Instead of fighting the seas to save lives, Kaua‘i County Life-guards Ka‘eo Lopez and Pono Panaganan are both going to wage war in the Garden Isle’s Mixed Martial Arts Cage Match #3 on Saturday, March 25 at Hanapepe Stadium. The
Instead of fighting the seas to save lives, Kaua‘i County Life-guards Ka‘eo Lopez and Pono Panaganan are both going to wage war in the Garden Isle’s Mixed Martial Arts Cage Match #3 on Saturday, March 25 at Hanapepe Stadium.
The event is the first of its kind in an outdoor venue on the island.
It’s also the very first time Kaua‘i will host a mixed martial arts women’s contest, which features the likes of Kapa‘a’s A.J. Jenkins and Arizona’s Mystee Blackwood.
Ringside seats are sold out and general admission tickets are going fast, so don’t wait until the last day to get your passes.
The main bout features Koloa’s Eben Kaneshiro, who represents Kamole Jiu-Jitsu.
Other Kauaians on the largest MMA card ever on the island include Kyle Sukehira, Lebeau Lagmay, Giovanni Lagmay, Albert Bactad, Tesai Seamster, Weston Victorino, Gary Allianic, Kaimi Bermoy, Mark Pereirra, Chris Moler, and Keoni Bigno.
They will be battling fighters from all across the globe, from Iowa to California.
But the biggest question going into the big battle in Hanapepe doesn’t have anything to do with the fights.
Instead, because it’s an out-door event, the weather is going to determine the faith of the contests.
That’s out of our hands, so the only thing we can do is hope for clear skies and hard-fought battles in the cage.
Lopez and Pananganan, who are both Jiu-Jitsu instructors on the island, should impress the local audience with great matches against their counterparts.
Lopez represents Kamole Jiu-Jitsu and Pananganan is apart of the Kaua‘i Technical Institute.
The event is less than a week away and most of the fighters are putting their finishing touches on their training schemes.
Get your tickets today because you don’t want to be hearing about it the next day. Instead, go see it for yourself.
Tickets can be purchased at Meyvn Skate in Lihu‘e, Tropical Tantrum in Kapa‘a, Dynamic Tinting in Puhi, Sweet and Sassy in ‘Ele‘ele, Westside Sporting Goods in Waimea, M&H Service in Waimea, and Wong’s Restaurant in Hanapepe.
