Former University of Hawaii wide receiver Chad Owens made his MMA debut a successful one with a unanimous decision victory over Junyah Tefaga at DestinyMMA: Na Koa III on Saturday night at the Blaisdell Arena.

Owens, who currently plays for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, fought two 3-minute rounds under amateur rules.

The reigning CFL most outstanding player struck early with a combination and a takedown. Tefaga eventually worked his way back on top but Owens reversed position near the end of the first round and fired off a series of punches as the bell sounded.

Owens got the early advantage in the second round and unloaded a vicious ground and pound that left Tefaga bloodied by the end of the fight.

"I had fun and the crowd brought so much energy," Owens said. "One of the things I was looking forward to was I get to focus on one guy and try to let my athleticism take over. I do have a newfound respect for the sport. When I was done, I couldn’t breathe because the adrenaline was unreal."

Owens said he reports for training camp with the Argonauts in June.

In the first of three pro title fights on the card, Gabe Solorio defended his DestinyMMA lightweight title with a first-round submission victory over Kaleo Kwan.

Ryan Mulvihill defended his 145-pound title with a unanimous decision over Ricky Wallace.

In the main event, Jared Torgeson knocked out Molokai’s Sale Sproat in the third round to become the new DestinyMMA middleweight champion. Sproat rocked Torgeson with a right hook that wobbled the challenger, but as Sproat came in to pounce, Torgeson unloaded a hail mary right hand that put Sproat on the ground for good.