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Story By: King Eddie- MMA Hawaii Staff Reporter
Saturday night at Level 4 night club, Destiny Entertainment set off the Fireworks to a capacity crowd. The matches were so evenly matched that most went to decision but in the end the night of fights more than delivered the action. With a production that definitely sets the bar high, Destiny is taking the local MMA scene to a whole new level. Level 4.
There were too many stars shining brightly to name them all, but everyone who participated should be more than proud of themselves. Everyone left it all in the cage just as expected. Many noteworthy performances shined through, and if you weren't there to witness, I will do my best to fill you in.
Justin Babbs of Pain Train was having trouble early with a strong and excited opponent. Justin took some shots in the first round and seemed as if he was struggling to solve the puzzle. Then instantly he kicked into high gear and delivered serious blows to the face which appeared to have rendered his opponent unconscious. Appearances can be deceiving, but after a slight struggle Justin finished his opponent by forcing him to tap. Very exciting fight!
Max Holloway and Travis Beyer had what could have been candidate for fight of the night in my eyes. The two fighters squared off in the cage with a nice mix of kickboxing and ground skills. Every chance Max got he tried to unload with his fast hands and pinpoint kicks but Beyer continued to neutralize his stand up. Any and every time the fight went to the ground, Beyer found himself in dominant positions but not without running the risk of being submitted. Max showed expert vision with his submissions and seemed to come up just short of the victory on several occasions. Though Beyer took the decision I see both of them as absolute winners. Look out for their next fights because they are two fighters to watch.
After a last minute pull out of Kristen Jacobson, a young girl from Dirty Curty's camp took on Racquel Paaluhi. The last minute acceptance of the fight warrants serious respect considering who she was taking on. Racquel came in hard and fast and dominated the fight to a TKO. That fight brought the crowd to their feet like no other fight throughout the night. Thanks to both ladies for putting on a great show!
Danny Lopez continued his streak with a VERY impressive win over an opponent who had all the tools to take him out. Charles Hazelwood came in strong and resilient as he shook off all of Danny's takedown attempts. The two traded some punches with neither really dominating that aspect. As fast as you could blink Danny latched his arms around the arm and neck of Hazelwood while standing and it seemed as if Hazelwood was out before they hit the mat. Another masterful submission for Danny, but not a bad show of skill for Charles.
Colin Mackenzie and Dustin Kimura finally squared off in what seemed to be a slow start. The two traded kicks and punches for a few moments before the fight went to the ground and right into the bread and butter of Dustin. As the two battled for position, Colin found himself in one heck of a triangle choke. Dustin proved once again that he is no joke. Much like Dustin Kimura proving his ground skills are dangerous, Elijah Manners showed his ability to neutralize the one and only Keoni Farm. The two struggled back and forth with furious exchanges of kicks and punches. Elijah scored takedowns as well as Keoni. As the fight was stalled by an accidental groin kick, the momentum started to shift. The fight was so close that even the judges saw it as a split decision. Great battle between two tough warriors. I think most would love to see a rematch.
Closing in on the main event, we were all treated with an emotional fight between Johnavan Vistante and Koa Giddens. Koa came into the fight the bigger and seemingly stronger of the two but it would not prove to be his key to victory. Johnavan did exactly what he said he would do. He waited for Koa to commit to a shot and then he took him out. Koa smashed a hard shot to Vistante but was almost immediately hit and dropped with a flurry to his face following. Vistante scored a TKO on an opponent that could have been troublesome for him.
Finally the main event was upon us. Zane Kamaka was greeted with a wave of cheers unlike his opponent who was slightly booed. Zane made it clear to the crowd that he wanted no part of the booing of his opponent. His class showed even before the fight started. Maybe that small shimmer of kindness fooled Derek Stadler who was inevitably brutalized in the fight. To be completely honest Stadler caused slight problems for Kamaka when he would catch Zane's arms while on the ground. But after the second or third time, it was abundantly clear that Zane was just going to punch his way out of the attempt. After several attempts left Stadler's face a bloody mess, Kamaka sank in a rear naked choke that sealed to deal much to the crowd's enthrallment.
Thanks to all who came out to support the local fighters and a very special thank to all who participated in the event. You have all proven once again that Hawaii has the best warriors. Destiny lit the fuse and the fighters exploded with action. If you weren't there, you missed out. So I guess I will be seeing you at the next show.
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