Icon Sport
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (January 2007) |
ICON Sport, formerly known as SUPERBRAWL Icon Sport, is a mixed martial arts (MMA) organization based in Honolulu, Hawaii. With shows dating back to 1995, the organization is one of the longest-running promotions in the United States.
ICON Sport is owned by President and Founder T. Jay Thompson. Patrick Freitas, a former television and advertising executive, is ICON Sport's Promoter. Events are held at the Neal Blaisdell Arena. Local fighters based in Hawaii are often showcased on ICON Sport fight cards. The organization has launched the careers of fighters such as Frank Shamrock, Vitor Belfort, Tim Sylvia, and Matt Hughes.
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[edit] Rules and regulations
ICON Sport lies outside the jurisdiction of sanctioning athletic commission bodies, and therefore does not abide by rules set in place by commissions such as the NSAC. All MMA competitions in Hawaii are currently regulated by the State's Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. ICON Sport uses a four-roped square ring with sides 7 m (approximately 23 ft) in length. Bouts are held with similar rules to PRIDE FC, including knees and stomps/kicks to the head of a downed opponent, which include several differences from the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts as established by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission.
House Bill 1866 (HB1866), a new law passed during the 2007 Hawaii Legislative Session, will implement new rules and regulations for Hawaii MMA in July of 2009. The new law gives increased powers to the Hawaii DCCA office, including mandatory drug testing, neurological exams, and medical insurance for fighters.
ICON Sport circulates championship titles in the following weight classes:
- Middleweight, which suits competitors up to 185 lb
- Welterweight, which suits competitors up to 170 lb
- Flyweight, which suits competitors up to 135 lb
Although championship titles are circulated in those divisions, open-weight bouts have been hosted in ICON Sport events due to the lack of a governing athletic commission for mixed martial arts in Hawaii.
[edit] Notable fighters
- Jason "Mayhem" Miller, former ICON Middleweight Champion, UFC and WFA veteran
- Falaniko Vitale, former ICON Middleweight Champion, UFC veteran
- "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler, former ICON Middleweight Champion, UFC and PRIDE veteran
- Frank Trigg, former ICON Middleweight Champion, UFC veteran, PRIDE fighter and announcer
- Renato "Charuto" Verissimo, UFC Veteran, Rumble on the Rock veteran
- Phil Baroni, UFC and PRIDE veteran
- Kala Hose, ICON Middleweight Champion
- Po'ai Suganuma, Pancrase veteran
- Jeremy "Half Man Half Amazing" Williams
- Masanori Suda, former ICON Middleweight Champion, PRIDE, Shooto, and DEEP veteran
- Nick Ring, DEEP veteran
- KJ Noons, Elite XC Lightweight Champion
- Jason Dent, UFC veteran
- Anthony "The Crush" Torres, The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight contestant
[edit] Current champions
| Division | Champion | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Middleweight (84 kg/185 lb) |  Kala Hose |
March 15, 2008 |
| Welterweight (77 kg/170 lb) |  Sidney Silva |
December 1, 2006 |
| Lightweight (70 kg/155 lb) | Justin Bucholz |
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| Flyweight (61 kg/135 lb) | Mark Oshiro |
December 1, 2006 |
[edit] External links
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