HONOLULU – The Bellator 235 main event fight between [autotag]Josh Barnett[/autotag] and [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] has been scrapped, just hours before it was to take place.
Barnett (35-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Markes (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) were set to meet in a heavyweight fight that was to be each of their promotional debuts. But an undisclosed illness to Barnett kept him from being cleared by medical staff after he arrived at the venue in Honolulu.
Multiple persons with knowledge of the decision informed MMA Junkie of the decision to pull the fight.
Bellator later released a statement from president Scott Coker on Twitter that read:
“On the advice of the Hawaii State Boxing Commission, tonight’s main event bout between Josh Barnett and Ronny Markes has been cancelled. Barnett has not been cleared tonight due to severe illness. Toby Misech vs. Erik Perez is the new #BellatorUSO main event.”
Barnett showed no signs of any health issues during a Wednesday open workout session. With training partner Erik Hammer, he launched an impromptu pro wrestling match that included throwing Hammer off the stage, the two throwing each other into ice coolers on the Great Lawn of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, and the always classic folding chair.
At Thursday’s official weigh-ins for the event, Barnett came in at 251.6 pounds.
Barnett was set to return from the longest layoff of his career. He hadn’t been in an MMA fight since a September 2016 win over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, a third-round submission that won him a double bonus.
He was notified of a potential drug test by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in December 2016, but was given a mere reprimand in March 2018 due to a contaminated supplement. The UFC allowed him to be released from his contract in June 2018, and he signed with Bellator earlier this year.
But now his highly anticipated debut with the promotion, which was set to headline the “Salute the Troops” show in Honolulu, is on hold.
Stay tuned to MMA Junkie for more on the story as it develops.
Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”) takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.