Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 36, Number 8, 1 Malaki 2019 — MODERN DAY WARRIORS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MODERN DAY WARRIORS

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Above, with herflog bearers close behind, and the championship beltand Hawaiian flag wrapped around her, llima-Lei enters the Neal S. Blais- > dell Center-Arena to defend her M .-.i • .1/1 • i

title against Valerie Letourneau. ■ Photo: Courtesy of Esther i lin/NUM Fighting

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As she made her way to the center stage of the sold-out Neil S. Blaisdell Arena, Ilima-Lei "The Ilimanator" Macfarlane could feel the swelling emohon and energy of thousands of fans cheer-

ing her on in her hometown. The sound of the pū, followed by chanting, filled the area as a processional of kumu and cultural practitioners, dressed in mahiole and malo and carrying Hawaiian flags, guided Macfarlane into the Bellator Hawai'i MMA event. As she made her way to the cage draped in a Hawaiian flag and lei, she sang along with the crowd to her chosen anthem, "All Hawai'i Stands Together" by Dennis Pavao. "Everyone was singing along to it," Macfarlane recalled. "Everyone knows that song and it was such a poweiful moment that showed how unified we all are."

This "ehieken skin" moment would later heeome the most memorable entrance of Bellator Hawai'i, with over 50,000 views online. That night, Marcfarlane successfully defended her title as Bellator Wonien's Flyweight World Champion for the second time. "It was always my dream to fight at home in front of my family and friends, because not everyone ean travel to the mainland to eome watch me fight," she said. "So when I finally got the opportunity at Bel-

lator Hawai'i, I realized that it was way bigger than that. It turned out to be an opportunity to show the world not only the talent that we have in Hawai'i

with all the loeal fighters, but also the atmosphere, the crowd, the arena. We got to show them so mueh more and I got to show the world a little sliver of our

Hawaiian culture in the walkout. It was an incredible moment and opportunity to share Hawai'i with the world." Born and raised on O'ahu, Native Hawaiian Ilima-Lei Macfarlane is blazing a path for women fighters in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA). As a professional fighter for Bellator MMA Maefarlane starterl fivhtmma, ivtacīanane startea ngnt-

ing professionally in San Diego in 2015, and she currently holds a fight record of 9-0. Macfarlane has several fighter nicknames given to her including "The Ilimanator," "Pineapple Princess" and "Wahine Toa," a Native Hawaiian woman warrior. "It always gives me such an immense sense of pride when

my supporters eall me a wahine toa. Its also a very heavy thing to be called. It comes with a great sense of responsibility to carry yourself as wahine toa," said Macfarlane.

Family is the main motivator for Macfarlane. Being the youngest of six siblings, Macfarlane ui siA aiuiui^», iviauiaiiauc

grew up in a big Hawaiian household in Nu'uanu Valley, with parents who remain her biggest supporters and source of inspiration. Macfarlane is proud of her Native Hawaiian roots and represents Hawai'i in eaeh one of her fights abroad. However, since almost all MMA matches happens on the continental U.S., fighting at home in Hawai'i was always a goal for Macfarlane. "I am a Native Hawaiian. My roots are back

in Hawai'i, that's my home," she reflected. "We're representing our families, our people, and it doesn't matter where we are in the world. We're going to eome out with our flag on no matter what." As a descendant of the Hawaiian warrior chief Kahahawai, Macfarlane draws strength from her culture, kūpuna, family, and coaches to continue fighting professionally. "There is definitely a reason why Hawaiians are drawn to MMA. It's part of our DNA, it's part of our history.

it's part of our eulture. We are drawn to it and we are still warriors." Native Hawaiians have played a significant role in MMA from its beginning, with decorated fighters like UFC Hall-of-Famer "The Prodigy" BJ Penn and the current UFC

featherweight ehampion Max "Blessed" Holloway being recognized on an international level for their success in the sport. (See helow for additional profiles.) "Seeing such a strong Native Hawaiian presence in MMA I think is incredibly badass. I love the fact that Native Hawaiian fighter is our identity." Outside of the ring, she works as a mentor with Intertribal Youth, a San Diego-based non-profit organization that works with native and indigenous youth, using her platform to support and bring awareness to indigenous issues. Macfarlane earned her Bachelor's Degree in Cultural Anthropology and a Master of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies with a focus on indigenous issues from San Diego State University. As an offshoot of her work with Intertribal Youth, Macfarlane partners with the organization to offer "The Illimanator" Scholarship, whieh provides indigenous and native girls the fighting ehanee to further their education. She used funds from her first MMA belt win to start the scholarship for 13 to 19-year-old indigenous girls. After getting some mueh needed rest and time off following her win at Bellator Hawai'i, Macfarlane is now back in training, preparing for an upcoming fight in San Jose on April 27, 2019. Her fans await eagerly to see what's next for this mixed martial artist. Although still in the making, Macfarlane's legacy both in and out of the MMA cages continues to encourage and inspire Hawaiians to work together and fight for a better future. "I feel like fighting has allowed me to be a teacher, just in a different classroom," said Macfarlane. "My mission with this scholarship is to provide young native girls a fighting ehanee to not only succeed, but to live," she said. "Statistically, indigenous women and girls face the highest rates of violence and have some of the highest numbers of missing and murdered peoples. I want to give young native girls hope that there is more to this life than the one they know. I want to give them the confidence to fight back, the opportunity to see outside of the rez or the islands, and the strength to realize their divine feminine power." ■

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Above, llima Macfarlane wilh her Bellalor 'ohana.

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Native Hawaiians have maintained a dominant presence in the world of professional mixed martial arts since it's early days in the mid-1990's. Here's a brief overview of just some of the many prominent Native Hawaiian MMA fighters:

īl»AVIS "MAPA" I3POWNI: Browne held a strong presence in the heavyweight class in the UFC and other fight leagues. He won the MMAbased reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddeli vs. Team 0rtiz. He is currently married to Ronda Rousey, former women's bantamweight ehampion and actress. Fhoto: UFC.com

KI:MDAI.I. "DA SPYDER" GRGVE From Wailuku, Maui, Grove has fought across multiple leagues including the UFC and Bellator MMA, and attained notoriety winning The Ultimate Fighter 3, an MMA-based reality TV series. Grove proudly wears a large tattoo of King Kamehameha on his back. Fhoto: ESFN.com

wnmĒ d MAX "I3I.I:SSI:D" MCI.I.CWAY From Wai'anae, 0'ahu, Holloway is the current undisputed UFC featherweight ehampion, with a 20-3 record. Holloway speaks frequently about and credits his hometown for his warrior spirit. Fholo: ESPN.com

YANCY "ĪMI: KID" MI:DI:IRCS A Makaha, 0'ahu native and a Wai'anae High School graduate, Medeiros currently fights in the welterweight division of the UFC, and has a record of 15-6. He is the nephew of David "Kawika" Pa'aluhi (see right) and credits him for inspiring him to fight. Pholo: ESFN.com

13 J "īl-ll: l»RCDIGY" PIENN Undeniably the most prolific and successful Native Hawaiian MMA fighter in history, Penn is known around the world, having earned and defended the K-1 and UFC's championship belts numerous times across multiple weight classes. He currently resides in his hometown of Hilo, and has an MMA gym franchise. Fhoto: Bleochecceport.com

DAVID "KAWIKA" PA'ALUMI A pioneer of professional Hawaiian MMA fighting, Pa'aluhi was the very first Native Hawaiian to step into an MMA ring here and win at FutureBrawls 1 and 2 at Gussie L'amour's in Honolulu, in 1996. He now trains his two kids, Raquel (see right) and David "Bubba" in MMA at his gym, the Hakuilua Training Center in their hometown of Wai'anae. Pheio: Tapolegy.com

RAGUI:I. PA'AI.UMI I Oneofthefirstfemale professional MMA fighters in Hawai'i, Raquel credits f her father for encouraging her to pursue a career in combat sports. In addition to MMA, she has a black belt in Brazilian | Jiu-Jitsu and has several , lnternational Brazilian JiuJitsu World Championship titles. Raquel credits one of Kamehameha's top warriors as their ancestor. Photo: Wombotsports.com

RAY "I3RADDAM" CCCPI:R. JR. Another fighter from the early days of professional MMA in Hawai'i, Cooper, Jr. Fought and won at SuperBrawl 3 at the Neal Blaisdell Arena in 1997. accrued a 14-9 record against notable opponents across multiple weight classes over his decade long career, and now trains his sons. Fhoto: Sherdog.com

RAY "I3RADDAM I3CY" CCCPI:R. III 2018 was a stellar year for "Braddah Boy," and he is regarded as a rising star to watch - setting records for fastest knockouts in the first round: :04, :08, :12, and :18. Last year, he famously defeated an opponent who had beaten his father at the Neal Blaisdell Arena 14 years prior. Pholo: Topotogy.com