Tonight, you can add fighting to the list.

With or without a record crowd at Aloha Stadium, tonight's K-1 World Grand Prix in Hawai'i will be watched by millions.

It is the first mixed martial arts event ever staged in Aloha Stadium, and K-1 officials are hoping to draw a North American record attendance of more than 15,000.

K-1 is one of Japan's top fighting organizations, and millions of fans in Japan are expected to watch the card on television on Sunday.

The bouts will be televised on Fuji TV — which is one of the main networks in Japan — during prime time on Sunday.

"It would be like if ABC or CBS decided to show it in the United States," K-1 promoter Mak Takano said. "I think it'll be a great thing for Hawai'i, and the people of Japan."

The card will also be televised in the coming weeks in several other countries, including the mainland United States (it will not be televised in Hawai'i).

According to Takano, mixed martial arts has become the most popular televised sport in Japan.

"It's bigger than sumo, bigger than baseball," he said. "There's an event on TV every other week during the summer and every one gets high ratings. Unlike the United States, where you have to buy pay-per-view to watch, it's on regular TV in Japan. That's how popular it is."

The proof came during a press Center on Wednesday, when Japanese champion Musashi was swarmed by autograph-seekers.

"To be perfectly honest, the K-1 fighters are more recognized in Japan right now than sumotori," Takano said.

Hawai'i's Akebono will take on Korean giant Hong-Man Choi in one of the "Super Fights" of tonight's card. Akebono is 6 feet 8 and 470 pounds; Choi is 7-2 and 353 pounds.

Akebono, a former grand champion in sumo, said: "K-1 has overtaken the popularity of sumo in the past two or three years. K-1 is real popular with the young people."

In another Super Fight, Hilo's BJ Penn will take on Brazil's Renzo Gracie. Penn has fought several times in Japan, and has become a fan favorite, according to Takano.

"The fans who really love the martial arts in Japan consider BJ to be a genius in this sport," Takano said.

There will also be an eight-man heavyweight tournament. To win the tournament, a fighter has to win three separate bouts tonight. Wesley "Cabbage" Correira of Hilo and Scott Junk of Kailua are in the tournament.

The heavyweight tournament and the Akebono-Choi bouts will follow K-1 rules. The Penn-Gracie bout will follow mixed martial arts rules.

K-1 rules combine karate, kung fu, tae kwon do and kickboxing. All fighters must wear standard boxing gloves, and all the fighting is stand up.

Mixed martial arts rules allow grappling on the ground, as well as stand-up punching and kicking.

TONIGHT'S CARD

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS RULES

185 pounds: BJ Penn (Hawai'i) vs. Renzo Gracie (Brazil). 205: Alan Goes (Hawai'i) vs. Lyle Nicely (Hawai'i). 190: Brandon Wolff (Hawai'i) vs. Riki Fukuda (Japan). 205: Steven Okano (Hawai'i) vs. Michihisa Asano (Japan).

K-1 RULES

Heavyweight: Akebono (Hawai'i) vs. Hong-Man Choi (Korea). Heavyweight: Musashi (Japan) vs. Rickard Nordstrand (Sweden)

K-1 TOURNAMENT

Quarterfinals: Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (Hawai'i) vs. Gary Goodridge (Canada); Carter Williams (California) vs. Nobuki Hayashi (Japan); Eric "Butterbean" Esch (Alabama) vs. Marcus Royster (California); Scott Junk (Hawai'i) vs. Yusuke Fujimoto (Japan).