Chris Cisneros – Syndication Server

Bellator 235 post-event facts: Unbeaten Joey Davis making his mark

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 235, which took place Friday in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The first half of Bellator’s weekend doubleheader in Hawaii went down Friday with Bellator 235, which took place at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, with a main card that aired on Paramount following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the makeshift main event, Hawaii’s own [autotag]Toby Misech[/autotag] (11-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) pulled off a stunning upset when he spoiled the promotional debut of UFC veteran [autotag]Erik Perez[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) with a brilliant first-round knockout.

For more on the numbers to come out of the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 13 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 235.

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General

Betting favorites went 3-1 on the main card.

Betting favorites fell to 12-8 (with two no contests and one draw)) in Bellator main events this year.

Total fight time for the four-bout main card was 34:49.

Main card

Misech has earned all of his career stoppage victories by knockout. That includes both of his Bellator wins.

Misech’s 54-second victory marked the fastest finish of his career.

Perez suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) earned her first decision victory since July 26, 2013 – a span of 2,338 days (more than six years) and nine fights.

[autotag]Veta Arteaga[/autotag] (5-4 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) has suffered three of her four career losses by decision.

[autotag]Joey Davis[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) improved to 5-0 since he dropped to the Bellator welterweight division in January 2018.

Davis’ five-fight Bellator winning streak at welterweight is tied with Logan Storley for the longest active streak in the division.

Davis has earned all five of his career stoppage victories by knockout.

[autotag]Chris Cisneros[/autotag] (17-10 MMA, 0-3 BMMA) extended his career long skid to four fights. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2017.

Cisneros has suffered all three of his Bellator losses by stoppage.

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Bellator 235 results: Joey Davis rolls over Chris Cisneros for first-round stoppage

Joey Davis wasted little time demonstrating why he was such a heavy favorite for his Bellator 235 fight.

[autotag]Joey Davis[/autotag] was as high as a -2000 favorite for his matchup with [autotag]Chris Cisneros [/autotag]on Friday.

And it didn’t take long for the Body Shop MMA product to demonstrate why. Davis (7-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) dominated from wire-to-wire as he earned the victory via TKO at 3:55 of the opening round.

Davis is a four-time NCAA Division II All-American wrestler, and he went to his bread-and-butter early, shooting for and easily achieving a takedown.

From there, it was simply a matter of time. Davis improved his position steadily, pushed Cisneros (19-11 MMA, 0-3 BMMA) against the cage, and started unleashing elbows. One of those elbows opened an absolutely nasty gash on Cisneros’ forehead which painted the canvas red.

Davis continued pouring on until referee Mike Beltran waved off the fight.

“I know that it was a mixed martial arts war and in a lot of my fights I am very diverse,” Davis said. “But I wanted to go back to the drawing board.”

It was the third straight victory via stoppage and fifth overall for Davis, who has spent his entire pro career under the Bellator banner. Cisneros had a two-fight win streak snapped.

The welterweight bout opened up the Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”) main card at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 235 results include:

Joey Davis def. Chris Cisneros via TKO (punches and elbows) — Round 1, 3:55
Hunter Ewald def. Brysen Bolohao via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:42
Joseph Creer def. Ty Gwerder via via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-26)
Cass Bell def. Pierre Daguzan via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

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.

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.

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 ‘Salute the Troops 2019’ pre-event facts: Josh Barnett returns from longest layoff

Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 235, which takes place Friday with a Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes main event.

The first half of Bellator’s weekend doubleheader in Hawaii takes place on Friday with Bellator 235, or “Salute the Troops 2019,” which takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu and airs on Paramount following prelims on MMA Junkie.

A heavyweight matchup between promotional newcomers is featured atop the card. Former UFC champion [autotag]Josh Barnett[/autotag] (35-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will return to action for the first time since 2016 when he meets [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the main card, check below for 20 pre-event facts about “Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019.”

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Main event

Barnett returns to competition for the first time since Sept. 3, 2016. The 1,204-day layoff is the longest of his nearly 23-year career.

Barnett competes outside the UFC for the first time since January 2013. He went 4-2 in his most recent stint with the company.

Barnett has earned nine of his past 10 victories by stoppage. He has finishes in 29 of his 35 career victories overall.

Barnett’s nine submission victories in UFC/PRIDE/Strikeforce/WEC heavyweight competition are second most in combined divisional history behind Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (13).

Barnett is 14-2 when he lands at least one takedown in fights dating back to 2004.

Barnett’s 146 significant strikes landed against Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night 75 are the second most in a single UFC heavyweight behind Junior Dos Santos’ 157 vs. Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 86.

Barnett’s 95 significant clinch strikes landed against Nelson stand as the UFC heavyweight record.

Markes makes his Bellator debut after being a four-fight veteran of PFL and five-fight UFC veteran.

Markes is 3-3 in his past six fights dating back to June 2017.

Co-main event

[autotag]Erik Perez[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his Bellator debut on a five-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since June 2017.

[autotag]Toby Misech[/autotag] (10-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) has altered wins and losses over his past four fights. He won his most recent bout at Bellator 215 in February.

Remaining main card

[autotag]Veta Arteaga[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) competes in her eighth Bellator flyweight bout, tied with Emily Ducote for the second most appearances in divisional history behind Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (nine).

Arteaga’s four victories in Bellator flyweight competition are tied with Ducote for second most in divisional history behind Macfarlane (nine).

[autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) has earned seven of her eight career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Joey Davis[/autotag]’ (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) four-fight Bellator winning streak at welterweight is the second longest active streak in the division behind Logan Storley (five).

[autotag]Chris Cisneros[/autotag] (17-9 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) is winless in two Bellator stints dating back to 2011.

Cisneros’ three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2017.

Bellator 235 (Salute the Troops 2019): Make your predictions for Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 235 event in Hawaii featuring Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes.

We want your predictions for this week’s Bellator 235 “Salute the Troops 2019” event in Hawaii.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 235 event staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. 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.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside.

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