Bellator 163’s Sergei Kharitonov was nearly bedridden for 2 months after canceled debut

Bellator heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov can’t remember the name of the virus that forced him to withdraw from his promotional debut. But he’ll never forget what it did to him.

“It took me two months to fully recover,” Kharitonov (23-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who tonight meets Javy Ayala (9-5 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) tonight at Bellator 163, told MMAjunkie via a translator. “Even in those two months, I experienced weakness, and I didn’t have the desire to train. I was in bed all the time.”

The 36-year-old Russian thinks he might have gotten the virus while training in the U.S. to fight Josh Appelt at Bellator 154. A couple of boxers he worked with also fell ill and spent several months in recovery.

Whatever the cause, it floored him like nothing he’d ever experienced before in his career. He wanted to fight Appelt, but his team – and a doctor – ruled that out, forcing the cancellation of the May event’s co-headliner.

“I had a 104-degree temperature,” Kharitonov said. “It was very frustrating because it was out of my control, and I couldn’t do anything. We tried different medications. Nothing helped.”

Bellator had signed the veteran heavyweight in February, reuniting him with company president Scott Coker, who promoted him in the now-defunct Strikeforce.

Kharitonov had his eye on making a big splash in the heavyweight division, but instead was forced to sit on the sidelines.

When he finally recovered, he had another hurdle to overcome: getting back in shape. For a fighter accustomed to a life in the gym, that might have been an even bigger shock.

“I actually got out of shape,” Kharitonov said. “When I returned to training, it wasn’t like the usual training camp, because usually I try to evolve. This time, I had to build up my strength to get back in shape. That was the biggest difference.”

Eventually, though, he was able to get his conditioning back and start preparation for Bellator 163, where he faces Ayala on the Spike-televised main card at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

The experience has made Kharitonov appreciate being in good health.

“I feel great, and I’m really happy,” he said. “I’m happy about how I feel. I’m happy how the training camp went, and I’m looking forward to this fight.

“I’m going to try and make (my Bellator debut) as successful as possible, and I’m going to go from there.”

For more on Bellator 163, check out the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.