SATURDAY NEWS DIGEST 2/16: Sergei Kharitonov update, three fighters miss weight for UFC Phoenix

By Cole Henry, mmatorch Contributor

February 16, 2019

Mitrione Kharitonov — Matt Mitrione vs. Sergei Kharitonov, Bellator.com

Sergei Kharitonov update:

If you watched Bellator last night then you saw the main event end in rather disastrous fashion… Matt Mitrione kicked Sergei Kharitonov in the groin, and that led to the fight being stopped just fifteen seconds into the first round. The fight was called a No Contest, but it didn’t end there for Kharitonov who was in obvious pain several minutes after the fight was called. He was eventually brought to a hospital for further evaluation and ESPN has since released an update…

“Sergei Kharitonov was discharged from a local Connecticut hospital last night after getting kicked in the groin by Matt Mitrione, which resulted in a no contest”, sources told ESPN, “However, he experienced more pain and discomfort this morning and was re-admitted to the hospital.” (As reported by Ariel Helwani)

Kharitonov was released this afternoon after being diagnosed with a hemorrhoid and given topical cream and pain relievers. His opponent Matt Mitrione has called for a rematch and with this seemingly being a minor injury it seems possible that his wish could come to fruition.

Three fighters miss weight for UFC on ESPN 1:

Jessica Penne, Renen Barao, and Manny Bermudez will likely be hoping to have a better performance in the cage tomorrow than they did today on the scales. All three fighters missed weight, which is never good, but it’s an even bigger issues for fighters like Barao and Penne who have struggled as of late to find success. Penne is a former Atomweight Champion in Invicta and has called for the UFC to add that division, so missing weight here is not a good look for her, especially considering her three straight losses.

James Vick adds his two cents to the UFC 229 debacle:

James Vick can be counted among the fighters who have shared an opinion on the post main event antics at UFC 229. When asked what he thought about Khabib’s post fight antics, this is what he had to say…

“I mean, he talked about the dude’s family, his father. I mean, of course some people can’t just turn that off after the fight. So, you’ve got to understand the individual you’re dealing with. Sometimes people are going to do what they do and go crazy like that.” (Via MMAFighting)

Vick also went on to state that he didn’t think that Nurmagomedov should have been punished due to the fact that nobody was injured from the incident and that he respected him for standing up for his team mates.