M-1 Challenge 59 results: Sergei Kharitonov earns quick TKO in Kenny Garner rematch

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Although their first meeting was a grueling three-round affair, Sergei Kharitonov made quick work of former M-1 heavyweight champion Kenny Garner on Friday evening in Astana, Kazakhstan to close out the event in vicious fashion.

The PRIDE and Strikeforce veteran extended his win streak to 5-0 with a quick TKO win over Garner to earn a definitive win to add to his last win in Beijing. Kharitonov has not lost a fight since his submission loss to Josh Barnett in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament and made it clear that he has no interest in retirement. In fact, he added that he is looking forward to challenging for the heavyweight title in the near future.

“I don’t turn down any fight,” Kharitonov told M-1 Global. “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.”

WMMAA champion Shavkat Rakhmonov earned his third straight when he defeated Poland’s Michal Wiencek by first round submission. The Kazakhstan native moved to 3-0 in his professional career.Results:

Main Card
Sergei Kharitonov def. Kenny Garner via TKO (Strikes, Round 1, 4:11)
Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Michal Wiencek via Submission (Guillotine Choke, Round 1, 0:49)
Luigi Fioravanti def. Sergey Kovalev via Submission (Rear-naked choke, Round 2, 1:56)
Sergei Morozov def. Andy Young via TKO (Spinning backfist, Round 2, 3:50)
Zaur Hadjibabaev def. David Trallero via TKO (Submission via Punches, Round 1, 4:37)

Prelims
Rashid Dagaev def. Daniel Rabera via unanimous decision
Nodar Kuuhashvili def. Aleksander Boiko via unanimous decision
Damir Ismagulov def. Pedro Eugenio Granjo via TKO (Strikes, Round 1, 2:53)
Batraz Agnaev def. Anton Pazenko via TKO (Strikes, Round 1, 3:00)
Artem Frolov def. Inzhel Erkimbek via Submission (Triangle Choke, Round 1, 1:15

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.