From ‘Waianae’s Bad Boy’ to PFL Welterweight Hopeful
After 15 years in mixed martial arts, Zane Kamaka started to wonder if the call from a major promotion would ever come. He need not wonder any longer. The Professional Fighters League signed the Hawaiian to compete as a welterweight during its 2019 season. Grateful for the opportunity, Kamaka has designs on proving to the PFL that it made the right decision.
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“Back in the day, there were a lot of good fighters that just didn’t get their chance and weren’t seen,” Kamaka told Sherdog.com, “and I feel bad for [them]. I was starting to feel that maybe I was one of those guys who’s not going to get my chance [and] ain’t going to make it. I just stuck it out.”
Kamaka’s path to the sport was what you might consider
nontraditional. In his youth, he was dubbed “Waianae’s Bad Boy” by
friends because, as he puts it, he just liked going “out partying
and doing stupid s---.” His behavior forced his father to intervene
and guide his son in using his energies towards something a little
more meaningful, like going to a gym and working out. Eventually,
that training evolved and provided his first encounters with combat
sports.
“[My father] just bought a heavy bag one day, and we started punching the bag,” Kamaka said. “Then he bought a pair of mitts, and then he just asked me if I wanted to try fighting, and I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’”
Kamaka competed in his first amateur MMA bout at 15, and nothing was ever the same for him. “I’m happy I found MMA, because it really changed my lifestyle,” he said. “I liked to drink and do whatever, but now I eat healthy and stay healthy.” For the last 14 years, Kamaka has toiled away on the Hawaiian MMA scene. Seeing Holloway’s rise to prominence -- they are Gracie Technics teammates -- has often led him to wonder when his opportunity would come.
“I was waiting for Bellator, I was waiting for [the] UFC, I was waiting for One Championship,” he said, “but none of them [offered a deal].”
As he waited for the chance to ply his craft on a major stage, Kamaka became a fan of the Professional Fighters League before he even considered it as a potential home. As a fighter who has seen the unpredictable nature of the industry, he was pessimistically hopeful about its future.
“I watched the whole season. It was awesome,” Kamaka said. “I don’t want to say I doubted them, but throughout my MMA career, I’ve been promised this [and] promised that. I believe it when I see it nowadays.”
Once the season came to completion and six million-dollar checks were handed out and cashed, Kamaka knew it was a legitimate company with which he wanted to link arms. It almost happened sooner than expected. When one fighter had to relinquish his spot due to injury during the inaugural season, Kamaka’s manager was contacted about the possibility of his stepping in. However, since the notice was so short, his weight was not where it needed to be prior to the event. Even though a deal never materialized, Kamaka was boosted by the knowledge that he was on the PFL radar for Season 2.
“[They] got back to me and said, ‘You know what? Your weight’s too high. Maybe we should just wait till next season,’” Kamaka said. “It wasn’t written in stone, but I kind of had a feeling I was going to go that PFL route.”
With a deal now set in stone, Kamaka will compete in several regular-season bouts and has the chance to appear on major broadcast platforms like ESPN2 and ESPN+. He has finally secured the opportunity for which he has worked so hard.
“I’m happy for this. I’m happy to make it,” Kamaka said. “PFL is an awesome organization and I truly am blessed, and I thank God every day for this opportunity. I was fighting on these small circuits for years. I was fighting before Instagram and all this social media bulls---. There’s fights I have that guys don’t even know about because I’ve been doing this so long. I’m only 29 years old, but I’ve been in the game for so long. I just hope nobody’s sleeping on me, man.”
In addition to the financial possibilities, Kamaka appreciates the PFL’s approach to scheduling.
“PFL is guaranteed fights,” he said. “I’m not stressing about if I have another fight or stressing about if I’m going to get another payday. The PFL format is awesome. Fighters want to stay busy. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I like to go out and party and have fun. [A busy schedule] keeps you in the gym. It keeps you focused. It’s definitely going to help me to be a better mixed martial artist and keep me out of trouble.”
Kamaka will make his PFL debut on May 9, when he faces Cooper at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Before his submission defeat to Magomed Magomedkerimov on New Year’s Eve, Cooper had established himself as the league’s breakout star and its preeminent wrecking machine. Kamaka vows to stay calm in a high-pressure situation.
“I don’t get nervous before fights,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. My mindset going into a fight is this. This guy I’m fighting trains just as hard as me. Everybody at this level can wrestle, everyone’s got jiu-jitsu, everybody can [strike], everybody can fight. It’s just [about] who wants it more. I don’t think they want it more than me, bro. This is a fighter’s dream to get the call from an organization like the PFL. It might be a bigger arena, it might be a bigger crowd, but when we’re in that cage, the cage is all the same. It’s him and me, his corner and my corner. I’ve just got to have that tunnel vision and stay focused. I know how big this fight is, trust me.”
Kamaka’s unwavering belief that he will not be outworked buoys his confidence; and despite Cooper’s reputation as a knockout puncher, Kamaka thinks it would be foolish for his fellow Hawaiian to stand with him.
“Ray Cooper is a really good fighter and I’m super happy for him and what he did last season,” Kamaka said, “but this is the fight game, and it’s kill or be killed. My striking is world-class, and I promise you right now, if he stands with me, it’s going to be a long night for him.”
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