By FCF Staff

Bellator has announced that Josh Barnett will make his promotional debut at its upcoming, ‘Salute the Troops’ event. The former UFC heavyweight champ will face Ronny Markes.

The event will take place on Friday, December 20 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A press release from Bellator included the following information about the event.

For a second year, the USO and Bellator team up to honor the men and women who fight for our freedom and to bring entertainment and a piece of home to service members based in Hawaii during the holiday season. This Salute the Troops event will bring Bellator athletes and personalities to the military community and provide a live free event as a thank you for their sacrifices and dedication to our country, especially for those who are separated from family and home during the holidays. Much like last year, Bellator and the USO will also partner for a week of special events in Hawaii leading up to the big weekend of exciting fights on December 20 and 21.

As the leading military support organization, the USO strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. This holiday season, hundreds of thousands of service members will remain on duty, away from home. The USO, through its programs, services and entertainment tours, is committed to bringing a piece of home to our nation’s service men and women. MMA fans and military supporters can help keep troops strong and connected to home by visiting www.USO.org/Holidays and by using the hashtag #USOHolidays when sharing how they have helped the USO’s critical mission to make the holidays special for our military heroes.

The 41-year-old Barnett (35-8) will be competing for the first time since September, 2016, when he submitted Andrei Arlovski.

The 31-year-old Markes (19-7), meanwhile, stopped Sigi Pesaleli in his last outing this past June.