Heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Sergei Kharitonov square off in the main event of Bellator 265 taking place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD on Friday, August 20. MMA fans can watch the main card live on Showtime, starting at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT.
Also on the card featherweights No. 3 Adam Borics (17-1) and No. 4 Jay-Jay Wilson (8-0) meet for the right to face the winner of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix Final between Patricio “Pitbull” (32-4) and AJ McKee (17-0), which takes place on Saturday, July 31.
Among the preliminary card bouts No.5-ranked flyweight Alejandra Lara (9-4) goes up against DeAnna Bennett (10-7-1). The prelims air live stream on Bellator MMA and Showtime Sports channels on YouTube and Pluto TV, beginning at 6 pm ET / 3 pm PT.
Bellator 265 tickets
Bellator 265 tickets to witness all the action at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD o on sale Thursday at 10 am CT. Tickets can be purchased through Sanford Pentagon Box Office and Ticketmaster.
Holding an impressive MMA record of 30-11-2, 1 NC, No. 3-ranked Cheick 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. With high-profile victories over Vitaly Minakov, Mirko Cro Cop, Antoni Hardonk, and Matt Mitrione, the Parisian is keen to pad his current promotional records, set new ones, and earn his shot at Bellator gold.
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. Now, fresh off two championship victories on the regional circuit, Kharitonov returns to the Bellator cage with the intention of climbing the heavyweight rankings and asserting himself as a Bellator title contender.
28-year-old Hungarian Adam “The Kid” Borics has won 17 of 18 fights to begin his professional career, bouncing back from his only loss with three straight victories. Training out of South Florida’s Sanford MMA gym, Borics has firmly established himself as a true threat to anyone in the 145-pound division, where he is currently ranked third.
Undefeated in his first eight fights as a professional, New Zealand’s Wilson has won in style, accumulating six finishes in those eight wins. Following a split decision win against Tywan Claxton, Wilson scored a violent knockout of Sergio DeBari, then followed that victory up with an equally vicious spinning backfist stoppage over SBG’s Pedro Carvalho in April. The Kiwi fighter will be looking to secure a high-stakes victory over Borics with a world title shot awaiting the winner.
Other bouts featured on the Bellator 265 fight card are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Bellator 265 fight card
Main Card
- Cheick Kongo vs. Sergei Kharitonov
- Adam Borics vs. Jay-Jay Wilson
Preliminary Card
- Alejandra Lara vs. DeAnna Bennett
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