John Vake (born 15 June 1991) is a Tongan New Zealander pro-mixed martial arts fighter and wrestler, who has represented Tonga at the Commonwealth Games.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | John Taufa Vake |
| Born | 15 June 1991[1] Auckland, New Zealand[1] |
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Tonga |
| Sport | Wrestling |
vake was born in Auckland, New Zealand and educated at Kelston Boys' High School.[2][3] He took up wrestling after failing to get into the school rugby team.[2] His first professional MMA fight was in 2012. In 2018, he opened a fight club in Auckland to help troubled youth.[4] He also runs a Whānau Ora-funded program for Kelston Boys' High School students.[5]
In 2022 he was selected for the Tongan team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.[6][7] He was defeated in the first round by Muhammad Sharif Tahir.[8]
References edit
- ^ a b c "John Vake". Tapology. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ a b Jackson Thomas (31 March 2017). "'I'm gonna knock you out'". Stuff. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "Guns of MMA go for shot at glory". New Zealand Herald. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Torika Tokalau (5 September 2018). "At risk youths turn to mixed martial arts to save them". Stuff. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "'You're here to be powerful' Groups make Dragons' Den-style pitches for Whanau Ora funds to run social programmes". Waipareira Trust. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "Tonga competes in six sports at 2022 Commonwealth Games". Matangi Tonga. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Soana Aholelei (23 July 2022). "Tonga Wrestling team make big sacrifices to get to Commonwealth Games". TP+. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Zahid Noor (6 August 2022). "Sharif thrashes Vake to storm into CWG Wrestling quarter-final". A Sports. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
External links edit
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