One man pleads guilty to assault on Tongan MMA fighter Fau Vake
via RNZ
Four men appeared at the Auckland High Court yesterday in front of a packed public gallery of Vake's friends, family and team mates, including UFC star Dan Hooker.
One man, Ofa He Mooni Folau, pleaded guilty to two assault charges - he admitted assaulting Liufau Vake and his brother James Ika Vake (pictured above) on May 16 in Auckland. A sentencing date has been set down for August.
However the three others, one of whom is charged with manslaughter, entered not guilty pleas through their lawyers. They have interim name suppression, and a trial date has been set for October next year. A name suppression hearing has been set for July 29th.
The twenty-five-year-old rising MMA fighter died in hospital after he was hit from behind on Symonds Street on the 16th of May.
Family spokesman Mike Angove from City Kickboxing has spoken out on social media after the trial calling on supporters to maintain public pressure and awareness in regards to harsher coward punch laws.
You can sign the petition here
Recently Fau's City Kickboxing team mates paid tribute to him at their UFC 263 fights.
Brad Riddell walked out to a song which had been Fau's walkout song, "Tevita Latai Maumi' by Jay Black which was also adopted by the Mate Ma'a Tonga fans during the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
"I walked out to his walkout song which is actually one of his songs from his fathers village in Tonga, that's why that song would have seemed a little odd, but his mother and his brother gave me permission to walk out to that as a tribute to him, so that's why I did" - Brad 'Quake' Riddell
Both Brad and Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya gave touching tributes to Fau in their post fight interviews and their post fight press conferences.
“Before any formalities, one of our boys who was on the way up to the UFC got murdered by some thugs who are still walking around free ... I just wanna say Fau Vake, I love you man, this fight I dedicate to you,”
Watch Adesanya's full speech in the video below.