Sergei Kharitonov: “I’m the only Russian fighter who defeated Fabricio Werdum

Sergei, how bad did you want this rematch?

SK: “The rematch with Kenny Garner is extremely important fight for me. This fight will be held in Kazakhstan where many of my fans will come to support me. Our last fight in China didn’t go as I planned. Kenny is a dangerous fighter, though he is at an advanced age already. I did a lot to prepare myself for this fight and I hope to show a spectacular fight on July 3.”

What went wrong at your last fight with “Deuce”?

SK: “Well, Kenny showed a really impressive ground game and had almost succeeded in holding me in parter. He even tried to make a submission on me. That was a total surprise. In addition, I didn’t have a full complete training camp for that fight as I had been preparing for the championship. But I promised M-1 Global to fight him no matter what and I did.”

What mistakes did you make in your 1st fight with Garner?

SK: The only one: I didn’t prepare well for that fight. I’d spent too much time to prepare for my kickboxing fight and was extremely exhausted. That was a risk but I gave my word to Vadim Finkelchtein (M-1 Global president) and M-1 to fight. So, I didn’t have a choice. Now it will all be different as I’ve just completed training camp and I’m ready.”

What edge do you have over Garner?

SK: “My stand-up game is, for sure, a significant competitive edge. I used to fight in kickboxing a lot, so I’m confident in my striking. He, on the other hand, has a benefit in parter (ground game) and .”

Tell us about your training camp in Thailand?

SK: “I was training there with and other fighters from Europe and . In addition, I visited my coach in . The major part of my work was dedicated to conditioning and parter game.”

Was your training with Alistair Overeem useful for you?

SK: “That’s for sure. Overeen is a Top-10 best in the World. So, I think training with him was good for me and that it will show in my fight with Kenny.”

Would you like to fight for the M-1 Global heavyweight title belt with ?

SK: “I’d like that for sure! I don’t turn down any fight. I’m still the only Russian fighter who defeated current UFC champ Fabricio Werdum. And I have a lot of wins over noticeable fighters such as Nogueira, Overeem, Arlovski, and Rua. They are elite MMA fighters, they are champions. I’ve never turned down any fight. If M-1 offers me a fight with Marcin Tybura. I will accept that fight immediately. I would accept it right now.”

Are you thinking about calling it a career these days?

SK: “Not at all. I’m young and I think that my fighting career is only at its beginning. I’m ready for big fights!”

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M-1 Challenge 59 will be streamed live from Kazakhstan in high definition on www.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets.

Fight Network will air M-1 Challenge 59 live on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., as well as nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Information: www.mixfight.ru www.wmmaa.org www.M1Global.tv

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/M-1-Global/145250878842244 ABOUT M-1 GLOBAL: Founded in 1997, M-1 Global has established itself in Mixed (MMA) as the premier entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With its office in St Petersburg, , the M-1 brand has staged more than 160 events worldwide, including M-1 Selection, M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global and M-1 Global HWGP events, in addition to co-promoting Strikeforce events and M-1 Global on the U.S. network, Showtime. Captivating live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 Global events have featured some of the sport’s top names, including legendary heavyweight , , , Alistair Overeem, , , , , Aleksander Emelianenko, Roman Zentsov, Yushin Okami, , , Martin Kampmann, Amar Suloev, Chalid Arrab and Stephan Struve. 2015 promises to be another sensational year of world-class competition with a full calendar of Challenge events fueled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global Champions among the greatest fighters in the sport.

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