Falaniko Vitale is climbing mountains in an effort to climb the rankings in the Strikeforce mixed martial arts organization.

Vitale has been training in the Rocky Mountains for the past few weeks in preparation for his middleweight (185 pounds) bout tomorrow against Frank Trigg.

"We've been up as high as 14,000 feet," Vitale said. "Doing a lot of endurance training, just trying to get used to the altitude. It's a big difference from Hawai'i. The first couple days I was here, you can feel it just walking up the stairs."

Vitale — a Waipahu High graduate who resides in 'Ewa — has a professional MMA record of 26-8.

Trigg is originally from New York and now trains out of Las Vegas. He has a professional MMA record of 17-6.

They will meet in a co-main event bout of Strikeforce's "Payback" card at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo.

"It's a big fight," Vitale said. "Hopefully, if I win this, I'll get a shot at a title."

Both are familiar to Hawai'i fans.

Vitale is one of Hawai'i's most popular figures in the sport, and was the middleweight champion in the Hawai'i-based Icon Sport organization in 2005.

In his last bout on Jan. 26, Vitale won the middleweight championship of the Hawai'i-based X-1 organization.

Trigg is a former title contender in the prestigious UFC organization, and held the Icon Sport middleweight title in 2006.

However, Vitale and Trigg never fought in Hawai'i.

"I was pretty surprised when they told me I would be fighting Trigg," Vitale said. "I know he fought in Hawai'i a couple times, but then he left. It'll be a little different seeing him (in Colorado), but it doesn't matter."

Vitale normally trains at the 808 Fight Factory in Waipahu, but said he has been training twice a day in the thin Colorado air to prepare for Trigg.

"It's kind of like a football camp," he said. "But that's good because I'm definitely focused."

Trigg has a wrestling background, so Vitale has been training with several elite wrestlers in Colorado.

"I know he's a strong wrestler, and he has some boxing skills," Vitale said. "I know he'll try to take me down, so I've been working a lot on my takedown defense."

Vitale is hoping his altitude training will make a difference tomorrow.

"If (Trigg) gasses out, it finishes early," he said. "I feel confident — ready for anything. I think training up here will be a big help."

The winner of the bout could be in line for a shot against Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le.

Tomorrow's bouts are not scheduled to be televised.

ELITEXC BOUTS SATURDAY ON KGMB

Kimbo Slice will face Ken Shamrock in the main event of the EliteXC Saturday Night Fights card at Sunrise, Fla.

The bout is scheduled to be televised in Hawai'i on Saturday at 8 p.m. on KGMB.

Other fighters on the card include Jake Shields, Andrei Arlovski, and female star Gina Carano.