LIHUE — Chai Kimura’s match with CJ Kahepu‘u in the main event of the “Kauai Cage Match” was about more than pride in front of their home island.
Kimura entered the fight ranked No. 1 in the 155-pound amateur rankings in the state of Hawaii, and defeated Kahepu‘u, the second-ranked amateur at 155, in a three-round cage match Sunday night at Kukui Grove Center in the old Sports Authority location.
It was a fierce fight, with Kimura winning a three-round decision.
“This match was exactly as I thought it would be,” Kimura said. “He was a tough opponent, and his reach gave me a problem at first, but I just held on.”
MMA Promoter Vance Pascua said he was satisfied with the main event of his 14-card cage matches.
“A match like this is a battle of wills,” Pascua said. “In a match like this, it’s about who wants it the most because they both have talent.”
Both fighters entered the ring with a perfect 3-0 record, and now Kimura said he is ready to take the next step in his career.
“It was an exciting fight, and the fight scene in Kauai continues to improve,” Kimura said. “My next step after winning this fight is I want to try to transition into the professional ranks.”
“Winning this fight didn’t motivate me. I am always motivated,” Kimura said. “Winning this fight is just another step, but I am always motivated.”
Professional fighter TJ Britton said he chose to compete in the “Kauai Cage Fight” because of the mentality of the island’s fighters.
Britton, a native of Poplar Bluff, Mo., had 27 fighters back out of a matchup with the 6-foot, 4-inch, 135-pound cage fighter.
But finding a challenger on Kauai was easy.
Britton’s battle with Fatu Tuitasi, standing at 5 feet, 7 inches and 145 pounds, gave Britton what he was seeking in winning a three-round decision.
“The fight was very refreshing, and to have someone come in and fight, it pushed me to the level I needed to be,” Britton said. “The fighters here are a different breed. They are tough. I hit this man with everything that I had that dropped bigger guys on the mainland.”
Now 37, Britton spends most of his time alternating between fighting and speaking engagements at schools as a motivational speaker.
“On the mainland, everyone knows that I am tall for weight, and don’t want to match up with me,” Britton said in a post-fight interview. “In Hawaii, they embraced the challenge and wanted to match up with me.”
MMA promoter Vance Pascua considered his 14-card a “total success.”
With an estimate of over 1,000 people in attendance, it was an affirmation to Pascua Kauai cage fighting is growing.
“The fight matched what I thought it would be,” Pascua said. “If I get turnouts like this every time, I will put on more cage fights in Kauai in the future.”
