Kelvin vows to KO Wiuff

Kelvin “The Big Hit” Fitial poses as cornerman Keir Agda takes a selfie during a recent training session. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Kelvin “The Big Hit” Fitial has vowed to knock out fellow mixed martial arts veteran Travis “Diesel” Wiuff when the two heavyweights face off in the main event of MCFC 2 set for May 13 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minnesota.

“I really feel so good about this fight. [It will be a] knockout. That’s my prediction. I’m going to knock this guy out,” he told Saipan Tribune.

The 39-year-old, 250-lb Fitial is coming into the pay-per-view fight with a record of 15 wins, 13 losses, and two draws. The 6’3” brawler fighting out of Four Seasons Martial Arts & Fitness won his last fight when he beat Ben Schneider via TKO in the first round of Brawl International 2.

The 45-year-old, 265-lb Wiuff, meanwhile, boasts of a 78-22 win-loss record with one ending in a no-contest. The 6’2”  fighter out of Elite Performance MMA has won his last three fights and will certainly have the crowd rooting for him as he is from Rochester.

Against all odds, Fitial said he’s just happy to be back again inside the eight-sides of the MMA ring.

“I’m really proud and I’m really happy. I’ve been reaching out to all promoters out there. Most of them didn’t really give me a chance but I knew that I’m going to fight this year. I knew it in my heart, because I’ve been training and finally, when I got that call, it was MCFC. And they said there’s this guy, Travis Wiuff, who has a decade of fights. He’s really experienced. But I’m bringing the fight to him,” he said.

As for his training leading up to the fight, Fitial said aside from training by himself with cornerman Keir Agda, he has also been sparring against opponents at his home gym at Trench Tcch Gym with local fight promoter Justis “Cuki” Alvarez.

“I got back to my training regimen from the very beginning when I was first fighting. I also do my swimming, my long runs, and now that I have a bike now I’m also doing longer, longer bike rides to pick up my endurance. Of course I still play basketball, my favorite sport,” said Fitial, who is the starting center for CK Saints and Martech Ol’Aces in the 2023 Michelin Ultra Cup and Saipan Centennial Lions Basketball leagues, respectively.

Asked how much he would earn fighting in the Med City Fighting Championships event, Fitial said the purse is the least of his concerns.

“I don’t really care about the purse and all I care about is putting the islands back on the map [of MMA],” said Fitial.

Upon arriving in Rochester, his immediate order of business is to quickly acclimatize to Minnesota’s weather which unknown to many is actually hot in May.

“Thank you for your support. I’m always here. I’m still here. I love you guys and I’m always fighting for the islands,” he said.

Fitial also made mention of his fight sponsors IT&E, La Mesa Cusina, Saipan Vegas Resort, and Health City Group.

Med City Fighting Championships co-owner Matthew Vogt said Fitial, while a last-second replacement, is a worthy opponent for Wiuff.

“Wiuff’s original opponent had to pull out because he worked for a jail in Iowa, but the jail won’t let him do it. So I looked around to find somebody that would make sense and we found Kelvin. I reached out and we wrapped this one up pretty quick. He had a great fight against Junior Tafa. He was taking some shots and he was giving some great shots. I expect him to get some good shots against Travis and so it will be an interesting matchup,” he said.