Falaniko "Niko" Vitale is a retired American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

. He competed in the Middleweight division and has fought in the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, Bellator, Strikeforce, the IFL, and

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

. He is a former SuperBrawl Middleweight Champion, and also won the X-1 Middleweight Tournament.

Background

Vitale was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and is a native of

Waipahu, Hawaii Waipahu () is a former sugarcane plantation town and now census-designated place (CDP) located in the Ewa District on the island of Oahu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 43, ...

. He is of mixed Samoan, Chinese, German, and Portuguese descent. He graduated from Waipahu High School and was a star

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

in football, going on to play for the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Vitale made his professional debut in 1999 against future UFC veteran

Aaron Riley Aaron Matthew Riley (born December 9, 1980) is a retired American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 1997 to 2013, he has also formerly ...

and won via

TKO TKO may refer to: Sports * Technical knockout, a professional fighting term * Total Knock Out, a professional wrestling move Music Artists * TKO (band), a rock band from Seattle, Washington * TKO, a pop group led by Katie White Albums * ''TKO ...

. Vitale would then go on to win his next three fights, his fourth career bout being his

debut, before being handed his first professional loss by Japanese fighter Yasuhito Namekawa by a

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while st ...

submission in the

RINGS Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

organization. He compiled a career record of 13–2 with only one fight outside of his Hawaii (his

debut in California) before making his UFC debut.

UFC

Vitale made his UFC debut at UFC 43 against

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spo ...

Matt Lindland Matthew James Lindland (born May 17, 1970), also known as The Law, is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Olympic Games, Olympic wrestler, speaker, actor, coach, entrepreneur and politician. He won the Oregon ...

in Nevada and won in a spectacular and very unusual slam knockout in which Lindland attempted to slam Vitale but landed on his own head knocking himself out. Vitale then mounted Lindland and the referee stopped the match. Two fights later, the two would have a rematch at UFC 45, which would result in a loss for Vitale after he submitted due to strikes.

Post-UFC

In his next fight Vitale bounced back with a win over former UFC Middleweight Champion

Dave Menne David Jeremy Menne (born July 29, 1974) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the first ever UFC Middleweight Champion and has also competed for Cage Rage, Bellator, Shooto, ADCC and RINGS. Background Menne was born in Minneapolis, M ...

via unanimous decision. Two fights later, Vitale defeated future UFC veteran

Yushin Okami is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2002, Okami has competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Pancrase, M-1 Global, World Series of Fighting, DEEP, Professional Fighters League, and ONE Championship. Mixed martial ar ...

via split decision. Vitale had a five-fight winning streak before losing three consecutive fights to

Robbie Lawler Robert Lawler (born March 20, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist who has been competing since 2001. He is the former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in Strikeforc ...

Jason "Mayhem" Miller Jason Nicholas Miller (born December 24, 1980) best known as Mayhem Miller is an American mixed martial arts fighter and TV host. Miller coaches fighters in Irvine, California at Mayhem Martial Arts and has trained extensively with Kings MMA i ...

, and then lost in the rematch with Lawler. Vitale bounced back with a win but then lost again in his IFL debut in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

against Jeremy Horn via split decision.

Strikeforce

Three fights after his loss to Horn, Vitale made his Strikeforce debut, winning after his opponent submitted due to strikes. In his next fight under the Strikeforce banner, Vitale lost to

Trevor Prangley Trevor Prangley (born 24 August 1972) is a South African mixed martial artist. He has fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Dream, King of the Cage, MFC, the SFL, Shark Fights, and Bodog Fight. He competed in the Middleweight and Light ...

via referee decision. Three fights later, Vitale returned in a bout against

Frank Trigg Dewey Franklin Trigg III (born May 7, 1972) is an American retired mixed martial artist, color commentator, pro wrestler, MMA referee and TV host. Trigg is a veteran of the UFC, Pride Fighting Championships, Rumble on the Rock, Icon Sport-(Icon ...

which he lost via unanimous decision.

Bellator

On January 28, 2011, Vitale signed a long-term deal with Bellator. He lost his debut fight against former Middleweight Champion

Hector Lombard In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

in a non-title fight.

King of the Cage

Vitale would return over a year later against Elmer Waterhen at KOTC - Ali'is on July 14, 2012. Vitale won via TKO in the first round. Vitale faced Jaime Jara at X-1 - Jara vs. Vitale on September 26, 2014. He lost the bout via second-round submission and subsequently retired from mixed martial arts.

Personal life

Vitale is married and has four children. He and his family are Christians.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 30–11 , Jaime Jara , Submission (rear-naked choke) , X-1: Jara vs. Vitale , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 30–10 , Elmer Waterhen , TKO (punches) , KOTC: Ali'is , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:36 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 29–10 ,

, KO (punch) , Bellator 44 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:54 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 29–9 , Dylan Clay , KO (punch) , X-1 Events: Champions III , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 ,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

, United States , Won the X-1 Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 28–9 , Kala Hose , Submission (ezekiel choke) , X-1 Events: Heroes , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 2:26 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 27–9 ,

Kalib Starnes Kalib Starnes (born January 6, 1975) is a Canadian mixed martial artist. Early life Starnes became involved in the martial arts at an early age and began teaching when he was a teenager. He started training in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie Ac ...

, Submission (ezekiel choke) , X-1 Events: Champions II , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–9 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Payback , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–8 , Ricky Shivers , TKO (cut) , X-1 Events: Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:49 , Hawaii, United States , Won the X-1 Middleweight Tournament. , - , Win , align=center, 25–8 , Joey Guel , Decision (unanimous) , X-1 Events: Champions , , align=center, 3 , , Hawaii, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–8 ,

, Decision (referee decision) , Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:12 ,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–7 , Ron Fields , Submission (strikes) , Strikeforce: Playboy Mansion , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:02 , California, United States , Catchweight (195 lbs) bout. , - , Win , align=center, 23–7 , Steve Renaud , Submission (strikes) , X-1: Grand Prix 2007 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7 , Mavrick Harvey , TKO (submission to strikes) , X-1: Extreme Fighting 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 , Hawaii, United States ,

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 , Jeremy Horn , Decision (split) , IFL: Oakland , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 4:00 , California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–6 , Tony Williams , KO , Extreme Wars 5: Battlegrounds , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:48 , Hawaii, United States ,

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 20–6 ,

, KO (punches) , Icon Sport: Lawler vs. Niko 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–5 , Jason Miller , Submission (rear naked choke) , Icon Sport: Opposites Attract , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:41 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–4 ,

, KO (punches) , Superbrawl: Icon , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:36 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 , Masanori Suda , KO (punch) , SB 39: Destiny , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:07 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 , Ron Fields , Submission (heel hook) , SuperBrawl 38 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:48 , Hawaii, United States ,

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 ,

, Decision (split) , SuperBrawl 36 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Keith Winters , Submission (toe hold) , SuperBrawl 34 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 , Hawaii, United States ,

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , SuperBrawl 33 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–3 ,

, TKO (submission to strikes) , UFC 45 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:23 ,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Justin Ellison , KO , SuperBrawl 31 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 ,

, KO (slam) , UFC 43 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:56 ,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Tyrone Roberts , Submission (toe hold) , SuperBrawl 28 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:26 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Sean McCully , Submission , SuperBrawl 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Pascal Gosselin , Submission (armbar) , UCC Hawaii: Eruption in Hawaii , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Charlie Wesr , Submission (toe hold) , Force Fighting Championships 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:15 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Jason Drexel , Submission (kimura) , SuperBrawl 23 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 , Sean Gray , TKO (punches) , Warriors Quest 3: Punishment in Paradise , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:47 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , John Renken , TKO , SuperBrawl 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Todd Medina , Decision (unanimous) , Warriors Quest 1: The New Beginning , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Dennis Reed , Submission (armbar) , SuperBrawl 21 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 , Hawaii, United States , Return to Middleweight. , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Ricardo Barros , TKO , Warriors of the New Millennium 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:44 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Yasuhito Namekawa , Submission (guillotine choke) , RINGS USA: Rising Stars Block B , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:27 , Hawaii, United States ,

debut. , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Aaron Torres , Submission (armbar) , KOTC 4: Gladiators , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:21 , California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ahmad Reese , TKO (submission to strikes) , Rage in the Cage 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Phil Ortiz , Submission (armbar) , SuperBrawl 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:39 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

, TKO , RITC 2: Marching of the Warriors , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:06 , Hawaii, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vitale, Falaniko Samoan male mixed martial artists American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Hawaii Middleweight mixed martial artists Living people Sportspeople from Honolulu 1974 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American Christians