Getty Matt Mitrione will meet Sergei Kharitonov in the main event at Bellator 215.
A heavyweight battle between Matt Mitrione and Sergei Kharitonov will headline Bellator 215 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Friday night.
In the United States, the prelims start at 6:30 p.m. ET and won’t be televised, while the main card starts at 9 p.m. ET and will be televised on the Paramount Network. But if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of Mitrione vs Kharitonov and every Bellator 215 fight via one of the following streaming services:
How to Watch Bellator 215 Online
Note: In addition to having all of Bellator 215, DAZN will be the only way to watch MVP vs Daley and Bellator 216 on Saturday night, so this is the recommended option for a weekend of fights
For viewers in the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Brazil and Japan, you can watch every Bellator 215 fight–both the prelims and main card–live on DAZN.
You can start a free one-month trial of DAZN right here, and you can then watch the fights live on your computer via DAZN.com, or on your phone, tablet, smart TV, Roku, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the DAZN app.
Note: You can watch Bellator 215 this way, but PhiloTV won’t have Bellator 216 on Saturday night
If you just want to watch the main card fights, Paramount Network is one of 44 channels included in Philo’s main bundle, which is the cheapest among all OTT streaming services if you plan on keeping it long-term.
You can start a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch the Bellator 215 main card live on your computer via the Philo website, or on your phone (iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, or or other supported device via the Philo app.
If you can’t watch live, Philo also allows you to DVR programs and watch them up to 30 days later. And even if you forget to DVR something, Philo also comes with a 72-hour rewind feature, which allows you to replay any event that has aired in the last three days.
Note: You can watch Bellator 215 this way, but Sling TV won’t have Bellator 216 on Saturday night
Paramount is included in the “Comedy Extra” add-on, which can be added to either the “Sling Orange” or “Sling Blue” channel packages.
You can start a free 7-day trial of both bundles right here, and you can then watch the Bellator 215 main card on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
Bellator 215 Preview
Austin Vanderford and Cody Jones will open the main card with a 175-pound catchweight bout. Each fighter is making their Bellator debut.
Jones, 26, is 6-2 in his career. Vanderford, the husband of UFC strawweight Paige VanZant, is 6-0.
In July, the 28-year-old bested Angelo Trevino via rear naked choke in the second round of a Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series bout, but he wasn’t offered a UFC contract.
Vanderford followed that victory up by punching his way to a 98-second knockout win over Edmilson Freitas.
“I had my fight with the Contender Series and I felt like I had a good performance and did what they said they were looking for in terms of having an exciting fight and getting a finish,” Vanderford said, according to MMAjunkie. “Things happened and I didn’t get the contract. But I feel like everything happens for a reason, and it set me up. I did get that taste, but now I’m here and I love where I’m at. I got the opportunity to come to Bellator, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
The night will end with a heavyweight bout between 40-year-old Matt Mitrione (13-6 in his career) and 38-year-old Sergei Kharitonov (28-6).
“It will be a very exciting fight,” Kharitonov told MMAjunkie. The Russian called his opponent “one of the top fighters in Bellator,” but added Mitrione’s “weak side is wrestling.”
Mitrione would probably agree with that assessment. In his last bout, he was outmatched by Ryan Bader — now the division’s champion — on the mat at Bellator 207, ending Mitrione’s four-fight winning streak.
“I obviously got f—ed up there, lost this one,” a bruised-up Mitrione said in an Instagram video after the defeat. “I felt like in the middle of it I thought to myself, ‘It’s the perfect time for a Snickers commercial,’ because I wasn’t going anywhere for 15 minutes. That motherf—er just rode me like a pony, man. He’s a great wrestler. I’m not. He took advantage of it and did a great job.
“Great job, Bader. You whooped my ass. I didn’t quit. I didn’t look very good, but I never gave up, so I can still go home to my babies with my head held high.
“I didn’t break my nose. Got a little bit of a black eye and some mat burn on my forehead from trying to turn from getting smoked. But s— happens, man. Oh well. Thanks for supporting me. I’m sorry. I’m just not a great wrestler. It’s the way s— works.”