Icon Sport 43: Opposites Attract
 Icon Sport 43: Opposites Attract Held October 28, 2005 Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii Report by Chris Onzuka Photos by Daisy Rosas Icon Sport put together the most anticipated fight in Hawaii since Egan Inoue vs. Marcelo Tigre. The local boy and former Icon Sport Champion, Falaniko Vitale takes on the most dangerous "Haole" (foreigner) to come to Hawaii since Captain Cook. The man they call Mayhem, Jason "Mayhem" Miller. Both fighters are coming off of big losses after reaching the pinnacle of their careers. After capturing the Icon Sport Middleweight title with a spectacular knock out of Masanori Suda, it was Vitale who got KO’d by Robbie Lawler in his first title defense. Miller, on the other hand, has been on a tear, not losing a fight in Hawaii in his five appearances. This earned him a shot in the UFC, where he lost a bloody battle to Georges St. Pierre. Miller returned to Hawaii to settle a score with Mark Moreno, taking him out in the first round. Miller’s antics have created a love-hate relationship with the local Hawaii crowd. The fans that hate him, really hate him, but Miller has become a kind of adopted son of Hawaii earning the respect of Hawaii fight fans with his ability to "walk the talk." The winner of this fight earns a shot at current champ Robbie Lawler. The war began as both fighters met in the center of the ring and fired off leg kicks at the same time. From then on, it was a great back and forth war with Miller taking the edge on the ground and Niko landing hard punches on their feet. The deciding factor in the fight was Miller’s ability to take Vitale down and kept him there. After barely surviving a tight rear naked choke by Vitale, Miller turned the whole fight around by taking Vitale’s back and slipping in a choke of his own to end the match. The respect and admiration of the fans as seen by the uproar when Miller won the fight showed that Miller has won over more than his fair share of Hawaii’s fans. Click here for full report & results |
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From the event’s promoter: November 5th’s MFC 5 Approaches: USA-Japan Collision One Week Away  Countries collide in just seven days as Mixed Fighting Championship brings you its fifth internationally-stacked event "USA vs. Japan," live November 5th from the Trump Taj Mahal & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Ten of Japan’s proudest are on route to America and a worthy team touting some of the red, white, and blue’s best will be waiting to greet them in a night of heated action inside the famed MFC ring. Among them, Team Gurgel heavyweight Mike Patt takes on Yusuke Masuda. American Top team light heavyweight Wilson Gouveia also joins the roster against up-and-comer Kazuhiro Hamanaka, and Pitt’s Penn slugger Jose Rodriguez has his fists locked on target Yuichirou Toshida. A friendly gentleman’s bet is among the welterweight offerings for the evening, as Philadelphia Fight Factory’s own Stephen Haigh tackles Yuji Miyazaki not only for the win, but for the right to keep his precious locks. A hair-raising proposition, the loser of the bout has agreed to let his victorious opponent shave his head. Bald or untouched, Fight Factory teammate and MFC star Eddie Alvarez will be on hand to lend Haigh his support. Then the undefeated Alvarez will step into the ring himself to wage war with returning MFC warrior Daisuke "13" Hanazawa. Also on the card, the ladies of MFC finally get their night as New Jersey native Tara Larosa tangles with Amanda Buckner in one of three MFC Challenge preliminary bouts. Get out of the cold and catch some heated action! Tickets are still available and can be purchased directly through the Taj Mahal Box Office (609-449-5150) and through all Ticketmaster locations (1-800-736-1420 or on line at http://www.ticketmaster.com). |
