Israel Adesanya's City Kickboxing Teammate Fau Vake Sadly Dies After Alleged Assault

It's a sad, sad day for the MMA community in New Zealand.

Fau Vake, who trains and fights out of the famous City Kickboxing in Auckland, has sadly passed away as a result of the injuries he sustained in an alleged assault.

It's understood Vake had been on a life support machine after being critically injured during an incident which occurred at around 3am last Sunday morning.

Now, almost a week later, Vake has sadly passed away with City Kickboxing releasing a statement to confirm the terrible news.

He was just 25 years of age.

"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 read.

"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."

By all accounts, Vake was one of New Zealand's brightest young prospects and had an exciting MMA career ahead of him.

His teammates and coaches, including UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya have made touching tributes via social media to honour their good friend.

City Kickboxing posted to Instagram, saying: "How we will remember you Toko, under the bright lights where life is simple and life makes sense, we will honour your memory forever!"

While UFC heavyweight Tai Tuivasa commented: "Fly high Uso."

Professional boxer Junior Fa and mixed martial arts great Mark Hunt also paid their respects.

As for Adesanya, he reminisced on the good times spent with Vake by posting a collection of photos and screenshots of messages on his Instagram story.

"He has fought. He has fought every step of the way against catastrophic injuries and it's only his heart that's kept him in it for so long," City Kickboxing coach Mike Angove told the New Zealand Herald.

"Right now we are just very very sad and we need to take our time to remember him. We will be with him and his family up in hospital over the next few days."

According to the Herald, over 100 people came to visit Vake while he was on life support in Auckland hospital.

He sadly leaves behind a three-year-old daughter.

As for the ongoing case, it's understood new charges will now be laid with four men already arrested by local police.

Topics: New Zealand, MMA News, Assault, Australia, MMA, Israel Adesanya

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

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