It is quite fitting that part of Falaniko Vitale's recent training has included grueling runs up to the top of Makakilo Heights.

Vitale will try to get back to the top of the proverbial mountain in mixed martial arts on Saturday when he takes on Iowa's Jeremy Horn in the "Superfight" of an 11-bout card put on by the International Fight League (IFL) organization.

The card will take place in Oakland, Calif., at the Oracle Arena — home of the NBA's Golden State Warriors.

"This was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Vitale said. "Jeremy is a legend in this sport, and if I'm going to come back, I want to do it against the best."

Vitale, 32, contemplated retiring from the sport in 2006 after losing his Icon Sport world championship. But after a seven-month break, Vitale came back in impressive fashion with a first-round knockout of Tony Williams at the Blaisdell Arena last October.

That victory improved his record to 21-6, which was enough to impress the IFL.

"Once I heard they wanted me, I jumped at it," said Vitale, a Waipahu High graduate who now resides in 'Ewa. "It's a pretty good organization, and a lot of people watch it."

The IFL has a television contract with Fox Sports Net. The Vitale-Williams bout could be televised later this year — all of the IFL's broadcasts are delayed, but a 2007 schedule has not yet been released.

Televised or not, Vitale will be in the spotlight against a fighter who is considered one of the best in the world.

Horn, 31, is one of the world's most experienced fighters with a career record of 78-15-5.

He has been in the ring with several of the world's top-ranked fighters, and even fought for an Ultimate Fighting Championship world title in 2005, but lost in the fourth round to champion Chuck Liddell.

"He's got the experience, and everybody knows Horn is good on the ground and hard to submit," Vitale said. "But if I go in and attack, and be aggressive from the get-go, there's a good chance I can control him."

Horn has a solid jiu-jitsu background, and 49 of his victories have come via opponent submission.

Vitale is considered an all-around fighter, with 11 wins by submission and seven by knockout.

In preparation for Saturday's bout, Vitale has been training at two different gyms — 808 Fight Factory in Waipahu and MMA Development in Kailua — in addition to running the Makakilo hills.

"I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life now," he said. "I was struggling with my cardio in a couple of fights, so I want to make sure I'm ready for anything this time."

The bout will be in the 185-pound division. Vitale's last bout in October was at 205 pounds.

"I had a lot of time to cut the weight, so it's not going to be a problem," he said.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.