Promoters of mixed martial arts in Hawai'i think they can help the University of Hawai'i athletic department raise money.

Under one condition — let them fight in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Patrick Freitas, promoter for the Icon Sport and EliteXC organizations, said the UH athletic department could make "at least" $50,000 per show if big MMA events were staged in the Sheriff Center.

"This sport continues to grow every day," Freitas said. "And we feel like it's time to put on a show in a bigger arena. We've been wanting to do a show in the Stan Sheriff for a long time, and I think the time has come."

The EliteXC organization completed a successful MMA card in the Blaisdell Center Arena last week. More than 5,000 fans attended, and the main bouts were televised nationally on the Showtime cable network.

Freitas said he would like the EliteXC's next show to be staged in the Sheriff Center, sometime next year.

"The Sheriff is just a bigger, better arena, and I think we could do so much more in there," he said. "I think we'd be able to bring in bigger names (of fighters) and that would bring in a bigger crowd."

No MMA event has ever been staged in the Sheriff Center.

Hawai'i athletic director Herman Frazier said the Blaisdell Center Arena has "first right of refusal" on all non-UH indoor sporting events on O'ahu.

"We can't even talk to (MMA promoters) unless Blaisdell can not accommodate them," Frazier said. "Blaisdell would have to turn them down first."

But Freitas said organizations like EliteXC may be out-growing the Blaisdell, so the Sheriff Center would be the next logical step.

"It's not just about getting more fans into a bigger arena," Freitas said. "The Sheriff has a much more up-to-date video production system. They have conference rooms, much more adequate locker rooms, a scoreboard with four-sided screens. All of that stuff comes into play for a big show."

Even if the Blaisdell Arena could not accommodate a MMA show in the future, Frazier did not want to commit to using the Sheriff Center for a MMA show.

"It all depends on the dates, and we'd have to take a look at a lot of things," Frazier said. "And to be honest, I haven't kept up with (MMA) because we have so much going on here."

UH sporting events and practices take priority in the Sheriff Center, but Freitas said MMA organizations "would be more than willing to take summer dates."

Freitas said if a MMA show were staged at the Sheriff Center, UH would probably get to keep "around 10 percent" of the ticket sales.

He did not want to reveal specific figures, but one ticket to a big MMA show would probably have an average cost of $50. If a show at the Sheriff Center were to draw 7,000 fans, that would mean $35,000 to UH.

What's more, Freitas said UH would get a large share of the concession and merchandise sales. UH would also collect on the parking fees.

Freitas added that the MMA organizations pay for their own security teams.

"If you think about it, it really is an easy way for UH to make some money," he said.

Freitas said the Icon Sport organization had the Sheriff Center reserved for a show on April 9, 2005.

"We actually bought our ads saying that it was going to be the first show in the Sheriff Center," Freitas said.

However, UH officials eventually rejected the show, and so it was moved to the Blaisdell Arena. A crowd of more than 6,000 showed up to watch Falaniko Vitale defeat Masanori Suda.

Freitas said UH would have made at least $50,000 from that show, had it been staged in the Sheriff Center.

Frazier said he could not recall the details of why the show was rejected.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.