt Mitrione is not ‘too worried’ about his main event bout

Matt Mitrione is looking to recover from his defeat at Bellator 207 and has to get through tough veteran, Sergei Kharitonov on Friday to do so.

This is a busy weekend in combat sports with two Bellator cards and a UFC event to cap things off on Sunday. Matt Mitrione and Sergei Kharitonov are set to kick things off as they main event Bellator 215 on Friday. Mitrione is looking to rebound after his defeat to Ryan Bader during the Heavyweight Grand Prix and picking up a win on Friday will go a long way in keeping him in the title picture.

“It’s going to be tough. It’s a tough fight,” Mitrione said as he spoke to media on Wednesday of fight week. “I see myself winning and it’s going to be an experience; it’s going to be a great fight.”

Mitrione last competed at Bellator 207 where he was defeated by Bader via unanimous decision. That halt stopped his four-fight winning streak that included victories over Roy Nelson, Fedor Emelianenko, Oli Thompson and Carl Seumanutafa. That was his best run since the five-fight win streak that he enjoyed when he first kicked off his MMA career in the UFC back in 2009. Even coming off that defeat, Mitrione doesn’t seem to be pressed about holding onto a high place in the heavyweight division.

“I see myself fighting a Russian guy this weekend,” Mitrione joked. “It will all shake its way out, I’m not too worried about it.”

At 38-years of age, Kharitonov is one of the most feared punchers in Bellator. His 28-6 professional record includes 16 knockouts, but do not overlook his submission abilities as 10 of his wins come via tap out. He is riding a five-fight six-fight unbeaten streak. His resume includes wins over Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, and Fabricio Werdum.

Bellator 215 will come from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. Along with the main event bout between Mitrione and Kharitonov, scheduled fights include rising prospect Logan Storley, and former champion, Eduardo Dantas.