With the subtraction of a planned lightweight contest between Josh Thomson and Michael Chandler due to Thomson suffering an injury, Bellator officials have placed former Strikeforce fighter Sergei Kharitonov on the upcoming Bellator 154 card.
Kharitonov will make his promotional debut May 14 from San Jose against Josh Appelt. The contest will air as part of the Spike TV main card, which features Phil Davis vs. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.
Kharitonov signed with Bellator earlier this year and is on a five-fight win streak. The Russian has bested the likes of UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, top contenders Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski, and Pedro Rizzo.
Appelt went 3-1 during a previous stint with Bellator, but has not competed since 2014 with the promotion. He did finish Roy Boughton earlier this year.
Also, Andre Fialho puts his perfect 6-0 record on the line against 7-1 Rick Reger that night from the SAP Center. Two more fights are set to be announced for the main card.
