Ruthless, Mayhem engage

Six Red Bull energy drinks in 30 minutes.

That's the first thing Icon Sport founder T.J. Thompson remembers about his first Super Brawl card more than 10 years ago.

"I had no idea what it was at the time," Thompson said. "I was so excited and nervous for the event that I drank a bunch just before the card."

Thompson was amped up for his first mixed martial arts event that drew nearly 3,000 people to the Blaisdell Arena. Ten years later, he's hoping for a few more fans as Icon Sport (formerly Super Brawl) presents its 10th anniversary show tomorrow night, highlighted by the world middleweight title fight between champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler and challenger Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

"When we started, I had no idea what I was doing," Thompson said. "Forty-nine shows later, I still barely know what I'm doing."

Icon Sport has become one of the longest-running mixed martial arts promotions in the United States, and has showcased the best fighters in the world, including UFC champions Tim Sylvia (heavyweight), Rich Franklin (middleweight) and Matt Hughes (welterweight), along with Pat Miletich, Frank Shamrock, Josh Barnett, Jens Pulver, Takanori Gomi and Vitor Belfort, whose first MMA fight was in Super Brawl's second show.

It hasn't always been a smooth ride, as Thompson has had to overcome more than his share of obstacles. Just prior to Super Brawl's eighth show in August 1998, then-Gov. Ben Cayetano approved a law that outlawed street fighting in Hawaii. Not knowing what would happen, Thompson decided to go along with his event, and the show went off without any interruption.

"We had no idea if we would get shut down midway through or what," Thompson said.

Through various loopholes, the company stayed afloat long enough to reach its milestone event on June 1, 1999, when local favorite Egan Inoue fought Marcelo Tiger in the main event. Despite Tiger being disqualified for excessive fouling in the fight, it was a coming-out party for Thompson, as he was able to sell out Blaisdell Arena.

"Eight-thousand people were at that fight, but at least 20,000 people today will say they were there," Thompson said. "That's the first card we had news coverage for and basically was a milestone for us."

In 10 years, the sport of mixed martial arts has grown on a level that "you can't even put into words," according to Thompson. The early days of standing and throwing punches until someone is knocked out have been replaced by an all-around style of fighting. Most current fighters must be well-trained in all aspects of the game, including wrestling, grappling and jiu-jitsu.

As part of the movement to get away from the idea that mixed martial arts was just a form of bar fighting, Thompson ditched the old Super Brawl name he had for his events, and replaced it with Icon Sport.

"The Super Brawl name just didn't fit the product," Thompson said. "We want to introduce the uninitiated to this sport, and it's important to us to show the different dimensions of just how much of an art form mixed martial arts is."

Tomorrow night's main event is the first Icon fight in history that will be five 5-minute rounds, and features a clash of styles. It will be the perfect showcase to understand how diverse the sport has become.

Lawler (11-3), who is known for his incredible punching power, knocked out Niko Vitale for the belt last year, and then did the same thing in a rematch they had seven months later. Miller (16-4) enters the fight a perfect 7-0 in Hawaii, with five of those wins coming by submission, and has won only two fights by knockout in his career.

"I won't be standing in front of him waiting to get hit, obviously, and I'm pretty sure he won't be jumping into my guard either," Miller said.

Whoever can impose his own style should have the advantage in the fight, but both are confident they can handle each other's strengths.

"It's not like I'll be afraid on the ground," Lawler said. "The hardest part is not taking me down, it's keeping me down."

Two state titles will also be up for grabs as Kimo Woefel and Sydney Silva fight for the 170-pound title, and Chico Cantiberos and Kevin Delima clash for the 145-pound title.

"This card is going to live up to everything Icon Sport is about," Thompson said. "This is the cream of the crop and I'm going to enjoy it."

Even without the Red Bulls.