Senator claims Hawaii tourism leaders oppose UFC Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Max Holloway's second victory over Jose Aldo in Detroit earlier this month accompanied with Yancy Mederios jaw-dropping bout with Alex Oliveira hyped up Hawaii fans like never before. And word of bringing UFC to the islands began buzzing around again.

Mederios said hosting a bout at Aloha Stadium would be a dream come true.

"I see the UFC cameras on me I'm like, 'K Hawaii, I'm about to turn up!' I feel the support coming, all the mana, coming all the way from there, when people hug me, and it's greatly appreciated. I can go in with a smile before battle or before war knowing that I have this backing on me," said UFC Welterweight Fighter Yancy Medeiros.

On Monday, Holloway tweeted, "The Hawaii Tourism Authority is concerned UFC Hawaii might attract problems outside the Octagon. Fair play to them. They're trying to protect our home. But let's let them know MMA is about respect and Hawaii fans will make sure of that."

State Sen. Glenn Wakai, chair of the Economic Development, Tourism, and Technology committee, said he met with the HTA about the idea. But said the agency wasn't very receptive to supporting a UFC fight.

"In their mind, they see that UFC fight fans are hooligans and kind of undesirables that we shouldn't be luring to Hawaii. My response to that is, Hawaii Tourism Authority, you're there to promote Hawaii for economic development. You're not the department of morality," Senator Wakai said.

HTA's chairman, lawyer Rick Fried, said those allegations are false and said they would be happy to support UFC Hawaii if it draws in enough tourists and spending and if UFC's asking price is reasonable.

"We have no idea what they want. But if the proposal makes sense, they don't want an outrageous amount of money, I think it could well happen," Fried said.

Fried said UFC's proposal could be here within weeks.

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