‘The Beast’ returns to
islands for X-1 card

After a five-year hiatus, "The Beast" is returning to Hawaii.

Dan "The Beast" Severn, one of the most renowned and decorated fighters in the world, will fight Shannon "The Cannon" Ritch as part of a triple main event for tomorrow's Extreme Wars X-1 card at Blaisdell Arena.

It's the first fight for Severn (65-11-7) in Hawaii since February 2000, and the second time he will fight Ritch (32-48) in the last month. The two squared off in Alaska with Severn winning by keylock submission in the second round.

"It was an interesting match we had," Severn said. "There's a big size difference and he caught me with a couple moves, but I was able to get out and eventually submitted him."

Severn is 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds while Ritch is 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds. But there is no difference when it comes to experience in the sport as both men unofficially have competed in at least 80 fights.

"(Ritch) might be one of the only guys who has been as active as I have, but I spot him quite a few years in age," said Severn, who turned 51 last month.

Severn is a pioneer in mixed martial arts, bursting on the scene by winning an eight-man tournament in 1995 before defeating "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock a year later. That helped Severn become the third member inducted into the UFC hall of fame.

Despite his continued success, Severn has been turned down by the UFC in recent attempts to return to the promotion he dominated in the mid 1990s.

"Sometimes I wonder why they are bringing back the Ken Shamrock's, the Kimo's, the Tank Abbott's, but not me," he said. "I'd like to think I'm their most decorated champion but they haven't given me any consideration."

He holds a record 14 titles from a variety of promotions around the world, but in the last few years he has used his name recognition as a platform for various other endeavors. He created an MMA promotion in 1999 that showcases amateur fighters, and last year started a series of seminars around the country that teaches various ground techniques to help people protect themselves in hostile situations.

"I still have a passion for this sport and I care about the direction it is taking," Severn said. "In some ways I think there are a few things that could be done to make the sport more exciting and marketable that companies haven't really hit on yet."

The other matches include Ricco "Suave" Rodriguez, fresh off his Rumble on the Rock victory against Scott Junk, taking on Ruben "Warpath" Villarreal, and Jeff Monson fighting Rich Wilson.

Rodriguez (16-4), a former UFC heavyweight champion, is excited to fight for the second time in Hawaii.

"I feel comfortable here," Rodriguez said. "Hawaii's starting to get some big shows and it's something I want to be part of for the next one or two years."

The card features matches between a top team of Hawaii fighters and a top team of fighters from the mainland assembled by Chris Brennan, a three-time King of the Cage champion. Fighters from Hawaii participating in the event are Ronald Jhun, Mark Moreno, Harris Sarmiento, Kaleo Kwon, Sydney Silva, and Brazilian Johny.

Tickets for the event, ranging from $35-$100, are still on sale with the fights beginning at 7 p.m.