Soa Palelei (born 12 July 1977) is an Australian retired

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. A professional from 2002 until 2015, he most notably competed for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

and

PRIDE Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

Background

Born in 1977,

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

, of Tongan descent, Palelei started his fighting career at an early age.

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

was his first choice in the earlier years and nearly saw him compete for Australia at the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. Palelei's interest quickly grew in the arena of

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

and from there his love of the

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

grew.

Personal life

Palelei says he cannot recall ever getting into street scraps as a kid, and, remarkably, does not like confrontation out of the ring. His sporting prowess started with basketball, then moved to rugby, while he also trained in freestyle and Greco wrestling, followed by Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His father took him to get his first tattoo at 15, a rite of passage that would be repeated through milestones in his life, the patterns portraying significant Tongan symbols. Coming from a school of hard knocks helped to prepare Palelei for the fight arena. His parents had exposed him to the tough plantation life in Tonga as a young child. Then he was sent to live with an uncle in NSW where he was given regular beatings. Having gone through this has made Palelei want to be able to give back and use his platform to do so, Palelei has a mentoring program called Hulk Kids MMA in which he mentors teens on every aspect of life, combined with training and diet tips this program is available for schools and community groups. Palelei was signed to Penguin Books and is in the midst of writing a memoir about his childhood how he came up from nothing to being in the world's largest MMA organisation the UFC, his book was released in June 2016 and can be purchased at https://www.penguin.com.au/books/face-your-fears-9780143799979, this will be the first of other books to come.

Acting career

Palelei is currently signed to Clifford Wallace Plus, Palelei made his acting debut in the 2014 Australian film, ''Son of a Gun'', playing the role of a henchmen Tommy alongside

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...

Matthew Nable Matthew Nable (born 8 March 1972) is an Australian film and television actor, writer, sports commentator and former professional rugby league player. After playing in the Winfield Cup Premiership during the 1990s for the Manly-Warringah and S ...

and

Brenton Thwaites Brenton Thwaites (born 10 August 1989) is an Australian actor. Beginning his career in his home country in 2011, he had a starring role on the series ''Slide'' and later appeared on the soap opera ''Home and Away''. Since moving to the United S ...

. Since then Palelei has played the lead in ''Zombie Ninjas Vs Black Ops'' which is due to be released in 2015, and ''Football Breakers'' an Australian Comedy. In 2017 Palelei appeared alongside Matthew Nable, Ryan Corr, Abbey Leigh,

Eddie Baroo Eddie Baroo (born 25 September 1968) is an Australian actor, screenwriter, singer and guitarist. He is the lead singer and frontman of the band Stodgewood. His notable films are '' Red Hill'' (2010), '' Crawlspace'' (2012), and '' The Dry'' (2020 ...

and

Simone Kessell Simone Kessell (born 19 August 1975) is a New Zealand television actress known for her role as Lt. Alicia Washington in the short lived Fox science fiction television series '' Terra Nova.'' In 2016, Kessell starred opposite Ray Winstone on th ...

in '' 1%''.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Palelei made his professional MMA debut in September 2002. He was undefeated for the first two years of his career, going 7–0 with all wins either by TKO or submission. He suffered his first defeat via submission to Choi Mu-Bae at

PRIDE 28 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

in October 2004.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Palelei had a brief stint in the UFC at

UFC 79 ''UFC 79: Nemesis'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), that took place on December 29, 2007, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The main events featured the fight ...

against

Eddie Sanchez Eduardo Arturo Sanchez (born November 4, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Heavyweight division. A professional since 2004, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Titan FC, Final Fight Championship ...

, losing by TKO in the third round. He was released from the promotion shortly after.

Post-UFC

He was at one stage linked a fight at ONE FC – Pride of a Nation against former

UFC Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Andrei Arlovski Andrei Arlovski (born 4 February 1979) is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ho ...

, however ONE FC officials pulled him from the fight as he refused to sign a five-fight exclusive contract with

ONE Fighting Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports Promoter (entertainment), promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its eve ...

. He was replaced by former

Tim Sylvia Timothy Deane Sylvia (born March 5, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, professional wrestler, and a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. He has competed as a Super Heavyweight and Heavyweight. While he is best kn ...

. After his release from the UFC in 2007, Palelei went 10–1 including wins over UFC veterans

Brad Morris Brad Morris (born August 16, 1975) is an American actor and television writer. He starred in ''Playing House'' and had recurring roles on ''Cougar Town'' as Jerry from 2013 to 2015, for which he also wrote five episodes, ''Great News'' from 201 ...

and

Sean McCorkle Sean McCorkle (born July 17, 1976) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Super Heavyweight division. A professional from 2005 until 2014, he competed for the UFC, Bellator, KSW, and King of the Cage ...

. He defeated McCorkle in the main event at

Australian Fighting Championship Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) is an Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation based in Melbourne. In 2013 AFC was described as Australia's leading MMA organisation by MMA Kanvas and is part of Sherdog's list of top 50 global MMA ...

(AFC) 4 via technical knock-out in round one and defended his AFC heavyweight title he won at AFC 3.

Return to UFC

In March 2013, Palelei signed a multi fight deal with the UFC. Palelei was expected to face Stipe Miocic on 15 June 2013 at

UFC 161 ''UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 15, 2013, at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Background While the UFC has hosted several events in the past in Canada, the event was the first that the or ...

until Miocic was reassigned to fight Roy Nelson as a replacement on the main card and Palelei was pulled from the event. Palelei faced UFC newcomer

Nikita Krylov Nikita Andreyevich Krylov (born March 7, 1992) is a Ukrainian-Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for M-1 Global. As ...

UFC 164 ''UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 31, 2013, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Background The main event was expected to be a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between the c ...

. He won the fight via third-round TKO in a lackluster fight which saw both fighters exhausted after the first round. It was later revealed that Palelei suffered a fractured rib during the week before the fight. Palelei next faced Pat Barry at

UFC Fight Night 33 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 33'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 6 December 2013, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The event was broadcast live on Fox Spo ...

on 7 December 2013. He won the fight via knockout in the first round, after achieving full mount position and landing a barrage of punches. Palelei faced promotional newcomer

Ruan Potts Ruan Potts (born 24 August 1977) is a South African professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Potts formerly competed for the UFC. Mixed martial arts career Potts ...

on 10 May 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 40 ''UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 40'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 10, 2014, at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. Background The event was the second time that the organization has held ...

. He won the fight via knockout, again from a full mount, in the first round. Palelei faced

Jared Rosholt Jared Daniel Rosholt (born August 4, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Rosholt has competed for the UFC, Titan FC, Professional Fighters League, and L ...

on 28 June 2014 at UFC Fight Night 43. Palelei lost the fight via unanimous decision. Palelei was expected to face

Daniel Omielańczuk Daniel Omielańczuk (born August 31, 1982) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer currently competing in the Heavyweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). A professional MMA competitor since 2009, he has competed ...

on 8 November 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 55 ''UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 55'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on November 8, 2014. Background This event was the fourth event t ...

. However, Omielańczuk was forced to pull out of bout with a broken thumb and was replaced by Walt Harris. He won the fight by TKO in the second round. Palelei faced Antônio Silva on 1 August 2015 at

UFC 190 ''UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 1, 2015, at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between former UFC Bantamwei ...

. He lost the fight by TKO in the second round. In turn, Palelei announced his retirement from MMA on 19 October 2015.

Accomplishments

(AFC) World Heavy Weight Champion * K-OZ Entertainment World Super Heavy Weight Champion * IKBF Super Heavy Weight World Champion * Australian Heavy Weight Mixed Martial Arts Champion * Australian Heavy Weight Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu * W.A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Heavy Weight Champion * W.A Freestyle Wrestling Champion at 120 kg * W.A MMA Heavy Weight Champion * Australian Freestyle Wrestling Champion at 120 kg * ADCC Australian Heavy Weight Submission Champion * South Pacific MMA Heavy Weight Champion

Mixed martial arts record

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Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

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Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

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, TKO (punches) , Australian Fighting Championship 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:45 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Bob Sapp , TKO (punches) , Cage Fighting Championship 21 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:12 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 , Joe Kielur , TKO (punches) , Australian Fighting Championship 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 , Shunske Inoue , TKO (punches) , Cage Fighting Championship 20 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:08 ,

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Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...

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Daniel Cormier Daniel Ryan Cormier (; born March 20, 1979) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and current commentator for the UFC. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Ch ...

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, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 , Choi Mu-Bae , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

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Christian Wellisch Christian Wellisch (born September 13, 1975) is a Hungarian-American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001 until 2009, he competed for the UFC, WEC, and King of the Cage. Mixed martial arts career Welli ...

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References

http://www.thewhatitdo.com/2013/09/17/exclusive-ufc-fighter-soa-the-hulk-palelei/

External links

* *http://www.soathehulk.com/ *
Soa Palelei from UFC Fans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palelei, Soa 1977 births Living people Australian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Super heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Newcastle, New South Wales Australian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Australian people of Tongan descent Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters