Belts on the line at Ring of Fire

Until Thursday, Martin Day considered his next fight to be nothing more than that, a fight.

That changed when he walked into Club Eleven-44 for Thursday’s press conference promoting Saturday’s Ring of Fire event at the Blaisdell Arena and saw the championship belt with the IFK logo on it.

As he grabbed the belt to pose with opponent Richard Barnard in the night’s main event, he looked it over some more.

Quickly, he realized this was a little more than just another fight.

"At first I thought I was just going to have some fun, but now I’m looking at this IKF belt and realizing how IKF is pretty legit," Day said. "It’s not that I didn’t take it seriously at first but I realize now what an opportunity this is."

Day will fight Barnard under the IKF standard rules for kickboxing in one of six title fights.

All six bouts were originally scheduled to feature a Hawaii fighter against an opponent from California, but Day’s challenger suffered an injury in training last Friday and had to pull out.

Barnard, who trains out of Waianae, stepped up as a last-minute replacement after getting a phone call on Wednesday.

"I was supposed to fight last week but my opponent pulled out at the last minute," Barnard said. "I work nights so I sleep during the day but when I woke up (on Wednesday) I had a message asking about taking this fight and I said, ‘Hell yeah, let’s do it.’ "

Barnard is listed as 20-3 overall in kickboxing, while Day is undefeated with seven wins and a draw.

Both are 25 years old. Day, who also holds the Destiny 145-pound title in kickboxing, recently was invited to train with Hawaii Elite MMA.

"I started training with them like three months ago so I’m able to see these opportunities opening up for me a lot more clearer," Day said. "I’m training with Max Holloway, Russell Doane, Dustin Kimura, Louis Smolka, Yancy Medeiros and even a lot of other pro guys who aren’t in the UFC."

This is Ring of Fire’s first event in Hawaii and almost all bouts will take place with standard kickboxing rules.

The one mixed martial arts fight features California’s JT Donaldson against Anthony Rivera, who trains out of Jesus is Lord in Waianae.

"It’s my first time fighting at the Blaisdell Arena," Rivera said. "It’s an exciting opportunity for me."

There are 14 fights scheduled for the event. Doors open at 5 p.m.