“The Fighting Hawaiian” is back.
On just five days’ notice, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has re-signed Kai Kamaka III, who will face top prospect and UFC newcomer Dakota Hope at UFC Vegas 115 this weekend (Sat., April 4, 2026) inside the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Eurosport was first to report the news.
Kamaka (17-7-1) returns to the Octagon after being released in 2021, where he went 1-2-1 during his initial UFC stint. Since then, the Hawaiian has stayed busy, putting together a strong
run outside the promotion.
He went 6-1 in Bellator before moving over to PFL, where he posted a 2-1 record and advanced to the 2024 Featherweight playoffs before falling to Brendan Loughnane.
Following his PFL run, Kamaka returned to the regional scene, competing for Las Vegas-based promotion Tuff-N-Uff, where he went 3-1 — with his lone loss coming via split decision to Diego Brandao.
Now back under the UFC banner, Kamaka gets another chance to make good on his potential.
Standing in Kamaka’s way is a dangerous newcomer.
Hope (11-1) has quietly built a reputation as a rising prospect, thanks to his power and well-rounded skill set. He enters the bout riding a five-fight win streak, most recently scoring a brutal first-round knockout at Fury FC 116.
The former Peak Fighting Featherweight champion owns five knockout wins and brings real finishing ability into his UFC debut.
All things considered, Kamaka vs. Hope is a welcome late addition to a relatively underwhelming card.
Nevertheless, here’s how the lineup looks:
Renato Moicano vs. Chris Duncan
Virna Jandiroba vs. Tabatha Ricci
Brendson Ribeiro vs. Abdul Rakhman
YakhyaevRafael Estevam vs. Ethyn Ewing
Tommy McMillen vs. Manolo Zecchini
Jose Delano vs. Robert Ruchala
Guilherme Pat vs. Thomas Petersen
Alessandro Costa vs. Stewart Nicoll
Darrius Flowers vs. Lando Vannata
Hailey Cowan vs. Alice Pereira
Azamat Bekoev vs. Tresean Gore
Dakota Hope vs. Kai Kamaka
Dione Barbosa vs. Melissa Gatto
