Hawaii MMA fighters on the rise
Travis Browne
The former EliteXC lightweight champion
Dustin Kimura is coming off an impressive first-round submission victory and will fight in the first televised preliminary bout of The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale card on Fox Sports 1 on Wednesday.
B.J. Penn will return to coach opposite Frankie Edgar on the next season of the Ultimate Fighter reality show.
Seven years ago, B.J. Penn coached opposite Jens Pulver on the Ultimate Fighter reality show as a way to debut a new lightweight division in the UFC.
Much has changed since that era, which spawned a new generation of fighters from Hawaii trying to make a name for themselves on the sport’s biggest stage.
Four of the nine UFC fighters born in Hawaii compete this week, with Kailua’s Travis Browne headlining the UFC on Fox 11 event on Saturday opposite Fabricio Werdum.
The winner is expected to earn a heavyweight title shot against Cain Velasquez later this year. Should Browne win, he’d be the first fighter from Hawaii not named Penn to compete for a UFC world title.
While Penn prepares for a summer fight against Frankie Edgar in his 145-pound debut, another Hilo fighter, Brad Tavares, is on the cusp of elevating himself into title contention in the middleweight division.
Tavares, who now resides in Las Vegas, takes on Yoel Romero Palacio on Saturday in the first fight aired on local Fox affiliate KHON2 in Hawaii.
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Tavares has fought on the main card of other UFC events, but never on one expected to reach an audience like Saturday’s card on network television.
"Hands down this is the biggest fight and biggest placement for me on a card," Tavares said. "I’ve got five wins in a row now, but they’ve all come by decision. Hopefully a knockout win or a submission win will boost me."
Born on Oahu but raised in Hilo, Tavares is sometimes lost among the contingent of local fighters now competing in the UFC.
He says he spends half of the year in the islands, mostly to be with his girlfriend, but has had to sacrifice in order to make fighting a professional job worth keeping.
"It kills me to be away because Hawaii is my home and where I’ll always want to be," he said. "I moved to Vegas because I wanted to fight and I thought it would help my career and it has."
Tavares’ first fight in the UFC was in 2010, which he won by decision over Seth Baczynski.
He’s won seven of his eight bouts in the Octagon and is now on the cusp of becoming a serious contender in the middleweight division.
"If I can keep winning, which I know I will, then there is no way the UFC can deny me," Tavares said. "If I keep winning, then I can’t see myself not fighting for the title."
A busy week in local MMA begins Wednesday night, when Honolulu’s Dustin Kimura and Kailua-Kona’s K.J. Noons compete on the Ultimate Fighter finale show in Canada, shown live on Fox Sports 1.
| TRAVIS BROWNE Hometown: Kailua Record: 16-1-1 (7-1-1 UFC) Class: Heavyweight Next fight: Saturday vs. Fabricio Werdum Notes: Browne headlines the UFC on Fox 11 card in Orlando, Fla., against Werdum with the winner getting a UFC heavyweight title shot against Cain Velasquez. The fight will be shown on KHON2 (Oceanic Ch. 3/1003). MAX HOLLOWAY DUSTIN KIMURA YANCY MEDEIROS K.J. NOONS B.J. PENN LOUIS SMOLKA BRAD TAVARES RUSSELL DOANE |
