Issue 022

February 2007

Hawaiian fighters are often renowned for their tattoos, and one in particular stands out from the crowd. Heavyweight fighter Wesley ‘Cabbage’ Correira, 18-11-0 and from Hilo in Hawaii, is covered in an assortment of black, green and red ink. His tattoos represent his life, his friends and his experiences. Most of his tattoos were done by his friend late friend Aaron Sampago, who died in a motorcycle accident two years ago. 

“When I run out of skin I will stop getting tattoos, I would never get any tattoos past the neck, nothing like that, just to keep it business like, with a long-sleeve shirt I can keep my hand in my pocket and no-one knows” says Cabbage. “I just opened up my new tattoo shop before coming over here, I am quite lucky in that I own a tattoo shop and I am sponsored like that.” 

“This tattoo here is from my first gym that I started training with, it represents the guy start started off everything for me, grappling and that, got my foot in the door, Egan Inoue.”

“This one, from the year of the horse, the year that I was born, Also when you get hit by the left, its like your getting kicked by a horse. My friend Art in Guam did this after I fought over there. I usually get a tattoo after every fight. I got the word Respect above the horse right after I beat Tank.”

“Below my navel I have ‘die trying’ - the girls always read that. I have had the palms of my hands done but they are falling out. The skull stands for Metal Mulisha, it stands for fighting against your government, rebellion, it’s from the dudes that I used to ride my bike with, the Metal Mulisha, all those guys are freestyle! Overall I think I have maybe a couple a hundred hours done.”

“Yamato Damashi Ichi-Zouku: Family until the death. Takomi-san in Japan is the one who did this.”

“This is a continuation of the Japanese dragon tattoo that incorporates Yamato damashi ichi-zouku and Kanjio, to live as a man, to die as a man, to become a man, part of Enson Inoue’s philosophy.”

“This is Cabbage, one of my favorites; again part of the one my friend Aaron Sampago did.”

“My back is not finished yet, the big Koi stands for power, I had it started just before my fight with Arlovski and I know a lot of people couldn’t work out what it was at the time, its still in progress, and it is part of a cover-up of a cross I had there originally; It hasn’t been worked on since I lost Aaron but now I got this guy Brady in Hilo, he is really good, and my guy Chris Enriques who trains with us, he is really good at Japanese styles.”

“This tattoo here, my late friend Aaron Sampago did it, he died in a motorcycle accident two years ago and he is responsible for most of my work, he actually started the Koi.”

“My new artist at my tattoo shop did this, my tiger, with the tail coming up past my hip and just above my waistline.”