Bellator 235/Salute the Troops 2019 predictions: Barnett or Markes in their debuts?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the main card at Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”) in Hawaii.

Barnett
vs.
Markes
Misech
vs.
Perez
Arteaga
vs.
Lara
Akeo
vs.
Claxton
Cisneros
vs.
Davis
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2019: 210-125 (63%)
barnett2019
Barnett
(83%)
perez2019
Perez
(90%)
lara2019
Lara
(56%)
claxton2019
Claxton
(83%)
davis2019
Davis
(85%)
Simon Head
@simonhead
2019: 127-66 (66%)
barnett2019
Barnett
perez2019
Perez
lara2019
Lara
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2019: 121-67 (64%)
barnett2019
Barnett
perez2019
Perez
lara2019
Lara
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2019: 215-120 (64%)
barnett2019
Barnett
perez2019
Perez
arteaga2019-2
Arteaga
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2019: 214-121 (64%)
markes2019
Markes
perez2019
Perez
arteaga2019-2
Arteaga
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2019: 214-121 (64%)
trophy copy 2017 Champion
barnett2019
Barnett
perez2019
Perez
lara2019
Lara
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2019: 212-123 (63%)
barnett2019
Barnett
perez2019
Perez
lara2019
Lara
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2019: 210-125 (63%)
barnett2019
Barnett
perez2019
Perez
arteaga2019-2
Arteaga
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2019: 207-128 (62%)
trophy copy 2014 Champion
barnett2019
Barnett
perez2019
Perez
lara2019
Lara
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2019: 206-129 (61%)
barnett2019
Barnett
perez2019
Perez
lara2019
Lara
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2019: 110-72 (60%)
barnett2019
Barnett
perez2019
Perez
lara2019
Lara
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2019: 201-134 (60%)
barnett2019
Barnett
perez2019
Perez
lara2019
Lara
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
Dave Doyle
@davedoylemma
2019: 137-106 (56%)
markes2019
Markes
perez2019
Perez
lara2019
Lara
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2019: 175-160 (52%)
markes2019
Markes
perez2019
Perez
lara2019
Lara
claxton2019
Claxton
davis2019
Davis

Bellator is back in Hawaii for a doubleheader weekend for the second straight December.

Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”) takes place Friday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie. Saturday, Bellator 236 takes place at the same venue.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

The main event features a pair of promotional debuts from veteran fighters. [autotag]Josh Barnett[/autotag] (35-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in the headliner. Barnett most recently fought in the UFC; Markes makes the move over from the PFL. Barnett is more than a 2-1 favorite at the sports books, and our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers seem to concur. They have Barnett with a big 10-3 lead in our picks.

The co-main event is one of three unanimous picks from our staff members on the main card. [autotag]Erik Perez[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his Bellator debut after nine fights in the UFC and a pair for Combate Americas. He’s more than a 2-1 favorite and is the pick from all 13 of our staff members in his bantamweight fight against [autotag]Toby Misech[/autotag] (11-7 MMA, 2-2 BMMA).

[autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) is a unanimous pick, as well, in his featherweight fight against local product [autotag]Braydon Akeo[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Claxton is more than a 4-1 favorite from the oddsmakers.

The biggest favorite on the card is [autotag]Joey Davis[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) at upwards of 10-1 in his welterweight bout with [autotag]Chris Cisneros[/autotag] (19-10 MMA, 0-2 BMMA). Davis, like Perez and Claxton, is a 13-0 pick from our staff members.

The women’s flyweight bout in the middle of the main card is fairly lopsided in our picks, as well. Although [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) is just a slight favorite at -125 against [autotag]Veta Arteaga[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA), she has a 10-3 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Barnett (83%), Perez (90 percent), Lara (56 percent), Claxton (83 percent) and Davis (85 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.