Preview: Bellator 235 ‘Barnett vs. Markes’

Joey Davis vs. Chris Cisneros

Davis might be my favorite prospect in all of MMA. The 6-0 professional has as much raw potential as anybody in the sport. His entire career has been showcased under the Bellator umbrella, where he has already stopped four opponents before reaching the judges’ scorecards. The Compton, California native is making huge strides in his striking game from fight to fight. While he isn’t the most technically sound striker, he has shown fast hands with bone-crushing power. He can focus on his right hand a little too much, looking to constantly throw the overhand right and uppercut. He shoots out a lot of kicks but sometimes leaves himself open to counters with no set-ups. He also doesn’t tuck his chin when striking, which could be a major issue when facing a power puncher. “Black Ice” has a knack for the spectacular, having already scored knockout wins with a spinning back kick and a flying knee. The 25-year-old is also and more importantly an elite wrestler. He was a four-time NCAA Divisional II National Champion wrestler who complied a perfect 133-0 collegiate record. The Bodyshop MMA representative closes the distance as fast as anybody in the sport and he chains takedowns together perfectly. He is not yet a submission threat on the ground and he also, somewhat surprisingly, doesn’t have the best top control, though this is understandable in light of the extreme aggression with which he throws his powerful ground strikes.

Cisneros is much more experienced than Davis’s previous opponents. He already has 29 fights under his belt and is in his third stint with Bellator. “The Maverick” is entering this bout on the heels of a two-fight winning streak. Despite his recent success, Cisneros won’t be a true challenger in the Bellator welterweight division. He is a 39-year-old journeyman, who isn’t very athletic. The Maverick is a slow, flat-footed plodder who leaves a lot to be desired on the feet. He tends to throw a single strike at a time, firing off hooks and uppercuts by themselves. He loses a lot of his power because he doesn’t sit down on his strikes and doesn’t fully commit to the strike, pulling his head away from the counter. He has a lot of defensive flaws and hardly ever checks a leg kick. The Hawaiian like to grind in the clinch and can find a submission on the canvas, having done so seven times prior. He struggles to get the fight to the canvas, though, as his wrestling isn’t up to par. He also often loses position looking to take his opponent’s back and struggles to get off the bottom.

Bellator matchmaker Rich Chou has taken a slow approach up the latter with Davis while he continually passes each test given to him. Though Cisneros has a lot more experience than Davis, this is still a gross mismatch. The California native is the superior fighter both on the feet and on the canvas. He easily takes out the Hawaiian in brutal fashion in the opening round. Davis by first-round TKO.