Some fine wines need to be aged properly before being opened.

Mark Kurano, who is employed as a wine distributor, is hoping the same theory applies to mixed martial arts.

Kurano, who is 38, will make his debut in the sport of mixed martial arts next week at the EliteXC organization's "Uprising" card at the Blaisdell Center Arena.

"I'm at the end of my window, I realize that, and I would have preferred to do this a few years earlier," he said. "But the main reason why I'm doing this is because I don't want to have any regret. Five or six years from now, I want to at least say I gave it a shot."

His age is not the only factor that makes him an unlikely competitor.

Kurano is married and has two young children. His kids — Andy, 10, and Amanda, 7 — are not allowed to watch mixed martial arts because Kurano believes it is too violent.

He has a college degree in business administration and is a former Air Force pilot.

By day, he is a wine distributor for Johnson Brothers of Hawai'i and Gallo Winery.

"I want to show people that someone like myself, who is educated and has a clean image and a good job, can also participate in mixed martial arts," Kurano said. "I, personally, don't like the image mixed martial arts holds right now. A lot of the fighters, especially in the bigger organizations, are thuggish and trash-talkers. I don't think you have to have that image to be successful."

By night, Kurano is a tireless practitioner of mixed martial arts, and he is not jumping into the cage next week on a whim.

He has 24 years of experience in judo — he is now a black belt and an instructor at the Shobukan Judo Club. He also has seven years of training in jiu-jitsu, three years of boxing, and he started taekwondo this year.

"I try to do something different every night," said Kurano, who resides in Nu'uanu with his family. "I really wish I got into some of the other stuff, like boxing, when I was younger. I'm sure getting hit in the face would have been much easier to take when I was younger. The headaches last a little longer at my age."

Patrick Freitas, who is a matchmaker for the EliteXC organization and helped coordinate Kurano's debut, said: "Mark's judo skills are top-notch. His grappling and submission talents are on par with some of the top MMA fighters in the world. He understands the sport and he knows his strength. He's literally studied the sport for more than a decade."

Kurano will face California's Jose "The Bomber" Diaz in a middleweight (185 pounds) bout on the undercard of the Sept. 15 event.

"Anybody with the nickname 'The Bomber' is probably going to be a brawler," Kurano said. "But from what I know, he's limited in his experience, so that's good for me."

Kurano was originally scheduled to make his debut for the Icon Sport organization June 15. However, that card was postponed, giving Kurano an opportunity to fight on the EliteXC card next week.

The main event bouts from next week's card will be televised live nationally on the Showtime cable network. The undercard bouts, including Kurano's, will be streamed live on the Internet at proelite.com.

"If I fought on that June card, it would have been a big local event," Kurano said. "All of a sudden, it's a big national event. I wasn't stressed out in June, but now ... I feel like I have to absolutely win decisively to show I can do this."

Kurano is also a familiar face to fans of mixed martial arts in Hawai'i. He is a co-host of the Fighters Club TV show that airs weekly on the 'Olelo network. He has also served as a commentator/analyst for the Icon Sport organization.

He said his future in the sport may depend on the outcome of his Sept. 15 debut.

"When my wife asks me if this is a one-time thing, my answer is absolutely yes, so that I can put her mind at ease," Kurano said. "But truthfully, it really depends on how I do."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.