There is a method to the Mayhem.

Behind the platinum teeth, the colored hair, and the colorful quotes, Jason "Mayhem" Miller has become one of the country's most respected mixed martial arts fighters.

He will take on Hawai'i's Falaniko Vitale in the main event of the Icon Sport organization's card tonight at the Blaisdell Center Arena.

Miller is 13-4; Vitale is 20-4. The winner of tonight's fight is expected to earn an Icon Sport championship bout in the 185-pound class against Iowa's Robbie Lawler in February. Lawler took the title from Vitale via knockout in July.

"Just because I'm a bit off-kilter doesn't mean I'm evil," said Miller, who is originally from Atlanta, but trains mostly in Las Vegas. "It's mostly about creativity, about using all the energy you have and turning it into something positive in your favor."

Miller is one of the sport's most creative figures, in and out of the ring.

His bottom front teeth are platinum-plated and engraved with the word MAYHEM. This week, he has been sporting a red streak in his hair.

"It's the Mayhem strip of doom," he said. "It's my signal to all the Mayhem Monkeys out there."

The Mayhem Monkeys is the name of Miller's fan club. He has built a surprising following in Hawai'i, in part because he is 5-0 in bouts held here.

"I'm shocked by the amount of people here who have taken to Mayhem," Icon Sport president T. Jay Thompson said. "It was my job to paint him as a bad guy, but somehow he seeped through the cracks and gained the approval of a lot of fans."

Much of it has to do with Miller's love-him-or-hate-him personality.

He is comically brash, and is not afraid of "calling out" his opponents as part of his pre-fight hype.

"It's about entertainment," he said. "I go all out in the ring, but I also like to give the people a little extra before and after. I think a lot of people appreciate that."

Miller captured the attention of Hawai'i fans two years ago when he beat Egan Inoue.

"That was supposed to be a tune-up fight for Egan," Thompson said. "Well, Mayhem foiled those plans and, all of a sudden, he was the guy people wanted to see."

Miller has not disappointed. He is a tireless fighter who is considered a submission specialist. Eight of his 13 victories have come via opponent submission.

"The longer this fight goes, the worse off he's going to be," Miller said of Vitale. "I think he can be effective at the beginning, but it'll go downhill quick for him."

Much has been made of Vitale's seven-week training program in Kirkland, Wash., in preparation for tonight's bout.

Miller said he had a special training program of his own in Orange County, Calif. Among his training partners were Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture. All three are considered to be among the best fighters in the world.

"Everybody is making a big hoopla about Niko's training camp, which is cool," Miller said. "But it's not like I was sitting around getting fat just waiting for this fight."

Icon Sport officials have been hyping tonight's main event as "Opposites Attract," and promotional ads are asking, "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm predicting 30 percent of the crowd will be for Mayhem, maybe even more," Thompson said. "That's an amazing number when you consider that this is Niko he's fighting."

Thompson said there will be a contest tonight to determine which fans can dress most like Miller. The winners will receive tickets to 2006 Icon Sport events.

"I never would have guessed that this guy could become this popular," Thompson said. "But in a lot of ways, (tonight's) fight could also determine who the favorite fighter in Hawai'i is."

PRELIMINARY BOUTS

K.J. Noons vs. Harris Sarmiento; Nick Ring vs. Mike Malone; Steve Byrnes vs. Bob Ostovich; Kimo Woelfel vs. Aaron Rose; Harvey Nakamura vs. Ryan Lee; Lyle Nicely vs. Billy Hall; Chico Cantiberos vs. Kevin DeLima; Brian Wiehle vs. Jose Fernandez; Makana Albino vs. Bryce Martinez; Ikaika Choy-Fu vs. Lorenzo Moreno.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.