Fau Vake, Israel Adesanya’s Teammate, Dies After Attack In New Zealand

Amateur MMA fighter Fau Vake, who is a teammate of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at City Kickboxing has passed away after injuries he suffered in an alleged assault in New Zealand during the early morning hours of last Sunday, May 16.

Vake was 2-0 in his amateur career and last competed at XFC 28 in November 2019 where he TKO’d David Farrel in the first round. City Kickboxing released the following statement to The New Zealand Herald confirming the tragic news of Vake’s untimely death.

“It is with inexplicable sadness almost seven days to the hour after his hospital admission, Fau’s fight to find his way back to us ended,” the statement said. “At this tragic time, the Vake family and City Kickboxing ask for time to grieve and reflect on the loss of Fau, a father, a son, and a much-loved brother to us all. We will speak when the time is right to ensure Fau’s loss is not forgotten, but for now please respect our privacy.”

Four men aged between 29 and 32-years old have been charged in connection to the assault on Vake and were in Auckland District Court on Monday, May 17. Two of them are being charged with common assault, while another is being charged with two counts of assaulting with intent to injure, and the other is being charged with wounding with intent to injure. Vake was only 25-years old and is survived by his 3-year-old daughter. A donation page has been set up to help his family during this time if you’d like to donate at the following link. Our entire team here at Fightful would like to send our condolences to the Vake family, as well as the entire City Kickboxing team.

Fightful has all of your MMA needs covered. Follow us on Twitter for updates, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, lists, news updates, and predictions.