Robbie Lawler and Jason "Mayhem" Miller have already conquered Hawai'i's best.

Now its time to see which of them is best.

Lawler and Miller will meet in a much-anticipated mixed martial arts bout for the Icon Sport organization's middleweight championship Saturday at the Blaisdell Arena.

"In this sport, you have to consider every fight a big one," Miller said. "But this is the pinnacle. This is for the title. This is the biggest fight of my life."

Lawler said: "Even if this weren't for a championship, it would be big. It's big because of the match-up."

Lawler defeated Waipahu's Falaniko Vitale by knockout for the Icon Sport championship in the 185-pound division in July 2005. He again beat Vitale by knockout in a rematch in February.

Lawler broke his hand in the February bout, so Saturday's fight will be his first since then.

"I've been back in the gym for a couple months now," Lawler said. "The hand is fine."

Miller worked his way up the Icon Sport rankings to earn Saturday's title shot. He started as an undercard fighter, and eventually went on to defeat Hawai'i headliners Egan Inoue in 2003, and Vitale last October.

Saturday's bout should offer a contrast in styles.

Lawler is regarded as a stand-up fighter with knockout punching power. He is 11-3, and eight of his victories have come via knockout.

"I think I can capitalize on the fact that (Lawler) is not well-rounded," Miller said. "He's a banger. What he does, he does very well, but he's not multi-dimensional."

Miller is considered a jiu-jitsu expert with a plethora of submission maneuvers. He is 16-4, and 11 of his wins have come via opponent submission.

"I know (Miller) is going to want to take it to the ground," Lawler said. "So I just have to make sure I throw my punches and have my defense ready."

Both fighters have been preparing for the bout by training with some of the best-known competitors in the world.

Lawler's home gym is the Militech Martial Arts school in Iowa. Among the training partners available there are two Ultimate Fighting Championship world champions — heavyweight Tim Sylvia and welterweight Matt Hughes.

"We don't need to bring anybody in (for special training)," Lawler said. "We have the best in the world right here. These guys are helping me get ready for anything."

Miller is originally from Atlanta, but trains mostly in Honolulu now. He recently completed training sessions with Dan Henderson, who normally fights in main events in Japan and is considered one of the best 185-pound fighters in the world.

"Dan has boxing skills similar to Robbie," Miller said. "So I had him take his best shots at me. I'm talking real blows — not tiddlywinks.

"It was really big for my confidence to take on a champion like Dan Henderson and know that I could stand with him."

Miller is 7-0 in Hawai'i, and his unique style — in and out of the ring — has made him a crowd favorite at the Blaisdell.

"That's something that's close to my heart because I remember when everybody was against me," he said. "I think the people here appreciate that I don't quit and I fight as hard as I can no matter who it's against."

SATURDAY'S BOUTS

185 pounds: Jason Miller vs. Robbie Lawler for Icon Sport championship. 185: Ron Verdadero vs. Nick Ring. 155: Jason Dent vs. Kolo Koka. 135: Ikaika Silva vs. Tyson Nam. 170: Mike Russo vs. Jay Jack. 170: Kimo Woelfel vs. Sydney Silva for state championship. 135: Paul Gorman vs. Mark Oshiro. 155: Marshall Harvest vs. Makana Albino. 145: Chico Cantiberas vs. Kevin Delima for state championship. 205: Lowen Cabuag vs. Kenneth Gusman. 170: Keoni Bryant vs. Derek Stadler. Heavyweight: Shaun Durfee vs. Thomas Ferguson. 145: Peni Taufa'ao vs. Ricky Wallace.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.