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For T. Jay Thompson to come back and promote a fight in Hawaii, it had to be something he truly believed in.
The longtime promoter of Super Brawl and Icon Sport events in the late 1990s and 2000s is bringing combat sports back to the Blaisdell Arena with the first Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship show in Hawaii on April 11.
The 12-fight card, which will be available on YouTube, Fubo and the BKFC app, marks Thompson’s return to combat sports in Hawaii for the first time in over a decade.
At one time, mixed martial arts shows — featuring the likes of Niko Vitale, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Robbie Lawler and Egan Inoue — could routinely sell out the 8,000-seat arena on the corner of Kapiolani Boulevard and Ward Avenue.
Now, a new kind of fighting is emerging as the next combat sport to gain popularity.
“I’ve been watching BKFC for like five or six years, not only as a fan, but as a promoter, and watched them start taking big chunks of ground in that combat sports space,” Thompson said recently. “It’s the fastest growing sport in the world right now.”
According to its website, BKFC is the first promotion allowed to hold a legal, sanctioned, regulated bare knuckle event in the United States since the 1880s.
All of the fights take place in a circular four-rope ring, designed to encourage fast-paced and exciting bouts.
Fighters are not allowed to wrap their hands to within 1 inch of the knuckle.
“I think like a lot of people, I probably had a similar thought when I first saw it. I thought this is a little wild, probably too brutal,” Thompson said. “As I started watching, I realized there is an art to this. This is its own sport where there are different skills involved. Interestingly enough, it’s actually safer than MMA, although it looks more brutal. You’ll get more cuts and yes, it is violent, it is exciting, but you don’t get the repeated head trauma that you’ll get in both boxing and mixed martial arts.”
Thompson, who did some consulting for Bellator MMA when that now defunct promotion came to the islands, says BKFC reminds him of where the sport of mixed martial arts was in 1999.
“When I got involved in mixed martial arts, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was calling it human **** fighting and we had a number of politicians in Hawaii trying to shut it down,” Thompson said. “I believed in it. I believed in what I saw and I believed in the future of it, and this feels exactly like that. I’m telling you, the way I said MMA was the future in 1999, I’m telling you that this is the future of combat sports.”
Six preliminary fights will begin at 5 p.m. followed by the main card after that.
The main event is a fight between Maki Pitolo, born and raised in Nanakuli, who has fought six times in the UFC and was on the 2018 Bellator card in Hawaii, against Doug Coltrane at 175 pounds.
Other notable fighters on the main card with Hawaii ties include Toby Misech, Keali’i Kanekoa, Zach Zane and Chris Cisneros.
Cisneros, who has fought as a professional for more than two decades, won a fight on Thompson’s Icon Sport card in 2006 headlined by Mayhem against Frank Trigg.
“I had to balance my love with the new generation,” Thompson said. “I had to get a couple of those old school guys on the card, right? And they are still very talented.”
BARE KNUCKLE FIGHTING
At Blaisdell Arena
April 11; Prelims, 5 p.m.; Main card, 6 p.m.
MAIN CARD
Weight (lbs)
Matchup
175
Maki Pitolo vs. Doug Coltrane
185
Keali’i Kanekoa vs. Joseph Creer
145
Toby Misech vs. Charles Bennett
165
Zach Zane vs. Justin Cornell
150
Jovan Alayon vs. Christopher Inocencio
185
Namakana Pakala vs. Chris Cisernos
PRELIMS
Weight (lbs)
Matchup
175
Randy Kamaiopili Jr. vs. Shiro Hitto
155
Hazel Nahienaena vs. Kat Rabellizsa
135
Maika Samson vs. Nalu Cenal
150
Nicholas Saragosa vs. Kaylan Gorospe
155
Jerome Macalino vs. Pono Enos
205
Vincent Aragona vs. Simeon Crawford
Continue reading...
The longtime promoter of Super Brawl and Icon Sport events in the late 1990s and 2000s is bringing combat sports back to the Blaisdell Arena with the first Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship show in Hawaii on April 11.
The 12-fight card, which will be available on YouTube, Fubo and the BKFC app, marks Thompson’s return to combat sports in Hawaii for the first time in over a decade.
At one time, mixed martial arts shows — featuring the likes of Niko Vitale, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Robbie Lawler and Egan Inoue — could routinely sell out the 8,000-seat arena on the corner of Kapiolani Boulevard and Ward Avenue.
Now, a new kind of fighting is emerging as the next combat sport to gain popularity.
“I’ve been watching BKFC for like five or six years, not only as a fan, but as a promoter, and watched them start taking big chunks of ground in that combat sports space,” Thompson said recently. “It’s the fastest growing sport in the world right now.”
According to its website, BKFC is the first promotion allowed to hold a legal, sanctioned, regulated bare knuckle event in the United States since the 1880s.
All of the fights take place in a circular four-rope ring, designed to encourage fast-paced and exciting bouts.
Fighters are not allowed to wrap their hands to within 1 inch of the knuckle.
“I think like a lot of people, I probably had a similar thought when I first saw it. I thought this is a little wild, probably too brutal,” Thompson said. “As I started watching, I realized there is an art to this. This is its own sport where there are different skills involved. Interestingly enough, it’s actually safer than MMA, although it looks more brutal. You’ll get more cuts and yes, it is violent, it is exciting, but you don’t get the repeated head trauma that you’ll get in both boxing and mixed martial arts.”
Thompson, who did some consulting for Bellator MMA when that now defunct promotion came to the islands, says BKFC reminds him of where the sport of mixed martial arts was in 1999.
“When I got involved in mixed martial arts, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was calling it human **** fighting and we had a number of politicians in Hawaii trying to shut it down,” Thompson said. “I believed in it. I believed in what I saw and I believed in the future of it, and this feels exactly like that. I’m telling you, the way I said MMA was the future in 1999, I’m telling you that this is the future of combat sports.”
Six preliminary fights will begin at 5 p.m. followed by the main card after that.
The main event is a fight between Maki Pitolo, born and raised in Nanakuli, who has fought six times in the UFC and was on the 2018 Bellator card in Hawaii, against Doug Coltrane at 175 pounds.
Other notable fighters on the main card with Hawaii ties include Toby Misech, Keali’i Kanekoa, Zach Zane and Chris Cisneros.
Cisneros, who has fought as a professional for more than two decades, won a fight on Thompson’s Icon Sport card in 2006 headlined by Mayhem against Frank Trigg.
“I had to balance my love with the new generation,” Thompson said. “I had to get a couple of those old school guys on the card, right? And they are still very talented.”
BARE KNUCKLE FIGHTING
At Blaisdell Arena
April 11; Prelims, 5 p.m.; Main card, 6 p.m.
MAIN CARD
Weight (lbs)
Matchup
175
Maki Pitolo vs. Doug Coltrane
185
Keali’i Kanekoa vs. Joseph Creer
145
Toby Misech vs. Charles Bennett
165
Zach Zane vs. Justin Cornell
150
Jovan Alayon vs. Christopher Inocencio
185
Namakana Pakala vs. Chris Cisernos
PRELIMS
Weight (lbs)
Matchup
175
Randy Kamaiopili Jr. vs. Shiro Hitto
155
Hazel Nahienaena vs. Kat Rabellizsa
135
Maika Samson vs. Nalu Cenal
150
Nicholas Saragosa vs. Kaylan Gorospe
155
Jerome Macalino vs. Pono Enos
205
Vincent Aragona vs. Simeon Crawford
Continue reading...
