LIHU‘E — There were five Kaua‘i fighters on Saturday night’s “Mayhem at the Mansion” card, which featured both kickboxing and mixed martial arts matches at the Kilohana Estates in Puhi. The local fighters came out on top in three of
LIHU‘E — There were five Kaua‘i fighters on Saturday night’s “Mayhem at the Mansion” card, which featured both kickboxing and mixed martial arts matches at the Kilohana Estates in Puhi.
The local fighters came out on top in three of those five contests, being cheered on by their hometown fans, according to a report filed by Jason Fujinaka, an on-air personality at FM97 and the event emcee.
“It was one of the best shows,” said Vance Pascua, president and CEO of Ainofea productions. “The crowd was so supportive and everything ran great.”
The evening began with a female kickboxing bout, which pitted a pair of Honolulu fighters in Lisa Ha and Danielle Majewski. Ha took the victory in the opener by unanimous decision.
Kickboxers Carlos Lave, of Wai‘anae, and Choco Silva, of Richmond, Texas, faced off at 145 pounds. Fujinaka noted that this turned out to be one of the most exciting bouts, featuring lots of trading between the two combatants. In the end, it was Lave who walked away with the unanimous-decision victory.
Another 145-pound kickboxing bout followed, as Waimanalo’s Isaac Hopps was a unanimous-decision winner over Honolulu’s Geary Udagawa.
Lihu‘e’s Isaac Worth was the evening’s first Kaua‘i fighter to step into the ring, doing so in a 185-pound MMA bout against Waialua’s Justin Barit.
In a close contest, it was Barit who came away with the split-decision win.
In the 125-pound weight class, freestlye MMA fighter Ryan Tampon, of Hilo, won via armbar submission against Daniel Asuncion, of Salt Lake, O‘ahu.
Kalaheo’s Domenick Ansagay, a kickboxer and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter, forced a triangle submission in his victory over Wai‘anae kickboxer Adam Rivera in the 125-pound MMA category.
The night’s seventh fight was another women’s bout as Cara Machado, a grappler, wrestler and kickboxer, garnered a split-decision victory over Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai fighter Vee Vickers. Competing in the 125-pound MMA division, each woman came over from O‘ahu — Machado from Kalihi, Vickers from Wai‘anae.
Wailua’s Daniel Deanda lost a unanimous decision to O‘ahu’s Bill Takeuchi in the 125-pound MMA division. Takeuchi was listed as a wrestler and freestyle striker, while Deanda is a Jiu Jitsu fighter.
Kapahi’s Tyson Hawelu notched a TKO victory in his 145-pound MMA battle with Pahoa’s Petey Vital. Hawelu is a Jiu Jitsu fighter, while Vital is a boxer.
Standup striker Alex Brooks, fighting out of Las Vegas, picked up the win in a 160-pound MMA bout when his opponent, freestyle fighter Kapena Abiley of Hilo, walked off from the match.
The night’s final fight featured Kapa‘a Jiu Jitsu fighter Pono Pananganan going up against Bret Malphrus from Everett, Washington.
Another closely contested battle saw Pananganan come away with the split-decision victory at 165 pounds, though it will not count towards a record, as “Mayhem at the Mansion” was an exhibition event.
The weather suited the evening’s indoor location, as steady rains fell throughout the night. Previous matches have been held in the elements at Hanapepe Stadium.
