There’s a first time for everything and World Superbrawl Champion Niko Vitale will conduct his first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) seminar right here on Kaua‘i at the Hyatt Regency Resort’s Grand Ballroom this Saturday at 9 a.m. “I’m excited about
There’s a first time for everything and World Superbrawl Champion Niko Vitale will conduct his first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) seminar right here on Kaua‘i at the Hyatt Regency Resort’s Grand Ballroom this Saturday at 9 a.m.
“I’m excited about coming to Kaua‘i to do a MMA semiar and I just want to show what type of person I am and also give back to aspiring fighters on Kaua‘i,” the Waipahu High School graduate said.
The 30-year-old full-time project manager attended a small college in Utah right out of high school and transferred to the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, where he played under then coach Bob Wagner on the Warrior football team.
“I met Kendall Goo in college and he was one of the guys who introduced me to Jiu-Jitsu,” Vitale said.
After seeing a video of Royce Gracie in action, Vitale got hooked on the sport and after a few years, he managed to compile a 20-3 record, which includes a World Superbrawl title.
“I think winning that title opened a lot of people’s eyes and it’s opened a lot of opportunities for me,” Vitale commented.
Vitale fights under the 808 Fight Factory on O‘ahu and has been training individuals from the federal response task force and the sheriff’s department as well.
“I want people who don’t understand the sport to come down to the seminar and see what it’s like and hopefully they’ll come away from it with a better understanding,” Vitale said. The rugged sport has sometimes a bad rap, but with fighters like Vitale, who buck the stereotype of being a vicious person, it’s refreshing to see.
“I just want to show what type of person I am and I just want to support the local guys on Kaua‘i and give them the opportunity to do the things that I’ve been doing,” Vitale said.
Tickets for the first-ever Niko Vitale Mixed Martial Arts Seminar can be purchased by calling Vance at 634-0404.
Tickets are $45 for adults and $25 for high school students with I.D.
