Sergei Kharitonov: UFC does not grant Russian fighters title shots
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Which is one of the reasons the fearsome striker hasn't signed a contract with the promotion.

By Adam Guillen Jr. Aug 22, 2015, 2:00pm EDT
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Esther Lin/Strikeforce
At 35 years old, Sergei Kharitonov isn't exactly a spring chicken.

Still, the Russian-born fighter could definitely bring some added depth to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight division had he chose to sign with promotion earlier this year.

But, according to Kharitonov, one of the reasons he passed on the promotion is because it doesn't seem to be in a hurry to crown its first-ever Russian champion. As he sees it, his fellow countrymen (cough, Khabib Nurmagomedov, cough) are fighting and winning with no championship fights in sight.

"To be honest, I just think that the UFC does not need a Russian champion. This conclusion I made a long time watching this promotion. Our guys are fighting, fighting, and do not get a title shot. But we are trying. Sooner or later," Sergei told MK (via Bloody Elbow).

Of course, Nurmagomedov has been sidelines for quite some time, so that could be a reason.

For Kharitonov, another reason for not inking a contract with the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion in the world is because he'll lose out on the freedom to fight as much as possible.

With no exclusive contract holding him back, Kharitonov can fight for as many promotions as he wants; just as he's done over the past two years.