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Fresh off a 53-second knockout win over Bubba Jenkins during the main card of Bellator 160 in August 2016, Georgi Karakhanyan (25-6-1) has signed a multi-year, multi-fight deal with the promotion, according to sources close to the situation.



The former World Series of Fighting featherweight champion has gone 2-2 in his Bellator run since joining the organization in January of 2015, with both wins coming against the aforementioned Jenkins.

Coming into his last fight with Jenkins, Karakhanyan felt significant pressure with back-to-back losses and needed a big performance. Now back to his winning ways, the 31-year-old fighter feels the best is yet to come now that he's injury free.



"I'm in my prime as long as I think I'm in my prime," Karakhanyan said. "I think age doesn't matter. The last year and a half, I've been dealing with some serious injuries. I haven't taken any crazy beatings, and I haven't been knocked unconscious and stuff like that, but I feel like I'm in my prime. It's all in your head, man."



With Bellator hosting a mix of MMA and kickboxing cards, tentpole events, and shows in Europe this year, Karakhanyan is a fan of everything President Scott Coker has done since gaining control.



"Scott is a great boss to have, and he's doing a lot of big things," Karakhanyan said. "I was dealing with some injuries last year, and he took care of me. It's good to have someone who's educated about the sport, and he knows about fighters, and he's doing all these crazy shows, like kickboxing and MMA together.



"I'm originally from Russia, so my Russian fan base is really, really big. If they have any shows in Europe, I'm always open."



So what's next? Perhaps, Karakhanyan hopes, a showdown with SBG Ireland's hottest new talent, James Gallagher, comes to fruition.



"I know there was a kid who was opening his mouth called James Gallagher, the wannabe Conor McGregor, and I heard him call me out," said Karakhanyan. "This kid has like four or five professional fights, so maybe if he gets his record up there, I'd like to go to Ireland or anywhere in England and go beat him up there."



Karakhanyan also said it would take a big pay check for that to happen.



"If I was him, I'd keep fighting the opponents like the one he fought in London," Karakhanyan said. "I mean it's good to be around people like Conor and get all hyped up. The good thing about MMA is once you step inside that cage, all that hype, all that talking, all that sh*t goes out the window, and you're going to face someone who's going to try and murder you. You got to have that cocky mindset, but you have to keep it real. So if he wants to fight me, I'm always down, but I want to get paid."



​​By Chamatkar Sandhu

