GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Wesley "Cabbage" Correira and Gary Goodridge met for a "staredown" at Ala Moana's center stage yesterday.

Cabbage, Junk
want to cash in

The Hawaii fighters get a chance to
compete on the big stage tomorrow

All Scott Junk and Wesley "Cabbage" Correira want is a puncher's chance, and in a K-1 World Grand Prix tournament, a puncher's chance is all you need.

The two local fighters are on opposite sides of the bracket and look to make history in tomorrow night's eight-man heavyweight tournament as part of the K-1 World Grand Prix.

It's the first K-1 tournament held in Hawaii, and will be held at Aloha Stadium, where promoters are hoping to draw more than 13,400 fans, which would make it the biggest martial-arts event in United States history.

"You only usually see Pro Bowls at Aloha Stadium, not fights," Correira said. "To me it's such a privilege to be involved in such a landmark event as this."

The card will also feature three super fights, including Hilo native B.J. Penn against Renzo Gracie in a mixed-martial-arts match, and Akebono taking on Hong-Man Choi in a revenge match from a fight Choi won in Korea earlier this year. Musashi and Sweden's Rickard Nordstrand will also do battle.

This heavyweight tournament is one of six regional Grand Prix tournaments that K-1 holds each year. The six winners, along with two other chosen fighters, will join the eight finalists from last year's World Grand Prix to comprise the 16-man 2005 World Grand Prix tournament.

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Scott Junk and B.J. Penn, two of the fighters on tomorrow night's K-1 card at Aloha Stadium, spoke to the media last week.

The 16 participants will be paired randomly to fight in Osaka in September and the final eight advance to the World Grand Prix Final at the Tokyo Dome in November. It's a tournament so prestigious in Japan it has exceeded sumo in popularity, and is the opportunity of a lifetime for fighters like Correira and Junk.

"To be participating in this Grand Prix is like putting my foot in the door," Correira said. "Now I just have to make my other foot follow to get in the door."

It will be a new challenge for Correira, as he has never fought under K-1 rules before.

The main difference between K-1 and mixed martial arts is the lack of jiu-jitsu involved. There is no fighting on the ground, wrestling and judo throws are not allowed, and using elbows is illegal.

Each fighter's ability to stand and punch is the most important, which suits Correira just fine.

"In (MMA), half the time I'm worried about these kids shooting in and trying to take me down," Correira said. "Now I can do some crazy stuffs."

While "Cabbage" is a familiar name in the mixed-martial-arts community, Junk is a newcomer to the national scene. After proving he could hang with former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez at the last Rumble on the Rock show, Junk now finds himself thrust into the biggest opportunity of his young martial-arts career.

"Everything that has happened (since the Rodriguez fight) has just been so crazy," Junk said. "I remember watching the UFC when Big Daddy (Gary Goodridge) was in it and I've seen Carter Williams knock out so many people, it's just an honor to be in the same category with them."

Goodridge, who will be Correira's first round opponent, and Williams join Butterbean, Marcus Royster, Hiromi Amada and Yusuke Fujimoto in the 8-man tournament. The Goodridge vs. Cabbage fight has drawn the most public interest out of any of the first round fights. Both are 6-foot-3 and known for their strong chins and vicious punching skills.

"It's going to be an exciting fight and fans are going to see what Cabbage can bring to the boxing world," Correira said.

The endurance and stamina needed to fight three times in one night will have as much to do with winning this tournament as anything.

While most of the other fighters have competed in the K-1 tournament before, neither Junk nor Correira have ever fought in a one-day tournament.

"I've dropped 20 pounds not even trying for this fight, and we've been training so hard that I'll be ready," Junk said. "I guarantee a good showing and I guarantee I'm coming to fight."

Experience is why Williams is the prohibitive favorite in the tournament. He exploded onto the K-1 scene by winning the 2003 World Grand Prix Las Vegas, his first ever K-1 tournament. Since then it's been a rough road for Williams, who is just 4-6 in K-1 fights since, and is on the verge of missing out on the Grand Prix finals for the second straight year.

"I know this tournament is my last shot, it's resting in the back of my mind," Williams said. "Every time I go out and fight there's pressure, so this isn't anything different."

This is Williams' second fight in Hawaii. He defeated Tom Howard in a mixed-martial-arts event here last year.

"I was so excited when I heard I got the chance to come back out here to fight," Williams said. "I used to watch all the football games held (at Aloha Stadium), and to be able to fight there is just a dream come true."

The first preliminary fight is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are still available.