It's a monumental week for Hawaii's Kai Kamaka III as the Kamehameha graduate prepares for the biggest fight of his career.
For the first time, the 29-year-old will headline a card, facing Brendan Loughnane (29-5) in the semifinals of PFL MMA's $1 million featherweight championship tournament in Washington, D.C.
"It's a big deal," Kamaka said. "You give me goosebumps just saying that because as a kid, I didn't know what was to come. I was so young in the sport, which was young itself, right? I kind of grew up with the sport, like my eyes grew up with the sport. So for it to be where it's at now and to still be a part of it, to still be going but also keep climbing, it means the world to me."
Kamaka, a veteran of both UFC and Bellator before joining the PFL, boasts a 14-5 record. Despite the allure of the million-dollar prize, Kamaka is more focused on his lifelong dream of becoming a champion.
"The money's nice," Kamaka acknowledged. "The bigger thing is I'm one fight away from a world title shot, right? So like my number one contender fight, world title shot in a major promotion, that means more to me than anything."
Reflecting on his journey in the sport, Kamaka noted the evolution of MMA and the opportunities it now presents.
"When I first learned about this sport, there was no money," he said. "You would just see guys traveling to Hawaii. The biggest names, those were like mega stars when they would come in. I used to be backstage just wanting to shake their hand or see how they warm up or see what they do as professional fighters. Now, we get this opportunity to fight for $1 million and a world title. That means more. Like the money, there was never any money in this sport when I first learned about it. So, it's hard to wrap my head around the money. It's nice, financially, as a family man, but it also means that I'm a world champion at the same time."
Also on the card is Kamaka's cousin, two-time PFL champion Ray Cooper III (25-10-1), who will face Mukhamed Berkhamov (16-2) in the main event of the prelims. That fight is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. HST on ESPN+.
Kamaka's main card bout is scheduled for 4 p.m. HST on ESPN.