Josh Barnett has submitted 19 fighters in over 20 years as a professional mixed martial artist, but Ronny Markes predicts the former UFC and Pancrase heavyweight champion will avoid grappling exchanges in the main event of Bellator 235 in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Friday.
Barnett and Markes make their promotional debuts after finishes in previous fights, but they’re at opposite moments in their careers.
Markes, a former UFC fighter, halted a losing skid with a second-round stoppage over Sigi Pesaleli at PFL in June, though he badly missed weight. “The Warmaster”, on the other hand, most recently fought in Sept.