To be honest, I wasn't sure he could beat a fighter like Brian Ortega. The fact that he did it so convincingly and brutally was amazing. Ortega has a ton of heart and a true warrior. I'm glad the doctor stopped it because he would have gone out for the last round and take some unnecessary, and possibly lifelong, damage.
Hawaii has another champion and when you drive through Waianae and see little kids sparring and grappling in the parks and beaches, as well as real life "scraps" as we call them here in Hawaii, there will be more champions to come. MMA is huge here. We don't have a football, basketball or baseball team but we have tons of local that grew up fighting and love to fight.
One thing that is different here than on the mainland is when there's a fight they let it go to the end and no one jumps in or pulls knives and guns or turn it into a gang brawl. There's always been some unwritten respect for two men/boys taking care of their disagreements by throwing hands and feet. They usually become the best of friends and the loser excepts his lost because it was a fair fight. I have many times been on the losing end but then it's over, you shake hands, and forget about it (but maybe train harder).
