With a card of this magnitude, it is hard not to be chomping at the bits just to see what will befall us all on January 30th. From top to bottom this card is STACKED. It seems as if Destiny outdoes themselves again with the so many clashes that are inches away from fight of the year. I cannot see any reason why an MMA fan would not be salivating over the fights that are looming this weekend.

Just in case you don't understand why these match ups are so perfect, then I will give you but a glimpse of what is coming. I wish there were enough time and space to break down each fight, but I will keep it to the main card. Get ready. . . Here We GO.

To start things out, lets take a look at the female bout that is promising to be a jaw dropping affair. Kristen Jacobson is coming into this fight off of a loss that went down to the wire. The pace was high and the tide turned several times. Kristen put on a fight that any fighter should be proud of, and but not for one error she could have taken home a W. Her obvious skills on her feet are only outshined by her possibilities on the ground. She has maximum escape capabilities and well as enough knowledge of submissions to make any opponent weary of the canvas. But coming in on January 30th, Jacobson will be clashing with a "Rock" and a hard FIST! Raquel "Rocky" Paaluhi is fresh off of the destruction of her last opponent at an X1 event a couple months ago. Paaluhi has shown her absolute power in her hands as well as a cool and methodical demeanor on the ground. Coming from a family of fighters and a team of hammers, Rocky will be a more than formidable challenge for the up and coming Jacobson. There is nothing more dangerous than a born and bred fighter, except maybe a fighter with something to prove.

If we have learned anything from watching the rise of Combat 50's Charles Hazelwood, it is that his hands and legs are deadly. MONSTER DEADLY. His fists come in and they repeat. He has found ways to string together combos that obviously shake an

d rattle his opponents. His crushing leg kicks can take anyone out of the fight. However, Danny Lopez is on a two fight win streak and is more than prepared for a war. After an initial loss at Just Scrap, Lopez has become a steamroller in the division. Always an exciting fighter, Lopez is more than talented on the ground. His boxing skill is underestimated and his ground game is absolutely feared among all who watch him fight. Whether this fight stays on the feet or goes to the ground, it is shaping up to be a finish. There will be no decision in this one.

Finally we have Dustin Kimura and Colin Mackenzie. With a victory in this fight, both fighters will have answered some serious

questions about their game. Dustin Kimura has shown time and time again that he is an absolute force no matter where the fight goes. He has systematically dispatched each of his opponents with relative ease. And those times when he did have trouble, he was

the clear victor. His ground game is. . . . Well I will say it. . . . UNSTOPPABLE! But that isn't where it ends for the young bang

er, because his boxing is VERY underrated. Most who have chosen to stand with him have ended up on the ground and from there they were submitted. Will Colin test him on the feet or take it to a chess match on the mat? Colin isn't one to sleep on when it comes to the stand up game. His kickboxing skills have grown more and more over his last few fights. He has proven on several occasions that he can either end it on the ground or on the feet. Colin has so much knowledge about MMA that it is hard to imagine that he doesn't have a well formulated game plan. Colin has been on somewhat of a tear as he has risen higher and higher in the rankings. He is on the cusp of a serious breakthrough in his career and promises not to take this fight lightly. Can he be the wrench in the gears of the Kimura Freight Train?? We will find out all this and more on January 30th.

Check out part two for the rest of the breakdowns.

WHEW!!! If you thought part one was interesting then you had better catch your breath and drink some fluids because your brain is about to get rocked with the top three fights on the January 30th fight card. Lets get to it!

WOW. . . Elijah Manners has been stated by so many fighters as their toughest challenge. His fists are lightening quick and amazingly heavy. His resilience is that of legend. Manners played the comeback kid in his last fight after getting caught with hard shots and submission attempts early. He came through with a mission to destroy the man across the cage. His level of intensity is something that most cannot handle. He seems to overwhelm and overpower his opponents before they have time to know what is going on. Not to mention, he recovers quickly, sometimes shocking his adversaries. Keoni Farm is like a hurricane. When he hits Oahu, there is a chance he will leave behind some wreckage. His absolute power is something that you cannot teach. His wrestling skill lands him into dominant positions over and over again. His submission skills come into play once he has gained dominant position. And did I mention that his stand up is slightly unorthodox leading some opponents to take MAJOR damage. This will be a battle of attrition. Who can weather the storm. Who can outlast the beating, the slamming, the choking and the gassing. I feel as if this fight may come down to who has more gas in the tank.

What is there to say about Johnavan Vistante other than the kid has skills. He has dancing skills. He has talking skills. What doesn't this guy have on his side. Vistante is a veteran in every aspect of fighting. He has traveled the bumpy road that is the sport we love so much. His talent has lead him to Japan and back and caught the eye of many in the local scene. Vistante has had absolute wars with some of the toughest in the business and found holes in their game. His kickboxing can only be described as fluidity at its core. He is an utter visionary with his punches and kicks that seem to be more reflex than individually planned movements. What can this spell for Koa Giddens??? I don't think it spells the end of his career. This may be just the challenge that this young powerhouse needs in order to solidify himself as a contender for top ten rankings. Koa has the obvious size advantage. He has made it clear that his size translates to his fighting because he has BIG takedowns and DEVASTATING ground and pound. The possibility that he may be outmatched on the feet doesn't seem to get to Giddens in any way. He is very talented, very confident and VERY ready to handle business on January 30th. This is another fight that I fear will not make it out of the first round. No matter who wins.

Finally to cap off the entire night of head smashing fury, we have the one and only Zane Kamaka takes on Derek Stadler. Here is what we know about Zane. . The guy is big, the guy is quick, and he is definitely on the list of people not to mess with. He proved against Bruski Louis that he can neutralize the takedowns. He has quick and powerful hands that are attached to those yardsticks he calls arms. His reach is insane which may be part of what makes him so hard to deal with. Every time this guy fights, he makes another stamp on face of MMA here in Hawaii. I don't know much about Derek Stadler. But what I can say is, the number one fear in the world is the fear of the unknown. Since the skills and tools of Stadler are relatively unknown, Kamaka may be afraid. And if he isn't, maybe he should be. Never underestimate an opponent you have never encountered. No matter the skill of the opponent, we know that Zane will put on a show. But if he overlooks this opponent, we may be looking at the upset of the night.

Stoy By: King Eddie- MMA Hawaii Staff Reporter

With the absence of the Pro Bowl this week here in Hawaii, the Lt. Governor has announced today his proposal for a volunteer sports commission whose main focus will be to draw more sporting events here to the islands. The Lt. Governor hopes that this commission will bring more events here for sports such as Soccer, Golf, Swimming, MMA , Baseball and many more.

"This measure will allow our state to proactively secure both large and small sporting events throughout Hawaii that will help to strengthen our economy and make Hawaii a leader among the world's sports destinations," Aiona said.

There were many representatives present at this mornings conference from all ranges of the sports world here in Hawaii. With this show of support, it is obvious that this is a step that the Lt. Governor feels is immensely necessary to put Hawaii back on the map in the sports industry. Aiona made it abundantly clear that we have the facilities, we just need the events to use them. Hopes are set on having this new commission active by July.

Interview By: D. D. Mason - MMA Hawaii Staff Reporter

Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) has scheduled another night of fights that promises to excite, as well as have a prolonged impact on multiple divisions. UFC -109 Relentless will take place on February 6 at the Mandalay Bay events center in Las Vegas Nevada.  The main card will be televised on Pay-Per-View, while Spike TV will televise two bouts from the undercard. One of those undercard bouts pits local fighter Justin Buchholz against Mac Danzig in what is a loser leaves town match.

Mac Danzig, who won season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter, has been on been on the end of a three fight losing streak.  Local fighter Justin Buchholz, who earned his way into the UFC by delivering knock out wins over some of Hawaii’s top talent, has been on a two fight losing streak. Justin took a few minutes out of his training schedule to chat with us.

MMAHAWAII: Aloha Justin. How has training camp been going for you so far, and have you done anything different in getting ready for this fight?

Justin Buchholz: The one thing I’ve done different for this fight is to train a lot more jiu jitsu, because Mac is a pretty good submission guy. The last two guys I fought were strikers; those were fun camps, because that’s what I love to do the most.

MMAHAWAII: Visualizing the fight in your head, how do you see it playing out?

Justin Buchholz: The way I see the fight going is that we come out, touch gloves or not, it doesn’t matter. I go right after him. I start pushing him back, I land some shots, he covers up, I’m too fast and I’m too strong, he gets hurt and he can’t continue. That’s how I see the fight going.

MMAHAWAII: Both Mac and yourself are coming into this fight with your backs against the Octagon, what’s your feeling right now?

Justin Buchholz: I love this feeling. Every single time the pressures been one and I’ve been put in the corner, I come out on top, and I see this fight going no different. I love it, and I think I’m more comfortable here, than say if I was the favorite. I’m fighting for my life and you will see it on February 6.

MMAHAWAII:  This fight will be televised on Spike TV, so this may the first time that your fans that have followed your career from Alaska and Hawaii will see you fight live; do you have anything special planned? Are you going to change up the hair color?

Justin Buchholz: (Laughs). My hair is going to be black. I’m not going to do anything crazy, I’m going to come out and kick some butt. I’m all business this time, Standard shirt, standard shorts. I need to shout out my whole team at Team Alpha Male, in Sacramento. I want to say thank you and congratulations to my jiu jitsu coach Fabio Prado, who just one the world championships in No-Gi. I want to also give a shout out to my striking coach Master Tong, as well as a bunch of guys at Results conditioning and my sponsor Tap Out. Tap Out s a great sponsor and they have had my back until the end.

MMAHAWAII: Anything you’d like to say to your fans and friends in Hawaii?

Justin Buchholz:  Just keep training. A big mahalo and shout out to the guys at Bulls Penn. That’s where I started making major moves in my career when I was training with them. I hope to after I beat up Danzig, to come back, show them some stuff I learned, hang out. It doesn’t matter where you’re at, it only matters how much you want it. Just keep pushing, and keep training. Don’t let anyone tell you to stop, and don’t listen to anything negative.