Falaniko "Niko" Vitale is a retired American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He competed in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

, the IFL, and

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

. 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 Sugar plantations in Hawaii, plantation town and now census-designated place (CDP) located in the Ewa District on the island of Oahu, Oahu in the Honolulu County, Hawaii, City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, Hawai ...

. 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 educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Vitale made his professional debut in 1999 against future UFC veteran

Aaron Riley Aaron 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 compete ...

and won via

TKO A technical knockout (TKO) is a professional fighting term. TKO may also refer to: Sports * TKO, the name of a professional wrestling move referring to either the cutter or stunner variant * TKO Group Holdings, a combat sports company Music Ar ...

. 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 (born October 27, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division. Namekawa made his mixed martial arts debut for Fighting Network RINGS in 1998. He fought in mainly shootfighting bouts until 1999 when ...

by a

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compared 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 stan ...

submission in the RINGS 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

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

Matt Lindland Matthew James Lindland (born May 17, 1970), is an American retired mixed martial artist, Olympic wrestler, speaker, actor, coach, entrepreneur, and politician. He won the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for the Oregon House of Representati ...

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 retired 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 Minnea ...

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. He is regarded as one o ...

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

Robbie Lawler Robert Glenn Lawler (born March 20, 1982) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed between 2001 and 2023. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in ...

Jason "Mayhem" Miller Jason Miller (born December 24, 1980), best known as Mayhem Miller, is an American podcaster, mixed martial artist, coach, actor, and television host. He is currently “Mayhem the Newsman,” on thAdam Carolla Show. He previously trained with Ki ...

, 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 a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

against

Jeremy Horn Jeremy Graham Horn (born August 25, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist. Horn is best known for fighting in smaller American promotions, he has also competed in some of the premiere mixed martial arts organizations around the world, inclu ...

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 Li ...

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

Frank Trigg Frank Trigg (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, BAMMA, World Fighting Alliance, and has made prof ...

which he lost via unanimous decision.

Bellator

On January 28, 2011, Vitale signed a long-term deal with

. He lost his debut fight against former Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard 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 List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

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

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, 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 ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, 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 A ...

, 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 is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, 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 U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, 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 is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 ,

, 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 Masanori Suda (born July 7, 1973) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight divisions. Suda is known primarily for his time in Shooto, where he is a former Light Heavyweight Champion. ...

, 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 a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, 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 landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, 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

. , - , 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 ,

, 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 Martial artists from Honolulu 1974 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American Christians 20th-century American sportsmen