Fighters Prove Mettle at “King”
By NICOLE KATO
PHOTO CREDIT: Tony Grillo
The event “King of the Cage: Mana” underwent some fight card changes, but kudos to the promoters for still putting on a great show at the Blaisdell Arena Oct. 20. With 21 bouts in all, “King of the Cage: Mana” was full of exciting matches, some of which even went into “overtime” to determine the winner.
Here’s a recap of the main bouts:
Lolohea Mahe vs. Desi Miner
While Lolohea Mahe (Straight Ruthless Fight Team and Central Maui Boxing) was supposed to fight Wesley “Cabbage” Correira in the main event, he instead was pitted against Desi Miner of Team Trilogy.
It turned out to be a great matchup. After spending the first part of Round One feeling each other out, Mahe and Miner began displaying their repertoire of mixed martial arts skills, countering each other beautifully. For example, when Miner went for a takedown, Mahe would deliver punches and elbows.
Mahe started Round Two with fast jabs before going for the takedown. While he didn’t succeed in bringing Miner to the mat, he did walk away with a TKO victory at 4:27 of the second round.
Kelii Palencia vs. Bill Takeuchi
The semi-main event featuring Kelii Palencia of HMC and Bill Takeuchi of Tribe of Judah, ended at 1:33 of the first round.
Both fighters went immediately after each other, with Takeuchi able to land a punch that opened a gash on Palencia’s forehead. While this was a quick match, the pace at the beginning of the round displayed the fighters’ skills in the cage.
Kawika Martin vs. Louis Smolka
Round One of the lightweight bout between Lava MMA’s Kawika Martin and 808 Top Team’s Louis Smolka was filled with takedowns.
Things got a little scary for Smolka in the second round when a strike from Martin dropped him to the mat. Smolka was quick to recover, but Martin was in position to get him in an armbar submission. Martin stayed in control while on the ground, but Smolka was able to get Martin to submit at 2:53 of Round Two.
Smolka was also the recipient of the “Outstanding Fighter” of the night and was awarded a Giantto watch.
Anthony Reyes vs. Kai Kamaka III
The first round between Anthony Reyes and Kai Kamaka III got off to a quick start, and Kamaka was consistent in landing a series of controlled, methodical punches. Round Two featured the fighters’ ground games as Reyes and Kamaka fought for control of the match.
In the end, Kamaka won by unanimous decision.
Opponents who flare their elbows to punch are especially vulnerable to the grappling armlock known as "omoplata" — the Portuguese (Brazilian) word for "shoulder blade." Photo by Sarah Badat-Richardson. Assisted by Scott Ishihara
STANDARD OMOPLATA
by BURTON RICHARDSON
The “omoplata” is a bent arm lock secured by entangling the opponent’s arm with your leg. Omoplata is a Portuguese (Brazilian) word that means shoulder blade, but when applying the lock the pressure is mainly felt on the shoulder itself. It is an advanced move in grappling, but is actually more available in MMA due to striking. When the opponent flares his elbow to punch, he is vulnerable to the omoplata.
To finish, put one arm under his far armpit, the other under his neck, and lock your hands together. This keeps him from being able to tumble out of the position and tightens the lock. Keeping your knees squeezed to control his upper arm and lift your hips to finish.
