Sergei Kharitonov was on the wrong end of a Matt Mitrione groin kick last night (Fri., Feb. 15, 2019) at Bellator 215 in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the heavyweight veteran is still feeling it.
After seeing his main event with “Meathead” last just 15 seconds and end in a no contest following the accidental illegal blow, Kharitonov was stretchered out of the cage and brought to a nearby Connecticut hospital, per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
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.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 16, 2019
It makes sense considering the amount of pain that Kharitonov was visibly in after Mitrione slammed a planned leg kick into his groin.
While Kharitonov was eventually discharged from the hospital, he was re-admitted after experiencing elevated levels of pain and discomfort. After further tests, doctors discovered that the Russian heavyweight had suffered a hemorrhoid as a result of the Mitrione kick, per Helwani.
After another round of tests, the doctors determined he did not suffer from any interal bleeding. According to Bellator sources, he does have a hemorrhoid as a result of the kick and has been given topical and pain medication by doctors. He was discharged again moments ago.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 16, 2019
Kharitonov has since been discharged from the hospital for a second time and given topical and pain medication to treat the hemorrhoid. Doctors did not find anything else wrong with the 38-year-old fighter.
I guess it really was the “Groin Shot Heard Around The World.”
Mitrione has since apologized to Kharitonov for inadvertently striking him below the belt, but that’s not going to do much to fix what’s currently wrong with the heavyweight veteran. Fight fans know Mitrione isn’t a dirty fighter, it just happened to play out the way it did.
“I cannot begin to explain how sorry I am for everybody that paid to come to the fight to watch that fight between Sergei and I,” said Mitrione at the post-fight press conference. “It would’ve been really dope – it would’ve been a great fight. Obviously, it was not intentional – the worst possible situation.
“… Sergei: I’m genuinely sorry. I’m apologetic as I could possibly be.”
As long as Kharitonov gets well and does what he needs to do to rebound from this hellacious low blow, odds are Bellator officials will re-book the heavyweight matchup as soon as possible.
For complete Bellator 215 results and coverage click here.