Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes has been canceled.
Barnett was set to take on Markes in a heavyweight main event bout tonight (Dec. 20) at Bellator 235. During the broadcast, it was revealed that Barnett was not medically cleared due to an illness. The new main event is Erik Perez vs. Toby Misech.
Bellator president Scott Coker took to Twitter give a brief statement on Barnett’s last-minute removal from the card.
“On the advice of the Hawaii State Boxing Commission, tonight’s main event bout between Josh Barnett and Ronny Markes has been cancelled. Barnett has not been cleared tonight due to severe illness.
Toby Misech vs. Erik Perez is the new #BellatorUSO main event.”
This was set to be Barnett’s Bellator debut. He hasn’t competed since Sept. 2016. Barnett earned a submission victory over Andrei Arlovski. He served a suspension from USADA after a positive drug test. Once Barnett was cleared to compete after it was determined he ingested tainted supplements, he requested and was granted his release from the UFC.
