The first of two Bellator MMA events will take place this Friday as Bellator 235: Salute the Troops emanates from Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.
The main event will see legendary mixed martial arts heavyweight Josh Barnett (251.6) make his promotional debut against Ronny Markes (250). “The Warmaster” last fought in 2016, where he submitted Andrei Arlovski. His career then spent nearly two years in limbo after the United States Anti-Doping Agency accused him of a doping violation that wound up being the result of a contaminated supplement. Barnett (35-8) stayed busy during his layoff by returning to professional wrestling and facing off against the likes of Bobby Lashley and Minoru Suzuki.
Looking to derail Barnett’s Bellator debut is another Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran in Markes (19-7). The 31-year-old is coming off a 2-2 stint in the Professional Fighters League, ending with a TKO win over Sigi Pesaleli. This also marks the Bellator debut for the Brazilian.
The co-main event also features a highly touted fighter making his organizational debut as UFC veteran Erik Perez (135.2) will take on Toby Misech (141.4)*. Perez (19-6) is riding a five-fight winning streak and is a sizable -365 favorite over his Hawaiian foe. Misech (10-7) will look to upset “El Goyito” and his hometown crowd will be surely be cheering him on against his Mexican opponent, although he came in well above the bantamweight limit.
Bellator 235 will air live on Dazn starting at 8:45 p.m. ET/5:45 p.m. PT, with the main card simulcast on the Paramount Network at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Bellator 235 Weigh-in Results:
Josh Barnett (251.6) vs. Ronny Markes (250)
Toby Misech (141.4)* vs. Erik Perez (135.2)
Veta Arteaga (125.7) vs. Alejandra Lara (125.7)
Braydon Akeo (145.7) vs. Tywan Claxton (145.6)
Chris Cisneros (170.7) vs. Joey Davis (170.3)
Cass Bell (135.5) vs. Pierre Daguzan (135.8)
Joseph Creer (184) vs. Jered Gwerder (183.6)
Bryson Bolohao (180) vs. Hunter Ewald (177.8)
* Misech missed weight by 5.4 pounds.