In the absence of Showtime exposure, several Hawai'i mixed martial arts fighters still want to put on a show tomorrow.

Hawai'i stars Kala Kolohe Hose and Mark Oshiro are among the fighters on the undercard of tomorrow's "Return of the King" MMA card put on by the EliteXC organization. Preliminary bouts are scheduled to begin around 3 p.m. at the Blaisdell Center Arena.

"Every fight is big — it goes on your record, no matter what, if you win or lose," Hose said. "It doesn't make a difference to me if it's on TV."

Fighters like Hose and Oshiro appearing on the undercard says a lot about the main bouts.

Five bouts featuring well-known international fighters will be televised nationally on the Showtime cable network.

K.J. "King Karl" Noons — who was raised in Kailua, Kona, but now trains in California — will defend his EliteXC world lightweight (160 pounds) championship against Yves Edwards of Texas in the main event.

There will be seven undercard bouts featuring Hawai'i fighters, but those bouts will not be televised. It will be streamed live via the Internet at www.proelite.com.

The EliteXC organization has emerged as a competitor for the popular UFC organization, so many of the Hawai'i fighters on tomorrow's undercard could be auditioning for a spot on a nationally televised EliteXC event in the future.

"It's like an open opportunity," Hose said.

Just three months ago, Hose defeated Phil Baroni to win the Icon Sport middleweight (185 pounds) championship in the main event of a card at the Blaisdell Center Arena.

Hose will face Bubba McDaniel of Texas tomorrow in a non-title bout. Hose has a professional record of 6-1, with all six victories by knockout. McDaniel is 11-4.

"He has a grappling-wrestling background, so I'm pretty sure he'll try to take me down," Hose said. "My job is to stop him from taking me down."

Hose said he will be treating tomorrow's bout like a title defense.

"I can't take anybody lightly just because I beat Baroni the last time," Hose said. "If I lose, (McDaniel) is on the map instead of me."

Like Hose, Pearl City's Oshiro is a champion in the Icon Sport organization.

"It's not about the fame or money for me, I just love to fight," Oshiro said. "But I hope to make a career out of this, and if EliteXC gives me a chance someday, I'll take it."

Oshiro (10-1) will face Chris Willems (2-1-1) of the Big Island tomorrow in a 140-pound bout.

"To be honest, I hate fighting local boys," Oshiro said. "I rather fight for Hawai'i than against Hawai'i. But this is the guy they put in front of me, so I have to go in there and fight him."

Like most Hawai'i fighters, Oshiro fits his MMA training into a hectic daily schedule. He works full-time for a construction company, and is also studying business classes at Leeward Community College. He also recently started a T-shirt clothing line called "Throw First."

"That's why every fight is big for me," said Oshiro, 25. "I want to go out there and prove myself and hopefully it leads to something bigger."

NOONS READY TO DEFEND

Tomorrow will be Noons' first defense of the EliteXC lightweight championship since he upset California's Nick Diaz for it in Texas last November.

"It's an exciting time — coming back home to defend the belt," Noons said.

Noons, who is an active professional in both boxing and MMA, is 5-1, with all five wins by knockout.

Edwards is 34-13-1 and has faced some of the world's best competitors during his 12-year career.

Other televised bouts: