For Hawai'i fans of mixed martial arts, the preliminary bouts on tonight's X-1 World Events card hold as much interest as the main events.

In particular, the welterweight bout between Kalihi's Mark Moreno and Hilo's Ross Ebanez has created a buzz in the local MMA community.

"I think more people are talking about that fight than any of the others," X-1 promoter Mike Miller said.

The 15-bout card is scheduled to begin at 7:30 at the Blaisdell Center Arena.

Moreno and Ebanez are considered two of the state's best competitors in the 170-pound division, and tonight will be a rematch of a controversial bout from March 2006.

Moreno won the last meeting by majority decision.

Ebanez said he was bed-ridden with the flu in the days leading to the 2006 bout, so he was not at his physical best on the night of the fight.

"I wasn't even supposed to fight," he said. "But I didn't want to back down and so I fought anyway. I knew I was going to be weak, but I still made it a close (decision)."

Moreno, who broke his right foot during that bout, said he wants to put any controversy to rest tonight.

"He keeps saying he wasn't 100 percent the last time, but I broke my foot in that fight and still kicked his (butt)," Moreno said. "I just want him to put all the excuses aside already. He's 100 percent, I'm 100 percent. We'll settle it (tonight)."

Moreno is 12-7-2, and is expected to fight for the prestigious Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) organization in November.

"This might be my last fight in Hawai'i for a while, so I want to make it a good one," he said.

Ebanez is 15-5, and trains with BJ Penn in Hilo.

"Actually, I don't like fighting other local guys; I rather fight Mainland guys," Ebanez said. "There's no bad blood between me and (Moreno), but I want to beat him to get him back for the last time."

In one of the co-main events, Hawai'i's Falaniko Vitale will face California's Steve Renaud in a middleweight bout. Vitale said he struggled to make the 185-pound limit yesterday, but said he'll be ready tonight.

"I can't take any opponent lightly," Vitale said. "I like to challenge myself and this guy will definitely be a challenge."

In the other co-main event, Brazil's Marcelo Tigre will face California's Vernon "Tiger" White in a light-heavyweight bout.

Tigre is an expert in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. White has fought some of the best competitors in the world, including losses to Chuck Liddell and Jeremy Horn.

SCHEDULED BOUTS

185 pounds: Falaniko Vitale vs. Steve Renaud. 205: Marcelo Tigre vs. Vernon "Tiger" White. 170: Mark Moreno vs. Ross Ebanez. Heavyweight: Wesley "Cabbage" Correira vs. Deutsch Pu'u. 205: Augie Padeken vs. Tait Fletcher. 170: Brandon Wolff vs. Shu Nahiwawa. 170: Brenton Wolff vs. Bu Nahiwawa. 185: Brennan Kamaka vs. Rob Hesia. Eight-man tournament, quarterfinals: Cory Gifford vs. Michael Brightman; Robin Clark vs. Derek Thornton; Chris Bernard vs. Kimo Lani; Andre Shaolin vs. Maui Wolfgram.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.