Jason 'Mayhem' Miller choking Falaniko Vitale
Icon Sport 43: Opposites Attract
Held October 28, 2005
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
Report by Chris Onzuka

Photos by Daisy Rosas

Icon Sport put together the most anticipated fight in Hawaii since Egan Inoue vs. Marcelo Tigre. The local boy and former Icon Sport Champion, Falaniko Vitale takes on the most dangerous "Haole" (foreigner) to come to Hawaii since Captain Cook. The man they call Mayhem, Jason "Mayhem" Miller. Both fighters are coming off of big losses after reaching the pinnacle of their careers. After capturing the Icon Sport Middleweight title with a spectacular knock out of Masanori Suda, it was Vitale who got KO'd by Robbie Lawler in his first title defense. Miller, on the other hand, has been on a tear, not losing a fight in Hawaii in his five appearances. This earned him a shot in the UFC, where he lost a bloody battle to Georges St. Pierre. Miller returned to Hawaii to settle a score with Mark Moreno, taking him out in the first round. Miller's antics have created a love-hate relationship with the local Hawaii crowd. The fans that hate him, really hate him, but Miller has become a kind of adopted son of Hawaii earning the respect of Hawaii fight fans with his ability to "walk the talk." The winner of this fight earns a shot at current champ Robbie Lawler. The war began as both fighters met in the center of the ring and fired off leg kicks at the same time. From then on, it was a great back and forth war with Miller taking the edge on the ground and Niko landing hard punches on their feet. The deciding factor in the fight was Miller's ability to take Vitale down and kept him there. After barely surviving a tight rear naked choke by Vitale, Miller turned the whole fight around by taking Vitale's back and slipping in a choke of his own to end the match. The respect and admiration of the fans as seen by the uproar when Miller won the fight showed that Miller has won over more than his fair share of Hawaii's fans.

The under card consisted of great exchanges between fighters just wanting to throw down. Both fighters tried to assert their dominance on their feet or scrambled on the ground to gain good position. Some fighters exchanged punches even when it turned out to be to their detriment. Makana Albino utilized his reach to bloody a tough Martinez, who kept coming back for more. Kevin Delima turned the fight around after being dominated by Chico Cantiberos and ended up unloading on him forcing the tap out. Harvey Nakamura and Ryan Lee exchanged blows in what turned out to be a very close and bloody fight. The Pride trials winners continued their success with Nick Ring showing his versatility, taking out Mike Malone, while KJ Noons showed that he is as good as they say, pounding a tough Harris Sarmiento. Sarmiento tested Noons' chin as he did not go down without a fight and took a tremendous amount of hard punches, knees and kicks before succumbing to Noons. Overall it was a great night of fights with a number of fights that kept the crowd at the edge of their seats only for everyone to get out of their seats for the main event.

3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
MMA: 155-lb:
Makana Albino (Grappling Unlimited) def. Bryce Martinez (Bulls Pen)
Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 rounds.

3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
MMA: 155-lb:
Ikaika Choy-Fu (Jesus is Lord) def. Lorenzo Moreno (Bulls Pen)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes from the mount at 2:55 into R3.

3 Rounds - 2 Minutes
Kickboxing: 135lbs
Tyson Nam (Lee's Shaolin Boxing) def. Ed Newalu (808 Fight Factory)
Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 rounds.

3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
MMA: 205-lb:
Lyle Nicely (Team M.M.A.D.) drew Billy Hall (HMC)
Draw (29-28, 28-29, 29-29) after 3 rounds.

3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
MMA: 145-lb:
Kevin DeLima (Bulls Pen) def. Chico Cantiberos (Eastsidaz)
Submission due to punches from the mount at 4:42 into R1.

3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
MMA: 155-lb:
Brain Wiehle (Team M.M.A.D.) def. Jose Fernandez (JKD Unlimited)
Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 rounds.

3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
MMA: 135-lb:
Harvey Nakamura (Grappling Unlimited) def. Ryan Lee (Bulls Pen)
Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after 3 rounds.

3 Rounds - 2 Minutes
Exhibition: MMA: 175-lb:
Kimo Woelfel (Eastsidaz) def. Aaron Rose (808 Fight Factory)
Majority decision (30-27, 29-29, 29-28) after 3 rounds.

3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
MMA: 185-lb:
Steve Byrnes (Team MMAD) def. Bob "Bob-O" Ostovich (Jesus is Lord)
Submission via key lock at 1:08 into R2.

3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
MMA: 185-lb:
Nick Ring (AMC Pankration) def. Mike Malone (Eastsidaz)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes from the back mount at 3:04 into R1.

3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
MMA: 160-lb:
K.J. Noons (City Boxing) def. Harris "Hitman" Sarmiento (808 Fight Factory)
Submission due to punches at 4:37 into R3.

3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
MMA: 185-lb:
Jason "Mayhem" Miller (Cobra Kai) def. Falaniko Vitale (808 Fight Factory)
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:41 into R2.
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