Wai'anae's Kala Kolohe Hose will get his long awaited shot at the Icon Sport middleweight championship next month.

It just won't be against Robbie Lawler.

In a surprising and bold move, the Icon Sport organization stripped Lawler of the middleweight world title yesterday due to "failing to adequately defend" the championship belt. The announcement was made at a press conference at the Blaisdell Center Arena.

"Last year was a rough year," Icon Sport president T. Jay Thompson said. "For various illnesses and injures, Robbie Lawler pulled out of three Icon events in 2007. It's not fair. It's not fair to Icon Sport. Not fair to Kala Kolohe Hose, who has been waiting nearly a year for his title shot. And most importantly, it's not fair to our fans."

As a result, Hose will face mixed martial arts veteran Phil Baroni for the vacant championship on March 15 at the Blaisdell Arena.

"This is going to be fun," Hose said. "I think Phil is a tough guy. I think it's going to be an exciting fight for all my fight fans out there, and I know Phil is the kind of guy who is not going to pull out at the last minute."

Lawler defeated Frank Trigg to win the Icon Sport middleweight (185 pounds) championship on March 31, 2007. He has not defended the title since, although he has fought for other organizations.

A championship bout between Hose and Lawler was postponed three times — in June, September and December. Lawler, who is from Iowa, had to withdraw from the December bout due to a shoulder injury.

Hose and Baroni attended yesterday's press conference. Lawler did not.

In a statement issued through Icon Sport officials, Lawler said: "I'm disappointed and upset, but I understand why this is happening. In 2007, I did well when I was healthy. I accept the decision, but I promise everyone that I will return, and I will get my belt back."

Thompson said Lawler will still be allowed to fight in the Icon Sport organization, but will have to work his way back to title contention.

Lawler might even fight on the undercard of the March 15 event if his shoulder is healed, and could eventually face the winner of the Hose-Baroni bout.

In any case, the championship bout between Hose and Baroni should be a slugfest between two MMA competitors known for knockouts.

"Phil Baroni will be right at home in Icon," Thompson said. "His explosive fighting style is exactly what our fans want, and it perfectly matches the style of Kala Kolohe Hose."

Hose is 5-1, with all five of his victories via knockout. Baroni, who is from New York, is 10-8 with seven wins by knockout.

Baroni has already competed against some of the world's best, and was once a title contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. He gained international popularity because of his punching power and his brash talk.

"Kala is like a young version of me," Baroni said. "It's too bad Lawler was afraid to fight him, but I'm not. I've been fighting top guys my entire career, and I'm going to show the Hawaiian fans what a real middleweight champ looks like."

Ticket information for the March 15 event is expected to be announced next week.