After impressing at Hawaii tryouts, Braydon Akeo ready for stiff first test at Bellator 235

HONOLULU – Braydon Akeo impressed the Bellator brass earlier this year at open tryouts in his native Hawaii and earned a spot on the promotion’s return to Honolulu.

But he’s not getting any kind of layup his first time out with the promotion. Akeo (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) takes on recent featherweight tournament entrant Tywan Claxton (5-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) at Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”), which takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Claxton is coming off the first loss of his MMA career, a second-round submission setback in the tournament’s opening round. He’s a 5-1 favorite from the oddsmakers in the fight, which Akeo said makes him all the hungrier for an upset.

To hear from Akeo about Friday’s fight, check out the full interview above.