Braydon Akeo plans to drown Ty-Wan Claxton in deep waters at Bellator Salute in Hawaii

Since turning pro just over a year ago, featherweight prospect Braydon Akeo couldn’t be more pleased with how the first 12 months of his career has gone.

After picking up a win in his pro debut in November of 2018, Akeo has followed that up with back to back convincing victories in 2019.

“Things are going excellent so far,” Akeo told MMAWeekly.com. “This (upcoming bout) will be my third fight this year. I have two finishes. It’s been a good year and career so far. I’m excited for this opportunity coming up.”

When it comes to the type of fighter he is a year after his pro debut, Akeo feels like the difference is night and day.

“I’m a totally different fighter,” said Akeo. “You watch my pro debut and (then) how I am now and I’m completely different.

“I’m with a brand new team, Gracie Technics (Honolulu), and I’ve kind of filled in the areas I needed work in. I’m a completely different fighter and I’ve totally elevated my game in the last year.”

On Friday in Honolulu, Akeo (3-0) will look to remain undefeated when he faces Ty-Wan Claxton (5-1) in a Bellator 235 main card featherweight bout.

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“It’s a little pressure (fighting in Bellator), but that’s honestly when I’m at my best,” Akeo said. “I’ve felt pressure my whole life. I’ve competed in big tournaments growing up. I just know that pressure is part of it, and that’s when I’m most dangerous.

“I feel like we’ve got to take (Claxton) into deep waters for this fight. That’s the game plan. We’ve seen in the past that he doesn’t do so well under pressure, on his back foot, so we’ve got to take him into deep waters and that’s where we’ll get the finish.”

For Akeo, stepping onto the national stage with Bellator is a big move forward in his career; as such, he’s not going to look past the business he has to take care of on December 20 for the sake of the future.

“In this game the way everything is set up you’ve just got to take it one step at a time,” said Akeo. “You’ve got to take it one fight at a time.

“I’ve been on the regional scene for the last year, so to get an opportunity with a promotion like Bellator is what I’ve been waiting for. We’re putting all our focus on Ty-Wan Claxton and then we’ll go from there.”