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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, February 12, 2009

MMA organization strikes deal to return to Hawaii

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Jason Miller

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kala Kolohe Hose

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Professional mixed martial arts will be alive and kicking — and punching and grappling — again next month.

The Kingdom MMA organization will make its debut next month at the Blaisdell Center Arena. The main event will pit Jason "Mayhem" Miller against Wai'anae's Kala Kolohe Hose in an intriguing middleweight (185 pounds) bout.

Kingdom MMA is the creation of T. Jay Thompson, the promoter who ignited the MMA craze in Hawai'i with his SuperBrawl shows in the late 1990s.

"I think the Hawaiian fans understand that there's a legacy here that started with SuperBrawl," Thompson said. "I didn't want to see that end."

The event will take place either March 28 or 29 (Thompson is awaiting word from the Blaisdell Arena for the exact date).

It will be the first professional MMA show at the Blaisdell since Aug. 2. The eight-month hiatus was due in part to the financial problems of the ProElite organization. ProElite had ownership rights for both the Icon Sport and Rumble on the Rock shows.

"This is a whole new promotion," Thompson said. "But at the same time, I wanted to go back to what made SuperBrawl and Icon Sport so appealing in the first place. In order to do that, I felt like I had to bring back one of those guys, and of course, Mayhem made sense."

Miller rose to prominence in Hawai'i by defeating stars such as Egan Inoue, Falaniko Vitale and Robbie Lawler.

He has a professional record of 21-6, although he has not fought since last June. He has been in a self-described "retirement" while pursuing a television career.

"Hey, I didn't turn my back on Hawai'i," Miller said. "Hawai'i never left my heart. I'm close to the 'aina. That's why I'm coming out of retirement for this fight. It's Hawai'i."

Miller is currently in Los Angeles filming a reality television show called "Bully Beatdown" for MTV. He said he will be the host of the show, which centers around finding bullies and challenging them to take on MMA fighters in the ring.

"It's my crazy concept, and of course I try to make it fun for everybody," he said. "It could be the best show ever on MTV."

The show is scheduled to debut March 22 — one week before the fight.

"There's no such thing as distractions with me," Miller said. "I'm training hard every day. I'm not going to let my fans in Hawai'i down. I'll beat this guy and we'll all go grind a spam musubi after."

Hose is 7-2 and known for his knockout power. Technically, he is still the Icon Sport middleweight champ, although next month's bout is a non-title fight.

"Preparing for Mayhem is like going to war with a whole country," Hose said. "He has everything, and his ground game is so slick. I have to be in the best shape of my life. His only downfall right now is that he's been out of the ring for a while."

But Hose has not fought since August, and his wife gave birth to their second daughter last month.

"Lot of sleepless nights," he said. "But I knew this fight was coming, so I've been training harder than ever."

Tickets, which range in price from $15 to $150, are scheduled to go on sale Feb. 21.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.