Preview: Bellator 235 ‘Barnett vs. Markes’

Tywan Claxton vs. Braydon Akeo

Claxton returns after his early exit from the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix tournament. The previously undefeated blue-chip prospect took a step up in competition in the tournament and showed he wasn’t ready for the more experienced former title challenger Emmanuel Sanchez. The 5-1 professional is an explosive southpaw who can overpower his opponents with his off-the-charts athleticism. The 27-year-old possesses fast and powerful hands and is becoming more technically polished each bout. He lives up to his moniker “Air” courtesy of his flying knees, one of which, on Jonny Bonilla-Brown, will surely be in the MMA highlight reel package for years to come. He also throws a very hard high kick. The Division II All-American wrestler closes the distance in an instant to allow him to land a takedown or strike. He showed against Sanchez that he didn’t like being pressured and forced to fight off his back foot. The Ohio University wrestler has displayed great power to be able to lift his opponents off their feet when he shoots on their hips for a takedown. If he doesn’t wrap around the hips, he is also able to garner a takedown from the body-lock with inside trips. He is good at winning scrambles and has great top control. The most dangerous part of his game is his crushing ground and pound. The former Strong Style Fight Team member does have some flaws. He was taken down by Sanchez and quickly mounted in their scrap. He also didn’t appear to see “El Matador” setting up the triangle choke that finished him. And he doesn’t pace himself much, tending to throw everything with power which comes with the possibility of emptying his gas tank if bouts reach deeper waters.

Akeo will step into the cage with a perfect 3-0 professional record and will take his first step up into a major promotion on Friday. The Hawaiian is a long and lengthy southpaw. He likes to switch stances but doesn’t look particularly comfortable in the standup realm. He throws slow punches without much power. He does well to use his range by grabbing at his opponent’s hands so they can’t fire off punches. He does make the mistake of backing straight up instead of moving laterally. His best standing strikes come from the clinch, where he uses his long legs to connect with knees. The three-time high school wrestling champion wants to close the distance, which is where he does his best work. He gets his takedowns by either grabbing a snatch or sweep single but doesn’t set them up with strikes. He does have good top control and often looks to advance to a dominant position to land some hammerfists and elbows from on top. The Junior College wrestler does well to make sure he secures the position before dispatching strikes. However, his MMA game can be less-than-scintillating, as he can spend a lot of time just holding his opponent down trying to ride out the clock each round.

This seems like a terrible stylistic matchup for the local fighter. Claxton has a huge advantage with his superior speed, power and explosiveness. He is the more well-rounded of the combatants and has faced off against better competition in the past. Claxton should easily bounce back from his first defeat and regain some of the buzz that surrounded his name prior to his addition to the Grand Prix. Claxton by first-round TKO.

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