Sergei Kharitonov no longer has the luxury of time.
On the periphery of contention in the Bellator MMA heavyweight division, the 41-year-old Pride Fighting Championships veteran will meet Cheick Kongo in the Bellator 265 headliner on Friday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Kharitonov owns a 3-2 record in the Scott Coker-led promotion, his wins over Chase Gormley, Roy Nelson and Matt Mitrione offset by losses to Javy Ayala and Linton Vassell.