Sergei Kharitonov Had to Build Himself Back Up After Illness That Knocked Him Out of Bellator 154

Sergei Kharitonov spoke with MMAjunkie ahead of his fight with Javy Ayala at Bellator 163. Some highlights are below:

On the virus that forced him out of his fight at Bellator 154: “It took me two months to fully recover. Even in those two months, I experienced weakness, and I didn’t have the desire to train. I was in bed all the time…I had a 104-degree temperature. It was very frustrating because it was out of my control, and I couldn’t do anything. We tried different medications. Nothing helped.”

On coming back from that: “I actually got out of shape. When I returned to training, it wasn’t like the usual training camp, because usually I try to evolve. This time, I had to build up my strength to get back in shape. That was the biggest difference.”

On his current health: “I feel great, and I’m really happy. I’m happy about how I feel. I’m happy how the training camp went, and I’m looking forward to this fight. I’m going to try and make (my Bellator debut) as successful as possible, and I’m going to go from there.”