Bellator and the USO Present: Salute the TroopsMain Card:
Josh Barnett (35-8) vs. Ronny Markes (19-7) was cancelled by the Hawaii State Boxing Commission deeming Barnett unable to compete tonight due to severe illness
Toby Misech (12-7) defeated Erik Perez (19-7) via KO (punches) at 0:54 of round one
JOSH BARNETT AND RONNY MARKES HEADLINE BELLATOR & THE USO PRESENT: SALUTE THE TROOPS ON FRIDAY, DEC. 20
BELLATOR 236 ON SATURDAY, DEC. 21 SEES ILIMA-LEI MACFARLANE DEFEND HER WORLD TITLE AGAINST KATE JACKSON
LOS ANGELES – The full slate of bouts for Bellator’s return to Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii this Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21 is official with a stacked doubleheader featuring something for every mixed martial arts fan.
Bellator and the USO Present: Salute the Troops will air on Paramount Network on Friday, December 20 at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT. The entire event will also stream on DAZN, while preliminary bouts will stream on Bellator.com, DAZN and globally on the Bellator Mobile App.
Bellator 236: Macfarlane vs. Jackson – one of the star-powered, year-end highlights of fight season on DAZN – will stream Saturday, December 21 live exclusively on DAZN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com, DAZN and globally on the Bellator Mobile App.
The main event of Friday’s card on Paramount Network will see a heavyweight headliner, featuring the Bellator debuts of former world champion Josh Barnett (35-8) and Ronny Markes (19-7). Rounding out the stacked main card will see another Bellator debut, as Erik Perez (19-6) enters the cage to meet Hawaii’s own Toby Misech (11-7), former flyweight No. 1 contenders Alejandra Lara (8-3) and Veta Arteaga (5-3) return to action and Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix participant Tywan Claxton (5-1) takes on the undefeated prospect out of Maili, Hawaii, Braydon Akeo (3-0). Also, undefeated teammate of A.J. McKee Joey Davis (6-0) returns to the Bellator cage when he faces the “Big Island’s” 29-fight MMA veteran, Chris Cisneros (19-10).
The prelims for Bellator and the USO Present: Salute the Troops will feature an appearance from undefeated Bay Area-fighter fighter Cass Bell (4-0), as well as undefeated Hawaiian prospect Ty Gwerder (4-0).
A mere 24-hours later, Bellator 236 will take place exclusively on DAZN and will be headlined by a flyweight world title bout between Honolulu’s Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (10-0) and England’s Kate Jackson (11-3-1). The co-main event is a quarterfinal matchup of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix with A.J. McKee (15-0)taking on Derek Campos (20-9.).
In addition, recently signed Bellator welterweight Jason Jackson (10-4) of Hollywood, Fla. returns to the Bellator cage on short notice to take on Kiichi Kunimoto of Osaka, Japan. Juliana Velasquez (9-0) looks to remain undefeated with Bellator when she meets Bruna Ellen (10-6) at flyweight, while local Hawaiian standouts Cheyden Leialoha(7-1) and Nainoa Dung (3-0) go to battle against Raufeon Stots (12-1) and Zach Zane (13-9), respectively, to complete the main card.
Bellator and the USO Present: Salute the TroopsMain Card:
Paramount Network & DAZN
10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT/5 p.m. HST
Heavyweight Main Event:Josh Barnett (35-8) vs. Ronny Markes (19-7)
Bantamweight Main Card Bout: Toby Misech (11-7) vs. Erik Perez (19-6)
Flyweight Main Card Bout: Alejandra Lara (8-3) vs. Veta Artega (5-3)
Featherweight Main Card Bout: Tywan Claxton (5-1) vs. Braydon Akeo (3-0)
Welterweight Main Card Bout: Joey Davis (6-0) vs. Chris Cisneros (19-10)
Preliminary Card:
DAZN, Bellator.com & the Bellator Mobile App
8:45 p.m. ET/7:45 p.m. CT/3:45 p.m. HST
Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Cass Bell (4-0) vs. Pierre Daguzan (5-3, 1 NC)
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Ty Gwerder (4-0) vs. Joseph Creer (6-1-1)
JOSH BARNETT MAKES HIS BELLATOR DEBUT AGAINST RONNY MARKES IN HEAVYWEIGHT MAIN EVENT ON PARAMOUNT NETWORK
LOS ANGELES – To honor the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, Bellator MMA has once again partnered with the USO to present a special live event free for the troops, along with their friends and families, on Friday, December 20. Emanating from Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, this unique show will be headlined by a heavyweight bout featuring the Bellator debuts of “The Warmaster” Josh Barnett (35-8) and Ronny Markes (19-7).
For a second year, the USO and Bellator team up to honor the men and women who fight for our freedom and to bring entertainment and a piece of home to service members based in Hawaii during the holiday season. This Salute the Troops event will bring Bellator athletes and personalities to the military community and provide a live free event as a thank you for their sacrifices and dedication to our country, especially for those who are separated from family and home during the holidays. Much like last year, Bellator and the USO will also partner for a week of special events in Hawaii leading up to the big weekend of exciting fights on December 20 and 21.
As the leading military support organization, the USO strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. This holiday season, hundreds of thousands of service members will remain on duty, away from home. The USO, through its programs, services and entertainment tours, is committed to bringing a piece of home to our nation’s service men and women. MMA fans and military supporters can help keep troops strong and connected to home by visiting www.USO.org/Holidays and by using the hashtag #USOHolidays when sharing how they have helped the USO’s critical mission to make the holidays special for our military heroes.
Bellator and the USO Present: Salute the Troops will air on Paramount Network on Friday, December 20 at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT. The entire event will also stream on DAZN, while preliminary bouts will stream on Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App. Details for exclusive ticket distribution will be announced in the coming days.
This unforgettable night will be part of an historic weekend culminating with the previously announced Bellator Hawaii: Macfarlane vs. Jackson on Saturday, December 21. This highly-anticipated fight card includes undefeated Bellator women’s flyweight champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane defending her title against Kate Jackson, and A.J. McKee taking on Derek Campos in a quarterfinal matchup of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix.
After signing with Bellator in April, former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett will make his return to MMA competition for the first time since 2016. A second-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Barnett has remained prevalent in the combat sports realm, competing in jiu-jitsu events, promoting and performing at his own professional wrestling shows and working as a color commentator for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Barnett is no stranger to the devoted MMA fanbase in Hawaii, fighting for regional Hawaiian promotion Superbrawl in 1999 and 2000, a stint that included three fights in one night to win the Superbrawl 13 heavyweight tournament. One of the top heavyweights of all-time, the Strikeforce, Pride, UFC, K-1, NJPW, Pancrase, and Affliction mainstay owns victories over legendary stars, including Dan Severn (2x), Semmy Schilt (2x), Randy Couture, Mark Hunt, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Pedro Rizzo, Sergei Kharitonov, Frank Mir, Roy Nelson and Andrei Arlovski.
Fighting professionally since 2007, Ronny Markes will join the Bellator ranks following 26-fights all over the globe including three wins in UFC. Competing for a majority of his nearly 13-year career at middleweight, the 31-year-old will now lace up the gloves as a Bellator heavyweight. Hailing from Natal, Brazil, Markes is coming off a TKO victory in June, and will add another big-name fighter to his list of opposition, a list that includes fights against Yoel Romero, Thiago Santos, Aaron Simpson and Paulo Filho.
Updated Bellator and the USO Present: Salute the TroopsFight Card:
Heavyweight Main Event:Josh Barnett (35-8) vs. Ronny Markes (19-7)
Tom, Tony and Rich discuss the week in Combat Sports, focusing on the recent UFC Fight Night in Hamburg, Germany, the UFC debut of Phil Brooks (A.K.A. CM Punk) and the upcoming battle between Kell Brook and Gennady Golovkin.
