UFC fans have commemorated the life of Taylor Wily on social media following her death earlier this week at age 56, three decades after her appearance in ‘UFC 1: The Beginning.’
On X over the past 24 hours, fans praised the Hawaii-born former sumo after his passing on Thursday. The cause of death has not yet been made public. Wily is survived by his wife Halona and his two children.
In addition to his acting career at the end of his life, Wily was known for his role as ‘Teila Tuli’ when he fought Dutch kickboxer and MMA professional Gerard Gordeau, to whom he lost by technical knockout (kick to the head), ago. 31 years. , in Denver, Colorado.
Due to his and Gordeau’s contrasting sizes, the fight has long been remembered as ‘David versus Goliath’.
‘Teila Tuli, half of the first TELEVISED UFC fight in history, has died at age 56. Before NHB, Tuli was a sumo wrestler. Regardless of the outcome, Tuli was part of one of the most iconic moments in combat sports history,” a UFC on X fan account shared.
Tributes have poured in for Taylor Willy, also known as ‘Teila Tuli’, who was one of the first UFC fighters.
Wily was known for his fight against Dutch boxer and MMA professional Gerard Gordeau in 1993.
“Teila Tuli, the first fighter to step into the octagon in 1993, sadly passed away today at the age of 56. A true MMA pioneer,” wrote another.
Carmen Bidalot, a film industry veteran who appeared to have known Wily personally, posted: “I learned with sadness of the death of actor Teila Tuli, also known as Taylor Willy. He played the unforgettable Kamekona in the American television series Hawaii 5 -0.
“All my thoughts are with his family.”
Another person said: ‘The first fighter to enter the UFC octagon for the first fight.’ A pioneer of MMA. Rip Teila Tuli.’
UFC fans described Wily, who was a former sumo wrestler, as one of the ‘pioneers’ of the sport.
‘(Taylor Willy) will always be remembered as Teila Tuli to fight fans. RIP,” one fan shared.
Prior to his UFC debut, Willy was undefeated in his first 14 bouts as a sumo wrestler, weighing nearly 440 pounds. He was among the heaviest profiles in the sport.
He retired from sumo in 1989 due to knee problems and appeared in the American crime dramas Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum PI, as well as the 2008 film ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’.