Kamaka’s original stint with the company had seen him go 1-2-1 then land in Bellator, the PFL, and return to the regional scene before ending a second shot. Hope was a former Peak Fighting featherweight champ moving up to lightweight for his promotional debut.

Hope came out aggressive, immediately backing Kamaka to the cage and working in a Muay Thai-heavy approach. He mixed in tight, short punches with punishing knees to the body. Kamaka stayed composed, clearly looking to slow the pace, and began investing in leg kicks. Each time he tried to settle things, though, Hope answered with bursts of offense.

Kamaka planted in the pocket at one point, where Hope dropped him—though it came amid a messy sequence involving a missed headbutt from the referee. Kamaka bounced back up quickly and didn’t appear shaken, returning to his leg kicks, which were starting to add up. Hope continued to find success, landing a sharp right hand while mixing in knees to the body and elbows in the clinch. It was a strong, high-paced opening round from the newcomer.

Round two opened with an early clinch, where Hope landed a clean elbow. Shortly after, he connected with a right hook that seemed to momentarily buckle Kamaka. Still, Kamaka had his moments inside, working body-to-head in the clinch. He stayed committed to attacking both levels, trying to wear Hope down. While Hope’s pace dipped slightly, he continued throwing with clear fight-ending intent. Kamaka showed an excellent chin, absorbing several clean hooks, and closed the round strong with digging body shots and hard knees.

Heading into the final round, the fight felt up for grabs. Kamaka had the better start, as Hope began to show signs of fatigue. He was the one applying pressure now, backing Hope up and countering effectively when Hope tried to come forward. The sustained body work from Kamaka began to pay dividends, and he even landed a clean elbow on the break. Hope looked to be feeling it, frequently reaching for the clinch and overextending in exchanges.

Still, Hope fought hard to the final bell, landing in spots and blitzing forward with volume. Kamaka continued to target the body late, and although Hope secured a brief takedown in the closing moments, Kamaka quickly returned to his feet before the horn.

A highly competitive fight between two fighters who both showed they belong.

Official Result: Kai Kamaka III def. Dakota Hope by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Hawaii’s Kamaka (17-7-1), who had a four-fight stint in the company in 2020-21, will compete at this weekend’s UFC Vegas 115, where he’ll take on Dakota Hope (11-1), making his promotional debut in the fight.

News of the bout was first reported by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff. UFC Vegas 115 is headlined by Renato Moicano and Chris Duncan.

Kamaka’s original UFC stint saw him go 1-2-1 inside the octagon, after which he jumped to Bellator MMA, where he went 4-1. With Bellator absorbed by the PFL, Kamaka 2-1 with that organization before returning to the regional scene.

“The Fighting Hawaiian” has frequently volunteered to step up on short notice to get back to the UFC, and finally gets his chance against Hope. Dakota Hope rides a five-fight win streak into his promotional debut, and had been scheduled to compete for a regional title under the Fury FC banner in May.

UFC Vegas 115 takes place at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday, April 4, 2026. The following match-ups are expected for the event:

• Renato Moicano vs. Chris Duncan
• Virna Jandiroba vs. Tabatha Ricci
• Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Brendson Ribeiro
• Ethyn Ewing vs. Rafael Estevam
• Tommy McMillen vs. Manolo Zecchini
• José Mauro Delano vs. Robert Ruchała
• Guilherme Pat vs. Thomas Petersen
• Alessandro Costa vs. Stewart Nicoll
• Lando Vannata vs. Darrius Flowers
• Alice Pereira vs. Hailey Cowan
• Azamat Bekoev vs. Tresean Gore
• Dione Barbosa vs. Melissa Gatto
• Kai Kamaka III vs. Dakota Hope

The post Kai Kamaka III Returns, Faces Dakota Hope at UFC Vegas 115 appeared first on Cageside Press.

All four main card playoff fights went the distance, a rather surprising turn of events given some of the names involved.

2022 champ Brendan Loughnane headlined the show opposite Kai Kamaka III, the rugged Hawaiian best known for his run in Bellator MMA. Loughnane fought a smart game plan, attacking the lead leg and mostly staying out of range of the powerful right hand of Kamaka.

In the second frame, Loughnane connected with a solid spinning back kick. Unfortunately, especially for Kai Kamaka, it landed low, leading to a brief pause in the action. Back underway, Loughnane would continue to work the leg of the Hawaiian, who showed flashes of power, but lacked in volume.

Round three saw Kamaka pick up in terms of volume, leading to a very even fight across the entirety of three rounds. Loughnane was showing some damage to the nose, and looked to finish strong, firing another spinning kick – legal, this time, with about 20 seconds left in the fight. Another one came just ahead of the bell.

Come the final bell, for the seventh straight bout, the judges’ services were required. And it was Loughnane, care of a split decision with 30-27 and 29-28 scores in his favor, awarded the win. The dissenting judge had the fight 29-28 for Kamaka.

Loughnane, a long ways removed from being overlooked on Dana White’s Contender Series, now has a chance to repeat as champion after missing out on the playoffs in 2023. He’ll face Timur Khizriev, who remained undefeated care of a split decision win of his own, against Gabriel Braga.

On the welterweight side, Shamil Musaev and Magomed Umalatov left no doubt, both winning unanimous decisions over Murad Ramazanov and Neiman Gracie, respectively. Both fighters are undefeated in their pro careers, with Umalatov improving to 17-0 on Friday, while Musaev extended his own unbeaten record to 19-0-1. They’ll face off in perhaps one of the most intriguing PFL finals set this year.

The post Featherweight, Welterweight Finals Set Following PFL Stop in DC appeared first on Cageside Press.

Headlining the show was 2022 champ Brendan Loughane, who had been eliminated following the regular season last year, but who had bounced back with a vengeance in 2024. First overall at 145lbs, he was paired up with Bellator vet Kai Kamaka III in what promised to be a violent clash for as long as it lasted.

On the other side of the featherweight bracket, Gabriel Braga, a sentimental fan favorite who had gone through personal tragedy to get here, was paired up with the unbeaten Timur Khizriev.

Welterweights, meanwhile, anchored the co-main event with former Bellator MMA title challenger Neiman Gracie facing Magomed Umalatov in one of the night’s two 170lb semifinals.

Where to Watch PFL Washington

The PFL sets up shop at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. on Friday, August 23, 2024. The card airs live on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S., and DAZN in Canada and Europe. Full results can be found below.

PFL Washington: Loughnane vs. Kamaka Results

Main card

Brendan Loughnane def. Kai Kamaka III by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) – featherweight semifinal
Magomed Umalatov def. Neiman Gracie by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) – welterweight semifinal
Timur Khizriev def. Gabriel Braga by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27) – featherweight semifinal
Shamil Musaev def. Murad Ramazanov by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) – welterweight semifinal

Preliminary card

Mukhamed Berkhamov def. Ray Cooper III by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Enrique Barzola def. Tyler Diamond by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jose Perez def. Jesse Stirn by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Maxwell Djantou Nana def. Kent Mafileo by TKO, Round 2, 4:52
Shido Boris Esperança def. Tyler Hill by TKO (strikes), Round 1, 3:31

The post PFL Washington: Loughnane vs. Kamaka Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Headlining the show, 2022 champ and top seed Brendan Loughnane, taking on Hawaiian Bellator MMA veteran Kai Kamaka III. On the opposite side of the 145lb bracket, meanwhile, Timur Khizriev and Gabriel Braga were set to face off.

In the welterweight co-main event, also a semifinal bout, Magomed Umalatov was paired up with Bellator vet and former title challenger Neiman Gracie.

Full results from Friday’s weigh-in, which had a single hiccup, are below. That hiccup came when Eric Alequin failed to weigh in for his fight with Luca Poclit.

PFL Washington: Loughnane vs. Kamaka Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Featherweight: Brendan Loughnane (146 lbs) vs. Kai Kamaka III (145.6 lbs) – tournament semifinal
Welterweight: Magomed Umalatov (170.6 lbs) vs. Neiman Gracie (170 lbs) – tournament semifinal
Featherweight: Gabriel Braga (146 lbs) vs. Timur Khizriev (145.8 lbs) – tournament semifinal
Welterweight: Shamil Musaev (170.2 lbs) vs. Murad Ramazanov (171 lbs) – tournament semifinal

Preliminary Card

Welterweight: Ray Cooper III (171 lbs) vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov (170.4 lbs)
Welterweight: Eric Alequin* vs. Luca Poclit (170.2 lbs)
Featherweight: Tyler Diamond (145.6 lbs) vs. Enrique Barzola (145.4 lbs)
Featherweight: Jesse Stirn (145.6 lbs) vs. Jose Perez (145.2 lbs)
Heavyweight: Maxwell Djantou Nana (263.8 lbs) vs. Kent Mafileo (248.0 lbs)
Welterweight: Shido Boris Esperança (170.8 lbs) vs. Tyler Hill (171.0 lbs)

* Alequin failed to weigh in, and his fight with Luca Poclit has been removed from the card

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The bout, part of the promotion’s regular season, saw Hawaii’s Kamaka arriving in the Professional Fighters League from Bellator MMA, which the PFL scooped up last year. Both men came from wrestling backgrounds, though Jenkins’ NCAA Division I championship gave him the edge there on paper.

Kai Kamaka let loose with his leg kicks early in Friday’s regular season action, with Jenkins not surprisingly falling back on his wrestling early in response. But while Bubba could get Kamaka to the fence, he couldn’t get the fight down; they instead regrouped at center, where Jenkins at least held his own against “The Fighting Hawaiian” in the early going. More than held his own, even landing his left hand more than once. Another takedown attempt by Jenkins, however, would be stuffed by Kamaka. At one point while closing the distance, Jenkins found himself clipped by the hard-hitting Hawaiian.

Takedown defense would become the story of the fight. Round two found Jenkins walking Kamaka down, while Kai kept his back to the cage, circling. In another close round, the wrestler would manage to take the back of Kamaka late in the frame. The possibility of a rear-naked choke was there, but Kamaka dumped him over the top, with Jenkins briefly forced to work off his back. Not for long; he returned to his feet with half a minute or so to go.

Round three saw Kamaka connect again as Bubba Jenkins closed the distance, both stuffing the takedown and hurting Jenkins. An uppercut landed for Kai Kamaka moments later, and Jenkins appeared to be in a bit of trouble, tiring and without much success from his biggest weapon, his wrestling. After every takedown attempt, Jenkins looked slow to regain his feet, despite two grueling minutes remaining on the clock.

Jenkins would find it in him to fire an uppercut and walk forward despite his apparent fatigue. But on his next takedown, Kamaka not only stuffed the attempt, but nearly reversed it; Jenkins saved himself by diving in on a leg. With with precious seconds slipping away, the fight was in danger of likewise slipping through Bubba Jenkins’ fingers.

That’s exactly what happened, with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28 for Kai Kamaka III. He earns three points towards the post-season as a result.

Official Result: Kai Kamaka III def. Bubba Jenkins by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post PFL 3: Kai Kamaka III’s Takedown D Serves Him Well Against Bubba Jenkins appeared first on Cageside Press.

Among the newly added match-ups, recently signed heavyweight talent Slim Trabelsi (5-0), who was briefly inked to a UFC deal last year, makes his promotional debut against #9-ranked big man Davion Franklin (6-1). Former UFC bantamweight title challenger and now featherweight contender Sarah McMann (14-6), meanwhile, takes on Leah McCourt (7-3), in a battle of the #2 and #5-ranked fighters in the weight class, respectively.

McMann made he promotional debut in April, defeating multi-time title challenger Arlene Blencowe by unanimous decision. For her part, McCourt is coming off a loss to Cat Zingano, who will face Cris Cyborg for featherweight gold later in the night in San Diego.

Longtime Bellator MMA veteran Henry Corrales (21-6), meanwhile, takes on Hawaiian Kai Kamaka III (11-5-1) in a featherweight match-up, while grappling star Jena Bishop (5-0) returns to the face to face Brazil’s Ilara Joanne (11-7) at flyweight.

Bishop went 4-0 for LFA prior to joining Bellator MMA, picking up a unanimous decision win in her debut earlier this year.

Finally, Bobby Seronio III (3-0) faces Alberto Garcia (2-0) in a bantamweight bout. Both prospects are undefeated in their professional careers to date.

Bellator 300 takes place at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, CA on Saturday, October 7, 2023 with a whopping four title fights headlining the event. The following match-ups have been announced for the card:

Usman Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Brent Primus — for the Bellator MMA lightweight championship / Lightweight world grand prix semifinal
Cris Cyborg (c) vs. Cat Zingano — for the Bellator MMA women’s featherweight championship
Ryan Bader (c) vs. Linton Vassell — for the Bellator MMA heavyweight championship
Liz Carmouche (c) vs. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane — for the Bellator MMA women’s featherweight championship
Davion Franklin vs. Slim Trabelsi
Sara McMann vs. Leah McCourt
Henry Corrales vs. Kai Kamaka III
Ilara Joanne vs. Jena Bishop
Bobby Seronio III vs. Alberto Garcia

The post Five Preliminary Card Match-Ups Announced for Milestone Bellator 300 appeared first on Cageside Press.

In a press release on Tuesday, promotion officials announced that eight fights had been announced for the Bellator 298 card in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on August 11, 2023. Among them were a previously reported match-up between Jaylon Bates and Enrique Barzola, and the addition of James Gonzalez stepping in against James Gallagher — but regardless, the extra six bookings beings the card to 19 announced fights in total.

Among the names newly added to Bellator 298, Sullivan Cauley (5-1) is set for a light heavyweight showdown against Cedric Savage (3-2), with Cauley bringing at 100% finish rate to the fight. Hawaiian Kai Kamaka (11-5-1), a UFC veteran, had been paired up with Russia’s Akhmed Magomedov (10-1).

Middleweights Khalid Murtazaliev (17-3) and Mike Shipman (15-4) also collide.

Rounding out the most recent additions, Bryce Meredith (4-0) faces Alberto Rodriguez (4-3) at bantamweight, Russian middleweight Imamshafi Aliev (9-0) goes up against Elevation Fight Team’s Anthony Adams (9-4), and Alfie Davis (15-4-1) faces UFC alum Aalon Cruz.

Bellator 298 takes place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on August 11, 2023 with welterweights Logan Storley and Brennan Ward headlining. Fans might want to show up early to catch all the action in this one.

The Bellator 298 card currently features the following announced match-ups:

• Logan Storley vs. Brennan Ward
• Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry
• Dalton Rosta vs. Aaron Jeffery
• Sidney Outlaw vs. Islam Mamedo
• Lucas Brennan vs. Weber Almeida
• Enrique Barzola vs. Jaylon Bates
• Kai Kamaka vs. Akhmed Magomedov
• Diana Avsaragova vs. Justine Kish
• James Gallagher vs. James Gonzalez
• Imamshafi Aliev vs. Anthony Adams
• Max Rohskopf vs. Jario Pacheco
• Dayana Silva vs. Katerina Shakalova
• Sullivan Cauley vs. Cedric Savage
• Bryce Meredith vs. Alberto Rodriguez
• Alfie Davis vs. Aalon Cruz
• Leandro Higo vs. Nikita Mikhailov
• Khalid Murtazaliev vs. Mike Shipman
• Marcirley Alves da Silva vs. Jerrell Hodge
• Michael Blockhus vs. Eli Mefford

The post Multiple Fights Added to Bellator 298, Which Stands at 19 Announced Bouts appeared first on Cageside Press.

He’s back there again this Saturday, fighting in Honolulu against Adli Edwards, a fighter he’s done his homework on.

“I heard he was tearing up the regional scene. Watched some tape on him, watched the Pico fight,” Kamaka (10-5-1) told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “He has skills everywhere. But I don’t really put too much thought in him. I prepare with the best guys every day, so I’m focusing on myself, rather.”

Kamaka is coming into the fight off a key win in Connecticut against Kevin Boehm, with the TKO finish improving his record to 4-1 in the promotion.

“I was happy about that performance. Just, you get to practice everything you do in fight week. I feel like I was better than Kevin— I feel like I’m better than all these guys that I fight, but I just get to practice a lot of things fight week that you don’t get to practice until fight week,” noted Kamaka. “Just the emotion, the weight cut, the diet, backstage— the warm-up, the things you eat — those kind of things you don’t get to practice until it’s fight time. And I got to practice things in-fight which you don’t get to practice other than sparring, which is not even a fight. It’s the closest thing to it, but you don’t get to practice those things until the fight.”

During this week’s Bellator 295 media day, Kamaka also spoke to Cageside Press about the importance of Bellator making Hawaii a regular stop on its touring schedule.

“I think it’s got to say something. I don’t know what Bellator’s doing different or what, but they’re getting it done. And I’m grateful for it,” espoused Kamaka.

“Growing up as a kid in Hawaii, I’ve seen like the biggest promotions come here, besides like the UFC, right? But I’ve seen the biggest promotions come here. K-1, Elite XC. I’ve been able to sit in those stands, be in those locker rooms, to now fighting in the biggest promotion that comes to my home state, in the arena that I grew up in. I grew up sitting in those stands, I grew up in those locker rooms watching my teammates, my uncles fighting in that arena, to winning a state championship in that arena. That arena means a lot to me, to the state of Hawaii, to a lot of these fighters, but I feel like me on this card, I feel like the arena means the most to me personally.”

After watching his uncles, including Ray Cooper II (PFL champ Ray Cooper III is Kamaka’s cousin), compete on the big stage at home, he now feels like “now I’m one of those guys to carry the torch and be in the big shows as a Hawaii guy. As they were, representing us against the guys from the mainland, coming down, fighting the Hawaiians. Now I feel like one of those guys. I’m not here fighting locals, I’m fighting ranked guys, professional fighters, full time fighters. For it to come to Hawaii and give me this opportunity, for the fourth time— I feel like besides Ilima I’m the only guy to fight in Hawaii on the Bellator Saturday card four times.”

The post Bellator 295: Kai Kamaka III Knows Adli Edwards Has Skills, but “I’m Focusing on Myself” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kamaka (10-5-1) previously competed for the UFC, and is now 2-1 since returning to Bellator last year.

Of late, Kamaka has been working on shoring up his wrestling game, working with a couple familiar names in training.

“In Vegas, Jeremy Kennedy and Mads Burnell, they kind of helped me the most, making those grappling gains,” Kamaka said following the fight. “Because I’m kind of a folkstyle wrestler, and those two guys, they’re not folkstyle wrestlers, they’re more greco and jiu-jitsu guys. So they’ve helped me gain a lot on the jiu-jitsu and the grappling side.”

The key for Kamaka moving into 2023, he said, is to “just stay active and keep getting better. I feel like my skills, I’m also improving, I don’t take any breaks. So just staying active, taking the baby steps, the steps that I haven’t taken over the past two years, just from always wanting the next big one, next big one, next big one.”

In terms of where he can improve, it’s less about skills, and more about just working on himself as a whole, he later explained. “I’ve still got to work on myself. I feel like that’s the only thing I’m fighting when I’m in there, is myself. It doesn’t matter the opponent, I have so many tools that it doesn’t matter the opponent, I’ve just got to be in control of myself.”

Watch the full Bellator 289 post-fight press conference with Kai Kamaka III above.

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