Off Guard: Tywan Claxton eager to run things back with Emmanuel Sanchez

“He said something, he said he doesn’t know how it feels to lose and I can’t wait to let him feel that, to take that away from him so that stuck with me.”

[autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag] is dead set on rematching the man who handed him his first pro loss.

Claxton (6-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) faced [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) in the opening round of the Bellator featherweight grand prix at Bellator 226 in September, where he was submitted by Sanchez in the second round.

He was able to bounce back with a win over Braydon Akeo at December’s Bellator 235 and now finds daily motivation in improving his game in hopes to eventually run things back with Sanchez.

“This is year three for me as a professional fighter,” Claxton told MMA Junkie. “Year three, you got to put up or shut up, so I’m putting in the extra hours and I’m making the sacrifices and making the lifestyle changes that I kind of need to make to beat the (expletive) out of Sanchez because I need that loss back. I need that fight back, so that’s my motivating factor. I don’t want to go to training? I got a picture of Sanchez right there.”

There’s something about a fighter suffering their first professional loss, but for Claxton, it wasn’t just about losing, it was what Sanchez had said prior to the fight.

“He said something: He said, ‘He doesn’t know how it feels to lose, and I can’t wait to let him feel that, to take that away from him,'” Claxton said. “That stuck with me, and that’s something, before it’s all said and done – he showed a lot of respect after that fight, he did, and I appreciated it and because of him, I’m a better fighter – but when it’s all said and done, that statement right there, he’s going to end up on the other end of something that just ain’t pretty.”

Sanchez is scheduled to rematch Daniel Weichel in the quarterfinals of the featherweight grand prix at Bellator 241 in March, so for now, it may be a while before Claxton gets his wish, but he insists it’s on his agenda.

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Bellator 235 video highlights

Check out highlights from the main card of Bellator 235 in Honolulu.

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] pulled off a stunning upset when he spoiled the promotional debut of UFC veteran [autotag]Erik Perez[/autotag] with a brilliant first-round knockout.

[autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag], [autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag], and [autotag]Joey Davis[/autotag] also were victorious on the main card.

You can watch highlights of the four bouts in the video above.

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Complete Bellator 235 results include:

Tywan Claxton cracked the code to his evolution in Bellator 235 win

After bouncing back from his first loss, Tywan Claxton is going to take his career at his own pace.

HONOLULU — [autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag] wasn’t just happy to get the victory Friday night at Bellator 235. He was also glad to show how far he’s progressed as a competitor.

Claxton (6-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) earned a unanimous decision in a main-card featherweight bout against Braydon Akeo (3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) at Neal S. Blaisdell Center, winning with across-the-board scores of 30-27. It was a solid rebound from his first career loss to Emmanuel Sanchez in September.

But Claxton, a blue-chipper who was in just his seventh pro fight, fully utilized his 15 minutes in the cage to show off all he can do.

“You’ve seen how calm I was on my feet,” Claxton told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage after his fight. “You saw a variety of strikes. You saw me throw some spinning (expletive) in there today, man. C’mon, you saw me throw some spinning (expletive), right? So that just shows you the evolution. You saw some boxing. You saw some kickboxing, some leg kicks. You saw some taekwondo. You saw some elbows, you saw some knees. We gettin’ there.”

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This was important, because the Cleveland native was coming off what could have been a demoralizing loss to Sanchez in the opening round of the Bellator featherweight grand prix.

Claxton, who also works as a coder, doesn’t regret taking the huge step up in competition in Sanchez, given the winner of the Bellator tournament gets $1 million. But with that experience out of the way, he doesn’t see himself in any rush to get back to fighting the top guys just for its own sake.

“I think we continue to fight guys that are my experience level,” Claxton said. “Just because I dominate, that means I gotta go and fight guys who fought for the world title? You know? I have a goal. My goal is to grow like this with MMA. And continue to grow like this with coding. And I’ll decide if I want to fight or if I want to code. They’re both slow processes, and if you put a million dollars in my face damn right I”m going to go fight anybody. You put what I’m getting paid? We build. We fight guys with our experience.”

So from here on out, Claxton will continue to fight at his own pace and continue building his skills. Once he’s where he wants to be, then he’ll give the big dogs another go.

“Go and look at who everybody has fought (in the tournament). From (Adam) Borics to (A.J.) McKee, go and look at everyone they’ve fought,” Claxton said. “Who’s Tywan Claxton fought? I ain’t the smartest guy in the world, but we know how to debug some (expletive), and that just wasn’t it. We know that ain’t the route. We going to use another server.”

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Bellator 235: Tywan Claxton full post-fight interview

Bellator 235: Tywan Claxton full post-fight interview

Bellator 235: Tywan Claxton full post-fight interview

Bellator 235 results: Tywan Claxton overwhelms Braydon Akeo to rebound from first loss

Tywan Claxton got back on track after suffering the first loss of his career against Braydon Akeo at Bellator 245.

[autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag] got back on track after suffering the first loss of his career with a dominant performance against [autotag]Braydon Akeo[/autotag] on Friday at Bellator 245.

Tywan Claxton (6-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) used superior striking in the first two rounds and then put his ground game to work in the third to take a unanimous decision over Akeo (3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA). The judges’ scores were 30-27 across the board.

“Everybody knows that I just came off my first loss my last fight,” Claxton said in his post-fight interview with John McCarthy. “I was in the featherweight grand prix and I ended up drawing Emanuel Sanchez. That was my sixth professional fight and he just fought for the world title two fights ago. He taught me a lesson. … I might lose, but I’m going to come back stronger. You can’t break me.”

The featherweight bout was part of 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.

Claxton opened the fight quite aggressive, pushing the action on Akeo and loading up on big overhands and heavy kicks. Akeo was able to evade early damage, but struggled to get any sort of rhythm going on his own end. After striking it out for the next few minutes with minimal results, Claxton finally closed the distance on Akeo and pressed him against the fence. He didn’t change levels, but instead broke away and returned to free space with less than a minute left. Claxton kept busy with his striking output to close out the round, but still failed to hurt Akeo.

In the second round, Claxton came out with a similar offensive approach. He marched Akeo down and loaded up on his combinations, but allowed Akeo an opening for a takedown attempt off a missed head kick. Akeo couldn’t put Claxton on the mat, but he did press him against the fence. He couldn’t take much time off the clock from there, however, because Claxton broke free. Claxton got back in control in the striking, but his range remained off. He landed a handful of decent punches before opting to change his approach and put Akeo against the fence. Claxton landed some good elbows from inside, but allowed Akeo to break away when he changed levels for a takedown. Akeo landed his best punch of the fight in the final seconds, but is still wasn’t even to stop him from falling behind by two rounds.

Claxton came out wild to begin the final round. He threw a spinning attack followed by a huge head kick, but Akeo had it scouted and stayed away. Claxton missed on a strike and allowed Akeo to spin around and take the back from a standing position. Claxton avoided the danger by spinning free and controlling Akeo against the fence. Akeo got free, but moments later found himself on the wrong end of a Claxton takedown with less than two minutes remaining. Claxton landed some good punches, but Akeo managed to stand himself back up, despite still being held against the fence. Claxton would take Akeo back to the mat not long after, landing in mount where he opened up with some strong blows. He nearly locked in a rear-naked choke in the last 10 seconds, but could not finish it before time expired. Nevertheless, he put a definitive stamp on his performance/

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

After first MMA loss, Tywan Claxton made his life even harder before Bellator 235

Tywan Claxton didn’t exactly like the taste left in his mouth after the first loss of his MMA career, but he kept it there anyway.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag] didn’t exactly like the taste left in his mouth after the first loss of his MMA career.

But instead of trying to get it out of his mouth entirely, he essentially welcomed even more of it in the name of making himself better.

Claxton was submitted by Emmanuel Sanchez in the opening round of Bellator’s ongoing featherweight tournament in September after opening his pro career with four knockouts in his first five fights.

“I needed to make sure this camp was filled with adversity – and it was. It was,” Claxton told MMA Junkie. “Constantly losing in training – that’s the key. That’s the only thing you can do – sit there, learn, and move on.”

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Claxton (5-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) on Friday meets Braydon Akeo (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) 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.

Akeo earned his way into Bellator during open tryouts for Hawaiian fighters earlier this year, and now he’ll make his promotional debut against Claxton in front of his home fans.

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

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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.

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?

Josh Barnett

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 (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.

Bellator’s Hawaii cards continue to build with additions from recent open tryouts

The two cards on Bellator’s Hawaii return next month continue to build with additions from the promotion’s recent open tryouts in Honolulu.

The two cards on Bellator’s return to Hawaii next month continue to build with additions from the promotion’s recent open tryouts in Honolulu.

The organization picked 10 total fighters from those open tryouts, and they’ll be part of the “Bellator: Salute the Troops” and Bellator 236 cards in December, the promotion today announced.

The fighters who earned shots with Bellator are featherweight [autotag]Braydon Akeo[/autotag], bantamweight [autotag]Pierre Daguzan[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), lightweight [autotag]Keoni Diggs[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), welterweight [autotag]Hunter Ewald[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), bantamweight [autotag]Kaylan Gorospe[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), lightweight [autotag]Scotty Hao[/autotag] (4-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), bantamweight [autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), bantamweight [autotag]Swayne Lunasco[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), flyweight [autotag]Jamie Thorton[/autotag] (6-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and welterweight [autotag]Ben Wilhelm[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

Akeo (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) gets a tough assignment right out of the gate against [autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA). Claxton will be looking to rebound from the first loss of his career, a submission setback against Emmanuel Sanchez in the opening round of Bellator’s featherweight tournament in September. Akeo turned pro a year ago and is 3-0 out of the gate.

The latest “Bellator: Salute the Troops” lineup includes:

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

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

  • [autotag]Cass Bell[/autotag] vs. Pierre Daguzan
  • Hunter Ewald vs. [autotag]Jonathan Pico[/autotag]
  • Jamie Thorton vs. [autotag]Tiani Valle[/autotag]

And the latest Bellator 236 lineup includes:

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

  • Champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kate Jackson – for women’s flyweight title
  • Derek Campos vs. A.J. McKee – featherweight tournament quarterfinal
  • Neiman Gracie vs. Kiichi Kunimoto
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Juliana Velasquez
  • Cheyden Leialoha vs. [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag]

Preliminary MMA Junkie, 8:30 p.m. ET Edit Delete

  • Kaylan Gorospe vs. Swayne Lunasco
  • Keoni Diggs vs. Scotty Hao
  • Chas Dunhour vs. Nate Yoshimura
  • Spencer Higa vs. Kai Kamaka III
  • [autotag]Kona Oliveira[/autotag] vs. Ben Wilhelm
  • Dustin Barca vs. Brandon Pieper
  • Nainoa Dung vs. Zach Zane