CHICAGO — Last weekend, Kai Kamaka III was just like everybody else in or from Hawaii who follows mixed martial arts – stunned in the best possible sense.

Max Holloway’s last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje for the BMF Belt at UFC 300 was inspiring for Kamaka, who on Friday afternoon makes his debut in the Professional Fighters League in a featherweight matchup with Bubba Jenkins at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

What You Need To Know

  • Ewa Beach native Kai Kamaka III makes his Professional Fighters League debut on Friday afternoon with a matchup against Bubba Jenkins in the PFL's ESPN-televised featherweight tournament at Wintrust Arena in Chicago

  • Kamaka, who won his last three fights under the Bellator MMA banner, was initially uncertain of his future when the PFL absorbed Bellator late last year

  • He called the opportunity to compete in the PFL regular season a "blessing" and hopes to represent Hawaii and his family well

  • Kamaka was inspired by Max Holloway's finish against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300

“That was awesome. That was spectacular,” Kamaka, an Ewa Beach native who lives in Las Vegas, told Spectrum News in an interview this week. “Glad that Max did that. What he's doing for Hawaii just off of his name, it's huge, you know? I'm fortunate enough to be tagging along (in) that wave, so I just got to do my part and win this fight.”

It will be the third major MMA organization that Kamaka has fought in. When Bellator MMA was absorbed by the PFL late last year, his immediate future was unclear and he called the situation “kind of messy” without knowledge of when, where or who he’d fight next.

But he was familiar with the PFL with his cousin, Ray Cooper III, fighting under its banner, and had been part of some of Cooper’s training camps. He eventually got clarity in the form of the PFL’s featherweight tournament, in which he is one of 12 fighters competing for a $1 million final prize.

“It's kind of a blessing,” said Kamaka, 29. “Because if you keep winning, you're gonna keep fighting.”

Over multiple fights, Kamaka (12-5-1) will attempt to place in the top four in a regular-season points system. Subsequently, there is a playoff to settle the $1 million prize.

Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw. Up to three bonus points are awarded for stoppages, depending on how early in the fight they happen.

His fight against the 36-year-old Jenkins (21-7) leads off Friday’s PFL main card at 3:30 p.m. Hawaii time on ESPN.

Kamaka won his last three fights in Bellator while Jenkins went 2-1 in the 2023 PFL regular season.

“He’s gotta wrestle me. That’s his path to victory,” Kamaka said. “I want to make him wrestle. I want to force him to wrestle, force him to use energy. Test his age, use my youth.”

Kamaka has been around MMA since he was small. Now, 19 fights into his career, he said he feels as fresh as ever because of the experience he’s gained in preparation.

“I just feel like I’m getting younger, as a professional,” he said. “I'm focused more on recovery, more on sleep, but more attention to detail and film. And then those things make my other attributes better – my athleticism, my striking, my wrestling, my footwork. They all play a part with each other.”

As he follows his cousin’s footsteps and attempts to add to what Holloway accomplished last weekend, Kamaka said his mind will be on his home state and his family.

“I just want to make the people I sacrifice for happy.”

Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.