Bellator: Salute the Troops – Page 2

Bellator 235 live and official results (8:45 p.m. ET)

“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019” takes place Friday. Join us for a live video stream and official results at 8:45 p.m. ET.

Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”) takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 8:45 p.m. ET (5:45 p.m. PT).

The event takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the main event, Josh Barnett (35-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Ronny Markes (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) make their Bellator debuts in a heavyweight clash. In the co-feature, Hawaii’s Toby Misech (11-7 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) takes on Erik Perez (19-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

Official Bellator 235 results include:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN 10 p.m. ET)

Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes
Toby Misech vs. Erik Perez
Veta Arteaga vs. Alejandra Lara
Braydon Akeo vs. Tywan Claxton
Chris Cisneros vs. Joey Davis

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 8:45 p.m. ET)

Brysen Bolohao vs. Hunter Ewald
Joseph Creer vs. Ty Gwerder
Cass Bell vs. Pierre Daguzan

Joey Davis in no hurry to make big callouts after Bellator 235

Joey Davis has taken on increasingly experienced competition his past couple fights, and that trend continues this week.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Joey Davis[/autotag] has taken on increasingly experienced competition his past couple fights, and that trend continues this week.

Davis (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) meets his most veteran opponent yet Friday when he meets Chris Cisneros (19-10 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) in a welterweight fight at Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”), which takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Davis is a perfect 6-0, but Cisneros has been around the block a bit and will be fighting for the 30th time as a pro. Davis, who trains with unbeaten Bellator featherweight standout A.J. McKee in California, isn’t worried about that experience level. And he’s also not stressing out about how quickly he rises up the ladder.

To hear from Davis about Friday’s fight, check out the full interview above.

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Toby Misech welcomes yet another stiff test in UFC vet Erik Perez at Bellator 235

After going 15 minutes against a former champion earlier this year, Toby Misech isn’t getting any kind of a break from Bellator.

HONOLULU – After going 15 minutes against a former champion earlier this year, [autotag]Toby Misech[/autotag] isn’t getting any kind of a break from Bellator.

Misech (11-7 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) on Friday takes on Erik Perez (19-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a bantamweight bout at Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”), which takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Perez went 7-2 during a lengthy run in the UFC, and most recently has back-to-back stoppage wins under the Combate Americas banner. So after Misech dropped a decision to ex-champ Eduardo Dantas in February, he gets thrown right back into the deep end against Perez.

To hear from Misech, a Hawaiian fighting in front of his home fans, about Friday’s fight, check out the full interview above.

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Bellator 235 ceremonial weigh-in highlights: Barnett, Markes gear up for heavyweight showdown

Check out the ceremonial weigh-in highlights for Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”) in Honolulu.

HONOLULU – The weigh-ins are in the books for the first of Bellator’s back-to-back shows in Hawaii.

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.

In the main event, Josh Barnett (35-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his Bellator debut against fellow heavyweight Ronny Markes (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who also is fighting for the first time with the promotion. In the co-main event, nine-fight UFC veteran Erik Perez (19-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his promotional debut against Hawaiian fighter Toby Misech (11-7 MMA, 2-2 BMMA).

Thursday, the fighters made weight at the official weigh-ins in the morning, then got face to face at the ceremonial weigh-ins at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu. Check out the highlights from the main card in the video above.

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

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

(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.

5 burning questions ahead of ‘Bellator: Salute The Troops 2019’

We look ahead at five key storylines to follow as Bellator kicks off its double-header of events in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Bellator cage lands in Hawaii this weekend for a double-header of MMA action, with the first of the two events set to pay tribute to the servicemen and women in Honolulu at “Bellator and USO Present: Salute The Troops 2019,” which takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center. The night’s main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN.

The card features the return of a heavyweight legend, a pair of women’s flyweight contenders looking to earn a second title shot and two former wrestling standouts seeking to push themselves towards the top.

Here are our five burning questions ahead of Friday night’s event in Hawaii:

Can the returning Josh Barnett surge into title contention?

It’s been more than three years since we saw [autotag]Josh Barnett[/autotag] throwing down inside an MMA cage, but now, after a battle with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and a change of promotion, “The Warmaster” is back and ready to launch his assault on the Bellator heavyweight division.

Barnett (35-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) headlines Friday night’s card in Hawaii against Brazilian [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag], who has moved up from 205 pounds to heavyweight to take on the former UFC heavyweight champion at Salute the Troops.

With Bellator’s heavyweight division looking wide open right now, Barnett sees an opportunity to make an impact on his return as he bids to gatecrash the title picture and make a beeline for reigning champion Ryan Bader.

And with a record that includes nine finishes from his last 10 outings, Markes (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will need to be on his guard against a man with a chip on his shoulder and a title in his sights.

“I don’t view it as going after the title,” Barnett said. “I’m already ready for a title shot. I’m already deserving of a title shot. What I’m relishing is having the opportunity to get in there and fight. Period. I go out, I fight, I win, I get what I want.”

Will “The Warmaster” get his wish on Friday night, or can Markes upset the veteran’s return with an underdog victory?

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Bellator 235 weigh-in results and live video stream (2 p.m. ET)

Check out the results from the official Bellator 235 fighter weigh-ins in Honolulu, featuring Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes.

HONOLULU – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Thursday’s early and official Bellator 235 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT, 9 a.m. local time).

The early weigh-ins take place the Bellator host hotel in Honolulu and precede the ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans, which take place at 4:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. local time) in the Tapa 1 Ballroom at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu.

Among those weighing in are Josh Barnett (35-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Ronny Markes (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), a pair of heavyweight veterans each making their promotional debuts in the main event.

The full Bellator 235 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN 10 p.m. ET)

Josh Barnett () vs. Ronny Markes ()
Toby Misech () vs. Erik Perez ()
Veta Arteaga () vs. Alejandra Lara ()
Braydon Akeo () vs. Tywan Claxton ()
Chris Cisneros () vs. Joey Davis ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 8:45 p.m. ET)

Cass Bell () vs. Pierre Daguzan ()
Joseph Creer () vs. Ty Gwerder ()
Brysen Bolohao () vs. Hunter Ewald ()

Video: Watch Thursday’s Bellator 235 ceremonial weigh-ins live on MMA Junkie at 4:30 p.m. ET

Check out a live video stream of the Bellator 235 ceremonial weigh-ins from Honolulu, featuring Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes.

HONOLULU – Bellator 235 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Thursday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMAjunkie at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT, 11:30 a.m. local time).

The weigh-ins take place in the Tapa 1 Ballroom at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu. 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.

In addition to the video stream above, you can check out the early and official Bellator 235 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.

Video: Chael Sonnen, Royce Gracie, Jake Hager among Bellator stars on USO Tour in Honolulu

For the second straight year, Bellator has touched down in Hawaii for a doubleheader weekend – including one exclusively for troops.

HONOLULU – For the second straight year, Bellator has touched down in Hawaii for a doubleheader weekend of events.

And once again, the promotion is front-ending the cards with a show exclusively for U.S. military troops stationed in Honolulu.

“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019” (Bellator 235) 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.

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Monday and Tuesday, Bellator fighters and personalities took part in a USO Tour to not only help entertain some of the troops at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, but to learn a little themselves about what their jobs are like.

The fighters and Bellator on-air talent members visited the missile destroyer ship USS William P. Lawrence for a tour and had lunch on board with sailors; attended an F-22 launch; took in the fire trucks and rescue equipment at Hickam Fire Department; and conducted a jiu-jitsu seminar.

Bellator fighters and talent members included Royce Gracie, Khonry Gracie, Chael Sonnen, John McCarthy, Jake Hager, Jay Glazer and Mike Goldberg.

Check out the video above to see them interacting with troops in Hawaii ahead of the Friday-Saturday events.

Off Guard: Ronny Markes happy to face legend Josh Barnett at Bellator Hawaii, but thinks now is his time

Ronny Markes is happy to get the opportunity to face a legend like Josh Barnett, but thinks now is his time.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] is excited to get the opportunity to face someone he grew up watching.

Markes (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will take on Josh Barnett (35-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in the Bellator “Salute the Troops” event on Dec. 20 at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

Both fighters will be making their promotional debuts. UFC and PFL veteran Markes said he is excited for the opportunity to take on an opponent like Barnett.

“I’m so happy to sign with Bellator and more happy because I have the opportunity to fight the legend – Josh Barnett is a legend in this sport,” Markes told MMA Junkie. “I’m so happy to fight him.”

Markes recalled watching one of Barnett’s fights live when he took on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at “PRIDE FC: Shockwave 2006” in Japan, defeating him by unanimous decision.

But while he respects Barnett and what he’s accomplished in the sport, he thinks it’s his time.

“I watched a lot of fights of Josh,” Markes said. “I watched live in the day, Josh fighting ‘Minotauro’ in 2006, and now I’m so happy. I’m so happy to fight the guy – he’s a legend in the sport. But now is my time.”

Their fight will be at heavyweight, so Markes will no longer be cutting to 205 pounds – the weight limit he missed in his most recent outing in the PFL, making him ineligible to collect season points despite picking up the win.

He then failed to make weight for his next scheduled bout against Dan Spohn at PFL 6, resulting in the cancellation of the fight, disqualifying and eliminating him from the playoffs.

Markes doesn’t have to worry about weight cuts anymore since he will be fighting Barnett as a heavyweight.

“I’m so excited for the show,” he said. “I’m so happy and I train very good for this fight. Now (I’m) more happy because I don’t need to cut weight. I think it’s better for me – more energy, and I can’t wait for Dec. 20.”